"Aura, kept here like a mirror . . . " Fuentes proposes the idea of a mirrored existence between Aura and the widow, dropping hints to his readers throughout the novel that supports it. One's actions influences the other's behaviors. Whenever the two characters appear together, they always act in unison. Fuentes draws us into believing that the will of one depends on the existence of the other. And so, the two characters gradually appear to be one in the same. It isn't until Montero discovers a photo of Aura with the General that is dated 1876 that we are finally exposed to the truth of it all. How can this be, if Aura is just a young girl and these journals and photographs are from years and years ago? The identities of the characters are suddenly taken into question. Aura is a representation of the widow, a youthful and beautiful character. Furthermore, Felipe himself seems to struggle with keeping himself as an onlooker as we are faced with the twisted conclusion of this novel. Felipe is the re-embodiment of the General. The General's memoirs lead Felipe to discover his old identity. The novel suggests a mirrored existence between the General and Felipe, similar to that of Aura and the widow. By entering the house at the start of the novel, Felipe is leading himself into a world where past and present implode, and the characters become one.
No comments:
Post a Comment