Cries of Regret

Monsters have existed throughout history and have had a large amount of input when putting fear into people. From the surface, it may seem that their sole purpose is to scare, but there is a much deeper meaning behind every ghoul, witch, or goblin. To name a few, trolls represent nature and the unstoppable force it possesses. Nature has been on this world before anything else and carries the capability of destruction. Golems, a man made creature, illustrate arrogance that accompanies the notion of empowerment. And ghosts, which are the prime example of this blog, were used in literature to demonstrate warning figures able to foretell events that were on the brisk or occurrence, demand revenge, and provided as a spiritual link between the past and the future. Every individual monster is a representation of different anxieties.

La Llorona, a traditional Latin folktale, has been passed down from generation to generation, keeping children and men indoors during the haunting hours of the night, fearing an encounter from the crying woman. The tale goes as follows:

A beautiful woman was madly in love with her husband. They were the Angelina Jolie and Brad Pit of their town. They had children together, but as the years passed, her husband began to distance himself from her, seeming less interested in her with every day that passed. Eventually he left her for another woman. She was outraged by his actions and blamed her children. She blamed them for taking her beauty away and replacing it with old age. They were the reason he left her for a younger woman. That night, she grabbed her children and took them for a walk near a river. Her young boys, skipping through the pathway, feeling the debris swirl around their feet with every hop. They were excited to be out and explore through the night, unaware of the evil their mother possessed. Together they went into a small boat until they reached the center of the water. She tied up her boys and attached a sack of bricks to them. She drowned them, hearing their struggle to keep at the surface while she reached the shore without her children. Afterward, she realized what terrible thing she had done and cried night after night for her children to come back.

She represents haunting regret as she can’t find a peace of mind after committing the murders of her own children. A conscience that doesn’t allow a person to move forward, keeping them in the same place; a type of Purgatory. La Llorona lives in a state where she continues to cry for her boys, in hope to have them in her presence but continues to have enmity toward the man that left her, causing her to murder any child or man that crosses her path. She symbolizes the anxiety that we as human being hold, when we possess evils due to mistreatment. It can cause us to act without thinking and dealing with the consequence.

Until now, I’ve come to the realization that there is a deeper foundation to this tale. It is rooted and recycled throughout history and differing cultures. She is the equivalent of siren or banshee.  The crying woman, Mexican legend goes back to mythical time. mythology.

 

The Romance of Droplets

Until I read this chapter, I didn't realize what meaning come behind weather conditions in literature. I always assumed that it was as simple as: rain, thunder, lightning, storm, darkness equaled something really bad. It worked as an oman for the protagonist.

But the problem with that is, it goes so much further than just that general idea. It may be along the right path, but isn't a fully developed one. Depending on the story line of course, depends on whether your on the right tracks as far as reading the signs.

Rain has a history that dates back to the Bible. Humans have adapted to the conditions rain accommodates. It calls for the basic cycles of life on Earth. It's a primary necessity when it comes to existence. Rain can also mean something beautiful. Maybe that's the reason for every romantic kiss in the rain comes about? Rain being the source for flora to grow, it can engage in the blossoming of a summer love.  A prime example that is well known among the teenage girl population, The Notebook. Noah and Allie meet during the summer, the season of love and heated romance. From the beginning they fall in love with one another and go through the entire drama that deals with relationships, parents, and social status and criticism. Here comes the popular scene. Noah comes back into Allie’s life after 7 years of being away and unheard of while being in the army. Noah takes her on a small boat and in the process of their water expenditure, rain comes crashing down. They obviously still had a passion for each other. The rain comes in to signify the struggles that they have overcome and will continue to surpass.

Then there's the fear of rain. Which I admit, was at some point afraid of a little sprinkle because when there's a slight sizzle of rain, more is bound to come pouring down. When the sound of thunder approaches, i can't help but feel threatened. There's those bad dreams where you're surrounded by a pool of water and you can't figure out which end will bring you back to the surface. you can either chose the direction where safety is at hand or the opposite which leads deeper into the water. The thought of being drowned in a pool of water isn't the kind of peaceful death people anticipate. Fear of water was brought upon through the tale of Noah's Ark. God punished the human population by flooding the world. Now that's enough damage to get the work done. Do not displease the Almighty.

