(Explosion) Everyone Needs Help.. Again – Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector

When I finished Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector, I really tried to reflect on what I read. It was not what I was expecting at all. One trend I am noticing in the novels we have been reading is that almost all of these characters need therapy. I can’t say I necessarily dislike the book but I also don’t like it, I just feel very neutral. 

One thing I appreciate about the book is it made me analyze the idea of capitalizing off the struggles of the working class. The narrator Rodrigo S.M., wrestles with himself while writing the character of Macabea, who is a poor, “carefree” and clueless woman living in Rio. The narrator often expresses a lack of control over the character he has created, as if somehow Macabea is of her own fate, despite being fictional. I viewed the struggle of Rodrigo S.M. as a reflection of what Macabea represents. Macabea, despite being poor and living in the slums, is a consumer. It is not a coincidence that she loves coke, movies and Marilyn Monroe. Macabea is a victim of the world we have created. She is a victim of this consumer world that capitalizes on the people it controls. Even the character Macabea (who ultimately dies in the end), is capitalized on by the narrator, who uses her struggle as “art” despite being far from experiencing the life of Macabea. After all of this, even after her death, the narrator is easily distracted and moves on to other thoughts and ideas, seemingly having forgotten Macabea’s life. 

Despite the many metaphors Macabea seems to take on, she is so uniquely human. Something about her is so relatable. She is not perfect, she is not the most beautiful person, she is simple. I think there is something so human about how well she represents what it is like to be lost, to feel like she is not good enough beneath the layers of her “carefree” life.

Another character in the story is Macabea’s boyfriend Olimpico, who was first of all horrible, but this is nothing new. Seriously, you can only talk about toxic men for so long… right? Olimpico, I viewed, was the opposite of Macabea, as she did not care enough about herself, Olimpico was overly invested in himself and his image. While not as complex as Macabea, Olimpico seemed to me like a stereotypical “alpha” male who was actually deeply insecure about his past and his potential future, using a mask to somewhat take advantage of a naive girl. He too is a victim of his circumstances, who feels this need, this gratification in being successful.

Despite not being completely in love with this novel, it did force me to think critically about many aspects of society and the ethics of using certain circumstances and people as art. To finish off the review here is my favorite quote of the book: “Some people have got it. And some people don’t. It’s very simple: the girl didn’t. Didn’t have what? Exactly that: she didn’t. If you see what I’m saying, fine. If you don’t, that’s fine too. But why am I bothering with this girl when what I want more than anything is purely ripe and golden wheat in the summer?” (17)

Discussion Questions: 

1. Do you think Macabea’s life would have gotten “better” if she had not died? 
2. Do you think Olimpico took advantage of Macabea? Why or why not?