Sydney's Blog

First, I found that the writing style of this book was interesting. Macabea’s story is told through Rodrigo S.M., a narrator created by the author, Clarice Lispector. I think I would have preferred Lispector directly telling Macabea’s story, rather than having Rodrigo cut in and out in mysterious, ambiguous, and confusing ways. Overall, the novel portrays themes of poverty, acceptance, and the enjoyment of small things in life. At first, I was reminded of the protagonist in last week’s book, Natalia, a woman struggling through an impoverished life during the Spanish Civil War. Somewhat similarly to Natalia, Macabea doesn’t question her place in the world and simply keeps moving along: “She wasn’t crying because of the life she led: because, never having led any other, she’d accepted that with her that was just the way things were” (42). She doesn’t engage in deep reflection or push for drastic change. However, when Macabea meets the fortune teller, her frame of mind clearly shifts, as ...