- C O N T I N U O S T H E M E O F D E S I R E -
After watching the two films I realized that the same theme of love and desire can be seen through just about any medium. Whether it is reading a book, looking at art, listening to music or watching a movie - love and desire are everywhere! In the film Solaris, Chris (George Clooney) is struggling with trying to overcome the inner desire for his wife. He is visited by her when he's on the ship near Solaris and is very quickly (and easily) tricked into thinking she's real.
Chris' wife had died and having her back literally made no sense. At first Chris rejected the idea of his wife but then his love and desire won over. After a while the plot progresses and we learn that the new Rea is a replica of the real one that was made from Chris' memory. Even though he knew this, he could not bring himself to let her go again. His desire for his wife was so strong that he was willing to suspend his disbelief and trick himself into thinking it was her.
At the end of the movie Chris is faced with the choice of choosing reality or fiction. In reality his wife was dead and he could never have her back but in Solaris Rea could always be there, just as he remembered. Although many people would choose to keep their reality - Chris could live the life he wanted and be happy in this facsimile of his mind. I think this movie shows how strong and powerful desire can be. Do we have enough control as humans to make decisions when desiring or are we completely impotent to its power. Did Chris really have a choice or was his desire too strong?
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Madame Bovary (2)
- E M M A' S C O N T I N U O U S. . . I N T O T H E G R A V E -
After completing the novel I cannot say that I'm surprised of Emma's outcome. In my mind, Emma is stuck in the state of mind that her life will be like the books she reads- that the perfect fairy tale will find her. In a sense, she does deserve a happy and fulfilled life, just like any other woman would want, however, Emma is only concerned about her own happiness and will constantly neglect those around her if she finds a new source for that happiness.
An example of this can be seen in Charle's surgery. Emma wanted Charles to do the surgery because she knew it would bring him great fame and, in turn, bring her happiness. When Charles is given this idea he is timid, and now that it benefits her life, Emma immediately jumps in saying that he should do it and that he'll be great. I did not take this encouragement from her sincerely at all. Emma only wanted to be the wife of the famous surgeon and have more money and notoriety. Hence, when the surgery is not a success, she instantaneously blames Charles and is angered by him! As if experimenting surgery was wrong. In fact, I did not think Charles was in the wrong for trying to perform the surgery. People criticized him for it but experiments are how modern medicine has become the way it is today.
Besides the "lovingness" that Emma was giving to Charles, she was also secretly seeing Rodolphe. That was her new love and desire. I say "that" instead of "he" because it was the scandal and frill of the affair that Emma had fallen in love with. Rodolphe's money didn't hurt either I bet. When he leaves her, she is stuck with Charles again. Of course, Emma becomes depressed for her fairy-tale life that she thought would be given to her on a silver platter was flushed down the toilet.
Oh woe is Emma. I actually began to feel bad for her when... BAM, Leon's back. Here we go again, new life, new love, blah, blah, blah. A point where you want to flip a few pages in the book and fast forward through the movie. Predictable Emma rekindles her feelings for Leon and now wishes to start again with him.
It's no surprise that in the end Emma takes her own life. It was only a matter of time before she came to the conclusion that her life was not a fairy tale and that she could not live the fancy life that she desired. Still, one does have to feel some sympathy because it was not entirely her fault. Wanting to have wonderful life is no fault but Emma seemed to expect it to just come to her without her doing any work.
As I type and re-read my blog I get angry again like I did when reading the novel. I very much disliked Emma's character for her greediness and selfishness. Even though she was limited in her options, I still would have liked to see her divorce Charles and be shunned by her community than jump from guy-to-guy hoping that that man would give her the life she wanted. I would have liked to see Emma kill herself metaphorically and start a new Emma in a new town with a new life, yet she kills her self for real and I was let down. All that being said, I love when a novel sparks my emotions and subsequently I thoroughly enjoyed Madame Bovary.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Madame Bovary
- E M M A' S C O N S T A N T D R I V E -
After reading this week's chapters of Madame Bovary, I found a distinct pattern in the way that Emma lives her life. At the beginning we are introduced to Emma living on a farm with her father. Here she is unhealthy and desires a better life for herself. When Charles comes to mend her father's broken leg, she falls in love with the man of a higher class that is successful. However, she does not fall in love with Charles, but the desire to live a better and more fulfilling life with a wealthier man. As soon as she sees Charles, he instantly becomes the only thing she could ever want.
