Post by Dr. Nemmers on Jul 17, 2024 16:13:04 GMT
Just finished the book this morning, so clearing out the notebook here-- not a ton of time left for discussion maybe something that one of you can pick up on in your Weekly Writing:
I'm struck by the parallel endings to this novel and our previous one-- in both of the books, the male protagonist seems to come of age at the end, and the elderly grandmother/ spiritual mentor figure dies, with a funeral scene soon to follow.
In Chapter 17, there's an extended disquisition on "the bomb"-- in this case, the atomic bomb that was tested in New Mexico not far from the events of this novel. Depending on where the fictional village of Guadalupe is, it may actually have been poisoned or contaminated by radiation from the fallout. Even beyond the practical concerns of the atomic age, we see their awareness of this new age of the world because of their fear that the world will soon end--- when, no one may know, but it will come from the sky without warning. Thus even in this remote village, far from population centers and war, the people are in the age of anxiety and fearing the worst.
As mentioned above, Antonio takes after two of our previous protagonists, in that he comes of age at the end of the novel. But there are a couple of key differences: Binx and No-name are in their early thirties, whereas Antonio is in his early teens, if that. Second, both of the former seem to make decisions about their future course, whereas Antonio notably does not declare what or who he will be. To what extent are these characters similar or different?
I'm struck by the parallel endings to this novel and our previous one-- in both of the books, the male protagonist seems to come of age at the end, and the elderly grandmother/ spiritual mentor figure dies, with a funeral scene soon to follow.
In Chapter 17, there's an extended disquisition on "the bomb"-- in this case, the atomic bomb that was tested in New Mexico not far from the events of this novel. Depending on where the fictional village of Guadalupe is, it may actually have been poisoned or contaminated by radiation from the fallout. Even beyond the practical concerns of the atomic age, we see their awareness of this new age of the world because of their fear that the world will soon end--- when, no one may know, but it will come from the sky without warning. Thus even in this remote village, far from population centers and war, the people are in the age of anxiety and fearing the worst.
As mentioned above, Antonio takes after two of our previous protagonists, in that he comes of age at the end of the novel. But there are a couple of key differences: Binx and No-name are in their early thirties, whereas Antonio is in his early teens, if that. Second, both of the former seem to make decisions about their future course, whereas Antonio notably does not declare what or who he will be. To what extent are these characters similar or different?