Water is our reason of existence.

Special Isn't Always Special

               The physical appearance attained by a character is crucial when it comes to comparing it with their behavior. They stand out from the rest the moment they are introduced to the story. Every mark, imperfection, or disability is a way to show the importance that will come from their being. Those marks could have at one point meant a curse from a God. Not every odd thing should be looked at as a weird counterpart. In society, different people are looked at with a sense of shame and pity. In literature, imperfections call for the protagonist to be important. The things that make them stand out, make them that much more important to the story. They were different for a reason, and that reason can only be revealed as the story is read.
               In the book Of Mice and Men, Lennie is characterized to be a tall, mentally unstable individual. He doesn't have the capability to think for himself, and quite frankly, if he didn't have George by his side, he's be a lost puppy. He encounters people and is extremely fond of cute, fluffy objects such as puppies, mice, and the dresses of attractive women. Lennie's mental state doesn't allow him to handle certain situations with the same prospects that may seem obvious to others.
               Foster stated that when a character, such as Lennie, is placed in a story, it's for a reason. So there must be some sort of meaning to his character, right? Well in this case, I wouldn't be too sure of it. Lennie is George's shadow. Wherever he goes, Lennie must go. It's that way through the entire story. George is the parent of a physically grown man. George sympathizes towards Lennie, being the primary reason for tagging him along..other than his promise to his aunt to take good care of him. From the beginning, the reader knows that Lennie is doomed and will have a tragic ending. Evidently that is exactly what happens. He accidentally kills his boss's wife and runs away. George finds him and makes the difficult decision to put an end to Lennie's life. His purpose for being in the story was to highlight the horrific event that was anticipated. He was the giveaway.

There's Meaning to the Destination

As a story begins to unravel, the reader must begin to analyze and look past the written scripture. there is more meaning behind a story line than what there appears to be. there are five basic elements dealing with the quest portion of literature.
1. A quester: which appears to be a person (protagonist) that has little experience, a naive character, and a low level of self- knowledge.
2. A place to go: The quester is given a task that must be followed (a place to go). This acts as a disguise that will eventually show the more meaningful quest, leading to number 3.
3. A stated reason to go there: As mentioned in step two, the stated reason becomes less important in the story and eventually is replaced with the real mission that the protagonist must fulfill.
4. Challenges and trials: In every story, there are moments where the questor is being tested in varying aspects of life. Those obstacles are primarily there to show the character that, it has capabilities that have been undercover due to the reason of not being properly put to the challenge. Difficult encounters with the protagonist awaken the embedded character.
5. the real reason to go: Here is where the real mission comes into play. The protagonist has gone through a quest, which at some point thought to have been the sole purpose of their travels. In reality, the beginning quest really has very little to do with the moral of the story. Underlining is the major quest, which serves to expose the character's capabilities and gain of self- knowledge.
Basically stated in the first chapter, no matter how simple the story line may be or how abstract it can prevail, the story falls into those basic elements. Some manipulation and rendering of the narration, if needed, can expose its foundation. As readers, the quest should be something to look for when beginning to read literature. As readers, we need to be on high alert when there comes a change in scene or setting for the possibility of hinting at the true mission or oral of the narrative.
When reading through the chapter, I couldn't help but make a connection with the Kite Runner. Amir, the narrator and protagonist discovers that his childhood friend passes away. On his visit to his homeland, he discovers the hidden truth about his best friend, he is in fact his half brother. Amir sets forth to find his nephew, who was used as a servant after his father's passing. Through his quest, he runs into numerous accounts of difficulty and life threatening encounters that dealt with his past. On the surface, it appeared that Amir's purpose was to find Sohrab. As the story continues, it was a quest for Amir to find the strength and nobility he though he didn't endure. He lived his childhood being neglected by his father, feeling incapable of living up to his father's manly standards. But when he finally reached Sohrab, not only did Amir gain a family member, but also the qualities that an honorable man inhibits.