Soon after they get married and start a life together, Emma begins to feel bored and uninterested in her new life and husband. She finds music, art, and walking in the park to be monotonous whereas she used to find these activities to evoke joy. Eventually the two get invited to the Marquis' grand ball. Emma once again becomes thrilled at the idea of going to an extravagant ball. When there, she is overwhelmed with the pompousness of the event. After dancing and drinking and conversing with wealthy individuals, she quickly decides that living this life is the only thing she could ever want.
After the party Emma describes the night at the best night of her life. However, she immediately goes back to depression because she can no longer enjoy the world she wishes to live in. Sensing that Emma was unhappy, Charles offered to open a new practice in Yonville and start a new life with Emma... again. As soon as he declares that a new life is a possible option for them, Emma realizes that it is the only thing she could ever want.
The two start a new life in Yonville. Emma believed that her life was once again everything she could ever have wanted but eventually finds her self getting bored again. Here is where Emma meets Leon. Leon is a young man who is passionate about the arts. He rekindles Emma's love for music, art, and reading. Emma soon comes to the conclusion that Leon is in love with her and, enthralled by excitement, she falls in love with him also. However, to avoid committing adultery, she quickly ignores this thought and becomes a more loyal wife to Charles. Yet, Emma began picturing how much better her life could have been with Leon and soon she comes to the realization that Leon is the only thing she could ever want.
After Leon leaves for Paris, Emma is once again emotionally distraught. This continuous pattern displays itself over and over again. When Rodolphe comes into Charle's practice and meets with Emma, he falls for her. Yet again Emma is thrown into a spiral of lustful wishing for a new a better life with money and lavish parties. Once Rodolphe expresses his love for Emma, she eventually cannot resist and the two begin a scandalous affair, sneaking around and meeting at night to be together. She wants to go away and start a new life with Rodolphe (sound familiar?) because he is the only thing she could ever want.
Emma is the perfect example of how a person can continuously desire more, but never be able to fulfill those desires. She is a woman who keeps on wanting more in life and can never be truly satisfied. Emma is fully-heartedly, one hundred percent in love with the idea of love and fools herself into believing that whatever fleeting desire she has next is truly the only thing she could ever want.
After reading this week's chapters of Madame Bovary, I found a distinct pattern in the way that Emma lives her life. At the beginning we are introduced to Emma living on a farm with her father. Here she is unhealthy and desires a better life for herself. When Charles comes to mend her father's broken leg, she falls in love with the man of a higher class that is successful. However, she does not fall in love with Charles, but the desire to live a better and more fulfilling life with a wealthier man. As soon as she sees Charles, he instantly becomes the only thing she could ever want.
Soon after they get married and start a life together, Emma begins to feel bored and uninterested in her new life and husband. She finds music, art, and walking in the park to be monotonous whereas she used to find these activities to evoke joy. Eventually the two get invited to the Marquis' grand ball. Emma once again becomes thrilled at the idea of going to an extravagant ball. When there, she is overwhelmed with the pompousness of the event. After dancing and drinking and conversing with wealthy individuals, she quickly decides that living this life is the only thing she could ever want.
After the party Emma describes the night at the best night of her life. However, she immediately goes back to depression because she can no longer enjoy the world she wishes to live in. Sensing that Emma was unhappy, Charles offered to open a new practice in Yonville and start a new life with Emma... again. As soon as he declares that a new life is a possible option for them, Emma realizes that it is the only thing she could ever want.
The two start a new life in Yonville. Emma believed that her life was once again everything she could ever have wanted but eventually finds her self getting bored again. Here is where Emma meets Leon. Leon is a young man who is passionate about the arts. He rekindles Emma's love for music, art, and reading. Emma soon comes to the conclusion that Leon is in love with her and, enthralled by excitement, she falls in love with him also. However, to avoid committing adultery, she quickly ignores this thought and becomes a more loyal wife to Charles. Yet, Emma began picturing how much better her life could have been with Leon and soon she comes to the realization that Leon is the only thing she could ever want.
