More than Simply Existing

On a somewhat more literal level, one of my favorite things about this book is how Laura Esquivel portrayed the idea of food being a window to the soul and one's emotions flowing out through their cooking. Food is a passion of mine. I love to discover new recipes, even though I never actually follow the recipe and eventually just ditch them and make my own thing. It's a crazy and wild adventure cooking on a whim. When I am in a bad mood and cook, it never tastes as good as when I enjoy the whole process. It could just be all in my head, but I still think that food is an expression of the soul.

I found the "romance" in this novel to be a bit refreshing. Sounds weird, I know. I'm not much of a chick-flick kind of girl. They all have the exact same plot or theme. Two people meet and they either like each other or hate each other. Then from there they have some kind of fight or there is some situation that prevents them from being together. However, they all end the same, with the couple falling in love and living happily ever after. *gag* So, I'm not much of a romantic, never have been. I'm not a touchy feely, huggy, sappy, mushy person (the irony is that both my brothers are, one is very huggy and the other is complete mush.). It seems that society had done an excellent job in creating and building up this completely fictional character called Prince Charming. The perfect guy will come swooping in and sweep you off our feet. Really? Come on. It's not going to happen. There is no perfect guy. You can dream up and create this "prince charming" in your head, but he will never actually exist. It will just be a letdown. Now, I'm not trying to be completely cynical. I do think that there is a person who completes you, someone who is perfect for you, who is a good balance for you and you for them. However, I do not believe in nor do I like the idea of "prince charming." In Like Water for Chocolate, the prince charming character, or who most Americans would think of as the “prince charming” character loses.

Tita’s character is one I think many people can relate to. She was passionate about life and had her own ideas of what was right and knew what she wanted. However, she never acted on those things, until the very end of the story. She conformed to the pressure of the society she lived in and to the wishes of her mother. Tita simply squashed her own desires down deep inside of herself, pretending they weren’t real. Tita could not live out her dreams, because of fear. Fear of her mother and fear of what people would say and possibly fear of the unknown.

The paralyzing affect of fear keeps most people from taking the time to dig deep inside and discover what their dreams and passions are. Out of those few, even fewer act upon them. It is easier to conform to what everyone else says or thinks, or even to what is seen as socially acceptable. This is also, an easier life to live, but only if you can effectively squelch your dreams and passion. However, according to Laura Esquivel, no matter how much you try to ignore your dream or passion, it will eat away at you, making you utterly miserable and sick.

This is not living, but simply existing.

Everyday Heroes

Growing up with brothers and no sisters meant that when it came to movies, we usually watched what they preferred. They were all about cowboys and Indians, superheroes and bad guys. I was very familiar with the character of Zorro, but not this Zorro, the Americanized Zorro. He fought the bad guys, saved the people in distress, impressed and got the girl. Allende’s Zorro is a bit different from this Zorro. He still fights for justice, but his reasons/goals are not the same as the Americanized Zorro. In this graphic novel Zorro is given a past, a reason for being who he is. Knowing who and where Zorro came from makes his character easier to relate to, than simply a hero who comes out of nowhere.

Picking up a long book and seeing the pages upon pages of just words, is not daunting to me. I enjoy the challenge. Not only do I enjoy simply the entertainment of reading, but I also, enjoy seeing how different authors play with words and writing styles. I enjoy the challenge of creating and picturing the events in a story as I read it. I’ve never considered a graphic novel to be my “type” of reading. However, after reading this one, I would have to say that a graphic novel requires just as much out of the reader as pages upon pages of only words. There are not as many words, not even close, but that requires the reader to pay more attention to the details in the images and clues given in the few words.

“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Pictures are used all the time to get a point across. They evoke a response out of the observer. Francavilla is great at this. He plays with lighting, shading, distance, different image sizes, and location on the page to get the appropriate response from the reader. Picking one page of images to focus on was hard. I think my favorite images are the ones of Diego De La Vega as Zorro. Not to be too vague. In each section, there are so many details. Zorro himself, however, is a bit vague, almost giving the impression that anyone can be Zorro. I know people who criticize the idea of a superhero, saying that it’s just too unrealistic. I would disagree. Everyone can be a hero to someone, even if we don’t know it. To be a hero one does not have to be this idealized person the whole world knows. Princeton University defines it as a “champion: someone who fights for a cause.” Hey, anyone can do that. It doesn’t have to be grand or glorious; it can be small and seemingly insignificant.

My mother has lived through hell on earth. The older I get, the more I learn of what she has been through and the more she amazes me. She is my hero, always has been and for many, many years did not know this. I have never met anyone quite like her and to be honest she baffles me at times. Throughout my life she has taught me how important it is to forgive and love. She has taught me that it doesn’t matter what people do to you or say about you. This was done through her words, but mostly I learned this through her actions. She was a champion, a champion for her kids. She fought for us to have as normal a life as she could give us. She fought to give us everything she could. She fought to teach us to be good, kind, loving, and forgiving people. She is the “Zorro” in my life. She never gave up or quit, no matter how bad it got.

