After reading Isabel Allende’s story “And of Clay We Are Created,” I noticed specific elements in Rolf’s partner’s character that I could relate really to. In the story, as she watches on the television Rolf helplessly trying to save the trapped girl from the muddy, dangerous debris from the volcanic eruption, I could sense her having a feeling of earnest yet obsolete desire to help them, but she is not able to, since they are in completely different locations. This same desire resonated with me, because it reminds me of all the times in my life where I watched helplessly as a person whom I really want to help does not receive the aid they need due to their situations, and my help is also rendered obsolete, because we are in completely different places in the world. One such occasion that comes to mind are the countless infomercials that show how millions of African children have to suffer from thirst, starvation, and even death, because they don’t have the provisional resources to keep them healthy. I remember watching the African children, thin to the point where their bones poke through their skin, oftentimes covered in flies. I remember watching them cry for attention, for food and water, many of them also in need of serious medical attention, to which they may not receive. During these times, I feel that like I need to help these children, but at the same time, I realize how far away I am from helping them; both physically through distance, and financially, since I am not financially stable enough to donate any impactful amount of money. In these times, as I watch these suffering children on the television screen, I can closely relate to Rolf’s partner, in her futile desire to help those in need, since they are opposite sides of the world.