After Leon leaves for Paris, Emma is once again emotionally distraught. This continuous pattern displays itself over and over again. When Rodolphe comes into Charle's practice and meets with Emma, he falls for her. Yet again Emma is thrown into a spiral of lustful wishing for a new a better life with money and lavish parties. Once Rodolphe expresses his love for Emma, she eventually cannot resist and the two begin a scandalous affair, sneaking around and meeting at night to be together. She wants to go away and start a new life with Rodolphe (sound familiar?) because he is the only thing she could ever want.
Emma is the perfect example of how a person can continuously desire more, but never be able to fulfill those desires. She is a woman who keeps on wanting more in life and can never be truly satisfied. Emma is fully-heartedly, one hundred percent in love with the idea of love and fools herself into believing that whatever fleeting desire she has next is truly the only thing she could ever want.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
- Celestina Week Two -
C A L I S T O ' S C H A I N
The first thing I came to think about when Calisto gave Celestina the chain was how he had promised her the cloak and skirt instead. I was wondering why these specific items were the objects of barter in the first place, and came to the realization that clothing (such as skirts and cloaks) provide a "cover" for people. I feel as though the clothing represents a way of hiding the truth behind close doors whereas as a chain is much more noticeable and revealing (compared to clothing and items that you wear). In that respect, the chain represents who people really are and furthermore represents Calisto's lustfulness and desire. By him choosing to give this more personal attachment to Celestina rather than the garments, speaks volumes about the chain itself. Celestina has such a superior postion over Calisto, that he is willing to put his whole desire and lust into Celestina's hand, rendering him utterly impotent.
For Celestina, this chain represents a victory in that she has won over Calisto both profitably and personally. I feel as though Celestina views this as a meaning of life - she thrives off of this excitement and power to mandate people's love affairs. As an extension, Parmeno and Sempronio are enraged at Celestina because the chain represents her power over them as well. Seeing as how the two of them are Calisto's more revered servants, it is frustrating to them to see him primarily confide in Celestina.
D E S I R E O F N I G H T
What is ironic about the whole "night" theme is how we typically view night as either a time of romanticism and fun, or a time or fear and danger. Those peaceful walks in the park with moonlight can easily turn into a crazy guy with a chainsaw jumping out at you. That being said, I think there are few primary elements to Melibea and Calisto's night meeting.
First off, it reveals the secrecy and "taboo" desire that the two have for each other. The fact that they are sneaking around provides a thrill and element of danger to their lust. I think Fernando de Rojas is trying to stress the concept of their espionage romance almost to a point of wrong-doing. This "wrong-doing" also foreshadows the idea that maybe things won't go over so well in the end of the novel.
In terms of the night time being positive, it directly correlates with how Calisto describes Melibea as "radiating" and "having eyes like stars" and such. However, the night time also correlates to Celestina. The name Celestina comes from Celestial which means pertaining to the sky and heavens. Celestina has a haunting presence is Melibea and Calisto's relationship at all times because she is the mastermind behind the entire thing. I think the whole "night" theme has a double meaning with Melibea being the good aspects (the hand-in-hand moonlit walks through the park) and Celestina representing the darker aspects (bam! Chainsaw guy).
The first thing I came to think about when Calisto gave Celestina the chain was how he had promised her the cloak and skirt instead. I was wondering why these specific items were the objects of barter in the first place, and came to the realization that clothing (such as skirts and cloaks) provide a "cover" for people. I feel as though the clothing represents a way of hiding the truth behind close doors whereas as a chain is much more noticeable and revealing (compared to clothing and items that you wear). In that respect, the chain represents who people really are and furthermore represents Calisto's lustfulness and desire. By him choosing to give this more personal attachment to Celestina rather than the garments, speaks volumes about the chain itself. Celestina has such a superior postion over Calisto, that he is willing to put his whole desire and lust into Celestina's hand, rendering him utterly impotent.
For Celestina, this chain represents a victory in that she has won over Calisto both profitably and personally. I feel as though Celestina views this as a meaning of life - she thrives off of this excitement and power to mandate people's love affairs. As an extension, Parmeno and Sempronio are enraged at Celestina because the chain represents her power over them as well. Seeing as how the two of them are Calisto's more revered servants, it is frustrating to them to see him primarily confide in Celestina.