Destroying Ignorance

(Forewarning... This is not exactly a light and cheerful read. I debated on changing and doing something else for a while, but decided to go ahead with it.)

A young woman walks down the street. She is wearing a short, tight red dress. The dress, though simple, does not conceal much. The wind blows and one can see her shiver so slightly. It is entirely too chilly out for such apparel. On her feet are shoes that are flashy with high stiletto heels and straps that crisscross halfway up her calves. On her face is a moderate amount of make-up. She appears to be in her early 20’s. Her hair is beautifully curled. She is thin, but not too thin. One glance and you would think that she could be a model, but the circumstances lead one to assume the worst about her.

A car drives past; the passengers look out at her. They stare, giving disapproving looks. Immediately a word comes to the mind of each person, without saying they all know what the other is thinking. The car continues on by. “Shameful! It’s just shameful, that woman standing there on the street selling her body.” “How could someone do that to themselves?” “She must have no respect for herself.” Just a few of the many comments made. The passengers make jokes and continue to talk about how sad it is, but within a short time the prostitute is forgotten and the passengers go about their lives.

However, stop and take a closer look and you will see something entirely different, the truth that the passengers of the car couldn’t see because of their ignorance. This ignorance is not because they knew the truth and intentionally ignored it, but because they did not know there was a truth to be found. Carefully and cautiously look around and you will find another person, a man or woman. Watch them for a time and you will see that they are watching, watching every move the girl makes. They remain a safe distance away, so as to not be associated with the girl; however, they never leave or stay too far away.

Now stop and look into the face, the eyes, of the young girl and you will see exhaustion, fear, and nothingness. She has been robbed of life. Wash the girl’s hair and let it be natural, take off the make-up, give her a t-shirt and sweats, and you will find under all that there is a terrified little girl of just 14. This young child is not a prostitute. Nor is she on the street of her own choosing; she has been sold as a slave. The careful overseer is her owner, never letting her out of his/her site. She knows the overseer is nearby and the sheer terror of their presence keeps her moving, keeps her from running away; she is held within his grasp, his control. The ignorance of the passengers in the car, prevents them from seeing and understanding the harsh reality of the fate of the young girl standing on the corner.

In the stories we have read by Borges, there is a great deal of ignorance displayed, which always seems to win. The main character, in “The Garden of Forking Paths,” Yu was sent on a mission by the Germans. However, his reasons for going on this mission and his determination in completing it had nothing to do with a loyalty to the Germans. Yu was trying to prove that he was just as good as any German. In trying to prove his worth, he destroyed the life of an innocent man, Stephen Albert. Not just any innocent man, but the man who had brilliantly worked to uncover the mysterious writings of Yu’s ancestor and spent time telling Yu about his discoveries.

In the story “The Gospel According to Mark,” Borges writes about this never ending battle between right and wrong. Baltasar Espinosa is portrayed as goodness. He is a nice guy and was kind to the Gutre family, who represented wrong. The Gutre family mocked him and eventually sacrificed Espinosa in an attempt to make the water recede. In their ignorance, the Gutre family misinterpreted the story of the crucifixion. According to the old practices of their family’s heritage, they needed to make a sacrifice to make the waters go down. I found this to be very interesting on my second time through the story, because it says that the Gutre family was not religious at all. So, why would they be so concerned with the old religious practices of their family? In the Bible, the story of the crucifixion was to show the depth of love that God had for people; it was the ultimate sacrifice, dying for another. The Gutre family, in their ignorance trivialized this event and assumed that they would be forgiven if they crucified Espinosa. They missed the point of the sacrifice.

“Emma Zunz” was a slightly different story. Emma was an innocent, quiet, and sweet girl. Her life seems to have been overcome with shame. First her father had been falsely accused and imprisoned. Then he committed suicide. She seeks justice against the man who was at fault. In doing so she endures a horrific experience, so as to justify her killing of Lowenthal. After this point, Emma is forced to live in two realities. One where she and she alone knows the truth of everything and the other is the one that she told the world. Everyone around her remains ignorant of her deep sorrow, agony, and sense of shame. Not only are they ignorant of her shame, but they also remain ignorant of what Lowenthal had done. Lowenthal, even though his name was destroyed by her accusation, did not endure any shame himself. Emma, however, must continue to live with the shame of her father’s “guilt,” his suicide, and her own shame.

Ignorance is very powerful. It can affect every aspect of our lives, our choices and the words we speak. The truth can change everything. Borges seems to be making the point that people often prefer to remain ignorant. Being ignorant can often be easier. In our day and age, education seems to be such an important thing. We talk about it and make policies regarding it all the time, but too often fail to actually do it. Borges shows a rather exaggerated, view of what can happen when we choose to remain ignorant. People and their lives were/are destroyed because of ignorance.

“What you don’t know won’t kill you.” But will it kill you to know? “Ignorance is bliss.” Or does it just make you look like a fool? So, go out, read Borges’ and be changed. Educate yourself and learn as much as you can.