When I first began reading Aura I was immediately struck by the bright green eyes on the front
cover of the novel, and before even reading one word of the text I was thinking
about their almost haunting quality. To me, when I think of the color green, I
think of envy and poison, and an almost crippling feeling. So, it really caught
me off guard when in class it became clear that many people associated the
color green with life and creation. Is it possible that the author chose green
for this exact purpose? The color is not only associated with creation but also
with destruction.
I don’t think that it is a coincidence that the one character
that is constantly associated with the color green is Aura: the person who we
are never really sure the authenticity of. We are continuously brought back to
her “sea green” (Fuentes 27) eyes, and the “green taffeta she always wears”
(Fuentes 121), but why? What is the author trying to convey with this
repetition? I think that Aura’s connection to the color green is meant to lead
the reader to her mystery. We are to assume that she is somehow a creation of
who Consuelo used to be: a rebirth of her youth. In this case, the green signifies
life, and growth. However, according to Consuelo, she has “never been able to
keep [Aura] with [her] for more than three days” (Fuentes 143), signifying that
with her life and creation, there is always some form of death and destruction.
Aura is not real, so she can never truly last in this place that she doesn’t
belong. This to me shows the almost poisonous aspect of the life that runs
through her. She is never truly alive, and she is only ever created so that she
will be destroyed again. The green color associated with her indicates the
poisonous nature of life: the fact that it is fleeting. The author lets these
two conflicting sides of Aura shape her mystery and the way the reader
interprets the story.
I really like the duality of the color green that you bring up. I had originally thought that the repetition of the green was to allude to Consuelo's jealousy of Aura's youth, but our discussion in class pointed more towards the idea that Aura's green-ness was a reflection of her youth, of Consuelo's rebirth of sorts. I think it's also interesting that green is a color often associated with nature and yet Aura's very existence is unnatural, an observation that adds to the dissonance of the creation-destruction interpretation that you picked up on.
ReplyDeleteThis idea of dual meaning is really interesting and very applicable. I think that no matter what it is, everything has, or can have different associations for different individuals. You could apply this principle to your argument. Everything depends on perspective, and perspective plays a large part in the illusions in this novel—its adds to the creepy uncertainty.
ReplyDeleteAddressing Hayley’s point about the unnatural existence of Aura, I agree that two physical manifestations of one person aren’t possible, but there is a naturalness that this phenomenon represents. I believe that no part of a person is ever really gone. Who we have been plays a large part in who we are now. This idea also ties into the discussion Sarah Jillings led about authenticity and discovering our core selves. I would argue that Consuelo’s core self lives in Aura, which is why her presence (rather than physical existence) is natural.