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Nothing
Jul 21, 2024 22:12:26 GMT
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Post by Rylee Wenzel on Jul 21, 2024 22:12:26 GMT
I think it is interesting how in a novel where the main character is involved in the media/Hollywood industry, it can center so much around nothing and meaninglessness. This is obviously what ties this novel to existentialism and I am interested to see how the story ends. We think of this industry being full of important people and important things but the character is so nonchalant and almost careless about things.
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Post by Dr. Nemmers on Jul 22, 2024 2:56:54 GMT
Right, and the other issue raised by Maria being an actress, and involved in the film industry, is that the matter of authenticity becomes eternally into question. When is Maria acting or performing, and when is she being her actual self? Those people surrounding her-- the directors, the producers, etc. are used to staging pieces and delivering dialogue and creating elaborate situations that are entirely fake.
Is anything authentic in this novel? Is all of Hollywood fake and meaningless?
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Post by mjunious on Jul 22, 2024 15:59:41 GMT
I think some of the characters act authentically, but like most professions (especially the entertainment industry that this story focuses on) it is so different from an outsider's perspective. Maria's idea of being an actor was probably greatly different than the reality of it: where acting in "bad faith" is rewarded more so than authenticity. At times I thought of this novel as a post-bildungsroman, where this is what happens after Maria was able to achieve a career in Hollywood. I can see how being caught in the cycle of having to constantly play the role of "the actress" in her case, especially with no real respect, let alone recognition, will eventually lead to a feeling of meaninglessness.
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Post by dianarmartinez on Jul 24, 2024 20:22:09 GMT
The theme of authenticity is crucial for this story. I still think that this is Hollywood and the environment built by people in power. When we meet people who are in power in Hollywood or in a small city, they tend to pick a persona and stick to it because that is how they want to be seen. This was not the case for Maria, and she knew it. She also knew how hard this industry was because everyone is an actor. Actors are professionals because they are really good at portraying to be someone else, but will we ever know the true authenticity of anyone? People do it on a daily basis as well, so her experiences can also apply to the average person to a certain extent, but never fully.
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Post by Rylee Wenzel on Jul 25, 2024 2:46:24 GMT
I fully agree with the idea that authenticity is such a big theme in this novel. I think Maria absolutely did have an unrealistic image of Hollywood like many of us probably do. It is hard to say how much of the novel is authentic. When the characters within the novel are surrounded by people who are good at portraying something that isn't real.
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Post by connorswauger on Jul 25, 2024 3:18:17 GMT
I think this also ties into Maria’s journey as a woman because everyone around her, seems to act like they know better than her. Whenever she said she was sick (bleeding profusely) and needed a day, they claimed that she just didn’t want to work. Carter didn’t even give her a chance to consider not having an abortion. I think by the end, she does start to become her authentic self when she becomes apathetic to Carter and Helene and then devises a way to get Kate back.
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