D E S I R E O F N I G H T
What is ironic about the whole "night" theme is how we typically view night as either a time of romanticism and fun, or a time or fear and danger. Those peaceful walks in the park with moonlight can easily turn into a crazy guy with a chainsaw jumping out at you. That being said, I think there are few primary elements to Melibea and Calisto's night meeting.
First off, it reveals the secrecy and "taboo" desire that the two have for each other. The fact that they are sneaking around provides a thrill and element of danger to their lust. I think Fernando de Rojas is trying to stress the concept of their espionage romance almost to a point of wrong-doing. This "wrong-doing" also foreshadows the idea that maybe things won't go over so well in the end of the novel.
In terms of the night time being positive, it directly correlates with how Calisto describes Melibea as "radiating" and "having eyes like stars" and such. However, the night time also correlates to Celestina. The name Celestina comes from Celestial which means pertaining to the sky and heavens. Celestina has a haunting presence is Melibea and Calisto's relationship at all times because she is the mastermind behind the entire thing. I think the whole "night" theme has a double meaning with Melibea being the good aspects (the hand-in-hand moonlit walks through the park) and Celestina representing the darker aspects (bam! Chainsaw guy).
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
- Themes in Celestina -
T H E M E S
After reading the first ten acts of celestina I have noticed a few reoccurring themes in the play. First off is the theme for the desire of approval. There are two elements to this theme. The first one is love. Obviously, we want approval from the person we love and are willing to go to great extents to get that approval. For instance, Elicia loves Sempronio and was cheating on him with Crtio. However, by displaying her anger and frustration in this way, it shows they she really desires the approval (and in this case love) of Sempronio. This love element of the approval theme can also be seen in Calisto. He falls madly in love with Melibea before he even knows her, overwhelmed by her beauty and more so overwhelmed by his desire for her approval.
The other element of this theme of approval is seen through the servants. This element is not based on love but the desire of acceptance. Parmeno is jealous of Calisto's favoritism towards Sempronio. Even though Parmeno knows Celestina and advises Calisto to stay away, he ignores Parmeno's advice and sways towards Sempronio. This is most likely a result of ignorance and lust.
Another theme I found in this play was the theme of greed. This theme is clearly evident in all of the characters. There are countless examples of greed that can be found in almost every character. Calisto is a noble and wealthy yet is always desiring more and treating his servants poorly. Although his love for Melibea is not necessarily greedy, the way he goes about managing his wealth is. There is one point where Sempronio is boasting Calisto about how generous he is to have given Celestina a hundred coins. What is ironic is that it is clear that Calisto does not give out money often, yet Sempronio is pretending to idolize how altruistic he is.
This theme can be seen directly in regards to Celestina's, Sempronio's, and Parmeno's characters. When Sempronio learns of Calisto's love for Melibea, he immediately conjures a method that he can profit and and coerce Calisto into spending money into getting his love. The same act is seen alter when Sempronio and Celestina devise their plan. What I did not expect was how quickly Parmeno threw out his dignity and pride and sold out to Celestina for chance to be with Aresua.
I look forward to finishing the play and seeing how these themes and these characters are resolved. I am curious as to see if any of the characters will be able to redeem their "flaws" before either their death or the end of the play, whichever comes first.
Another theme I found in this play was the theme of greed. This theme is clearly evident in all of the characters. There are countless examples of greed that can be found in almost every character. Calisto is a noble and wealthy yet is always desiring more and treating his servants poorly. Although his love for Melibea is not necessarily greedy, the way he goes about managing his wealth is. There is one point where Sempronio is boasting Calisto about how generous he is to have given Celestina a hundred coins. What is ironic is that it is clear that Calisto does not give out money often, yet Sempronio is pretending to idolize how altruistic he is.
This theme can be seen directly in regards to Celestina's, Sempronio's, and Parmeno's characters. When Sempronio learns of Calisto's love for Melibea, he immediately conjures a method that he can profit and and coerce Calisto into spending money into getting his love. The same act is seen alter when Sempronio and Celestina devise their plan. What I did not expect was how quickly Parmeno threw out his dignity and pride and sold out to Celestina for chance to be with Aresua.
I look forward to finishing the play and seeing how these themes and these characters are resolved. I am curious as to see if any of the characters will be able to redeem their "flaws" before either their death or the end of the play, whichever comes first.
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