great works ii – 2850 jta 12:25-2:05: love letters from the world

Stephen:
On page 848, Carlos Fuentes writes, “Your sleep is heavy and unsatisfying. In your dreams you had already felt the same vague melancholy, the weight on your diaphragm, the sadness that won’t stop oppressing your imagination.” Felipe goes from feeling indifferent about taking up the job to becoming disenchanted. Soon, Felipe comes to realize that he is a victim of Senora Consuelo’s suspicious and dark natured intentions. In this quote, Felipe expressed his unhappiness and dissatisfaction of Consuelo spying on him the night before. It also shows that Felipe’s fearful dreams are coming alive. Felipe could not really sleep well at night because he is always thinking about the dark fantasies of Aura and Consuelo. The use of the second narrative allows the audience/readers to step into the shoes of Felipe. The writer wants the readers to feel the “heavy” breaths and the immense “weight on your diaphragm” that Felipe has when he is trying to sleep. This enhances our perception of the restless nights that he goes through frequently. We are thrown into the reality of Felipe and we are able to step into his dark and sullen environment.

Davida:
On page 845 of the story, Montero takes readers into his dark abyss, “In the depths…toward the abyss…” Through those lines, one can see that the character of Señora Consuelo as two people. Initially, the “old lady’s bloody gums” appear in front of one’s eyes, leading to the heard echo of Aura’s voice and her holding the teeth that were those of the old lady’s, which seems contradictory. This symbolism indicates that Aura is a creative representational character that the Señora imagined to depict her in her youth. The bloody and unpleasant scene that is described for readers beforehand also shows readers how two women, in two different places, were performing the same action of skinning a living thing, indicating the presence of both Montero’s crazed delusion of Aura and her oneness with the Señora. The author’s attracts and emphasizes the true existence of his fictional world to readers through the use of the second-person singular. Additionally, he causes the fictional world to seem a reality to readers as they go read. As one soars through the gruesome image of both women skinning live things, it becomes evident that Montero’s insanity leads him to imagine “as she skins the imaginary kid with the imaginary knife.”

Fritz:
“You remember Aura as she was a few moments ago… the Señora did.” (842) In this quote, Montero indicates the theme of helplessness, both his and that of the Señora’s. Since Aura and the old lady are one, as Aura is “begging you to set her free,” it can be seen that the Señora needs help escaping something that is beyond her control. Although Señora Consuelo tries to cope with it through an imaginary replica of a younger her, Aura, her inability to help herself causes her to confuse and ask Montero for his everlasting love and affection, and this is attained a little later when Montero has sex with Aura. Montero’s helplessness is present in this entire quote since he himself finds the need to distract himself from such insanity, from his inability to help such a beautiful young soul with green eyes, “his Aura.” The use of the second person enables readers to feel the desperation that Montero almost screams and aches about through the progression of the story. As he goes through this confusion and misery, the readers cannot help but feel his pain and become him.

Brian:

The second person nature in which “Aura” by Fuentes is told, gives the story a more personal touch and relates the protagonist to the reader on a more intimate level. The use of the word “you” when referring to the main character reflects on the reader and makes them react more closely to the text. The style is effective, however the main character is a historian with a lot of context given about his personal life which makes it slightly difficult to relate to. “She’ll come back Felipe. We’ll bring her back together…I’ll bring her back” (852) This line from the last page of “Aura” gives an accurate representation of the effect that the second person narration provides for a stronger and a more compelling conclusion to the story. The anticipation for Felipe to touch Aura builds up only for him to have a revelation  that he is caressing Consuela’s old and fragile body. Phrases from the last page such as “you want to” give a sense of urgency and make the writing more powerful. There are many themes that are evident however some of them include revival and hope for the fictional world that Consuelo has constructed for herself. Also, this stems from the inability to part with something so dear to her, her youth. Her not being able to let go, and by saying “let me recover my strength,” she implies that she needs more time because now the insanity has gotten even to her and she needs a break, she need to write a “new story.”