Great Works \’09

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Well according to Professor Eversley, I can draw my butt off. I believe in her sincerity, so enjoy!

The thing about Innocence is that it is so incredibly….irresistable. Erendira’s line of work is far from glamorous but at the same time she was very successful. Its not so ironic if you analyze it correctly. She was unwillingly forced by her grandmother into prostitution. Key word being unwillingly. Meaning she didn’t have a choice. Meaning she didn’t have the active free will. Meaning any actions that she took no matter how sordid would not besmirch her “honorable” innocence. Thats special.

Innocence is defined as “the quality of unsullied naivite” thank you Websters dictionary. Erendira is a character of innocence in the story. She works without pay and without complaint. She seems to be like a modern day Cinderella. She cleans the clocks and the house and not to mention the morbidly obese grandmother that never fails to order her around even when she is sleeping. I find it interesting that Gael Garcia Marquez gives the characters fantastic qualities. Its almost fits into the fantasy genre but not quite. One thing about reading his novels is that it is important to IMAGINE what he is writing. Its almost like…lazy reading if you directly absorb the prose withou stopping to imagine, a blubbery white grandmother with green blood, a girl with Medusa hair, or oranges with diamonds in them. Imagine the possibilities of Prof. Eversley finding them and never ever ever coming back to Baruch to teach her baby geniuses she enjoys so much!

Gael Garcia Marquez is a genius, he’s also a guy that is difficult to discuss without saying his whole name because it is so charismatic. But I an digressing. What I found a bit confusing was the ending. I didn’t understand why Erendira had to kill her Grandmother when that was up to Ulises. In order to earn Erendira, he went to the trouble of making a cake repelete with poison and the irony is that the grandmother was to fat to die from it. Think of the irony. Fat implies that she was a glutton without self control and even with that sin against her it is the factor that leads to her survival. If she were on of those tiny grandmothers she would have died instantly. Marquez makes a point of emphasizing power with imagery. Sheer size in this case transcends into more power, strength of will and overall bestiality.

I can’t entirely condemn the grandmother, she did care for Erendira by providing her with “luxuries”. At the same time she still abused the abilities of her grandaughter and it was the sin of exessive greed that killed her. Erendira, even in assisted murder remains innocent. Then she had to go take the gold for goodness sake. Good job Erendira. That makes you just as hypocritical and greedy.

Do you see the cycle?