Civilisation+versus+Barbarianism+(violence)

=Civilisation versus Barbarianism (violence)= = = =Civilization vs. Barbarianism=

1. __In chapter one we see the theme personified by the character of uncle Marcos__
====2. Marcos is depicted in a ‘civilized’ manner in terms of his dressing and his description as ‘an explorer leaning on an old fashioned double barrelled rifle’ which shows a very aristocratic and civilized image of him==== ====3. but immediately after we witness the description in Clara’s mind which show uncle Marcos as ‘weather beaten and thin, with a pirates moustache’ which contrasts the earlier image created with a more barbaric and unpolished version of the explorer====

====1. In chapters two and three we see Esteban Trueba as afflicted with the same internal conflict as Uncle Marcos but in a more intense manner. We see his character as extremely volatile switching from a perfect civilized gentleman to a barbarian within short amounts of time.==== ====2. Our first glimpse of Trueba is from his perspective, we see him stranded in the desert working ‘like a beast’ in the search for gold. We see him living in poor housing with bare minimum amenities but to contrast these barbarian like conditions we see him writing and reading which can be considered as indicators of civilization showing the refined side of Trueba as well as the rugged aspect of his character as a miner==== ====3. We see Trueba presented in his civilized light through the start of chapter two especially when he is on the train.’ He decided from that day on no matter what his circumstances; he would always pay for the small comforts that made him feel rich’ (page 46). We see Trueba presented as a perfect English gentleman. The line shows him accepting and embracing aristocracy along with civilization after years of living in his barbarian quarters in the middle of a dessert in search of gold.==== ====4. (page 55)We then see his ‘civilized’ resolution fade away as ‘at first, he kept his promise to himself of always bathing and changing before dinner’ along with ‘playing his favourite opera’ which shows him as the epitome of civilization as portrayed by the ‘British colonizers.’ But little by little he let himself conquered by rusticity’, ‘slowly he was becoming barbarian’. We see that Trueba maintained his civilized appearance for a short while but once he realized the lack of people to appreciate it he slips back into barbarianism as he did in the desert. But we see him ‘read for a while or play chess’ which once again relates back to page 46 where we see the barbarianism in his appearance in contrast with the civilized activities and mannerisms==== ====5. We see Trueba succumbing to his animalistic and barbaric instincts when he can no longer control the adverse effects of the lack of contact with the opposite sex. We see him finding it increasingly difficult to control his sexual outburst as we see him resorting to plunging ‘into the ice cold water of the river in search of relief’ (page 55). Here we see in solitude Trueba’s natural instincts take over his actions which shows him in an animalistic light==== ====6. (Page 57) we see Trueba being unable to control his animalistic behaviour which as he picks up Pancha and rape her as he ‘attacked her savagely, thrusting himself into her, with unnecessary brutality’. But once again we his switch back to the role of the civilized gentleman when the next night when he ‘made sure that she felt pleasure too’ and once again brings the civilized element of his character into the act of sexual intercourse which contrasts his earlier actions which seemed more like rape.====

8. On page 83 we see Trueba unable to handle the atmosphere of the city which shows him as a man who preferred nature which has a slight barbarian element to him.
====When E.T. describes the manner in which his house was to be made, he described the palaces from Europe and we see how South America looked to Europe as the central cultural hub of civilization at the time. Here we see E.T. wanting to be a part of that civilization and replicating it for himself in contrast to his recently given up job of mining when he couldnt have even dreamt of getting such a lavish house.====

__ Barbarianism (violence) VS Civilisation: __// Chapters 4,5,6: // //__ Tr __////__ ès Marias vs The City: __// In the beginning of chapter four, we see that the Trueba family is taking a holiday in the countryside of Tres Marias, from the city, and the family ends up travelling with a “clutter of trunks, steamer baskets and valises”. Blanca carried her toy chests and Clara carried “the birds in their cages”. Overall, the load of baggage shows how the family (except for Esteban) is very civilised; the country is only a place they’ve “heard about”. We see the irony and the slight humour brought out as the tenants were flabbergasted by the “circus” that these civilised, educated people have no idea what to do in the country. As soon as Clara comes, she tries to inculcate the “civilised” mannerisms into the society present at Tres Marias, but we see that they would mock her saying “she was born with a wound between her legs and without balls”. We see the normal manner in which the “civilised” come and conquer the “barbarians” as done in history. Also, we see that as soon as the family comes, Blanca falls in love with Pedro Tercero, a boy of another class, a “cannibal” which is a term used to describe the height of barbarianism. We see that Blanca’s family looks down upon the mixing of social strata’s. These two incidents could be considered a tactic used by Allende to foreshadow the divide between classes, and possibly a struggle between Pedro Tercero and Blanca later on in the novel. In chapter four, we see that “a plague of ants” (a representation of the barbaric side of nature) attacks Tres Marias. Esteban Trueba looks to a “gringo”, Mr. Brown( a representation of the modern), to see if it would be possible to use a pesticide. And we see that this method would take one month, which would be too long. One man, the old Pedro Garcia, sings and talks to the ants (an “uncivilised” act), and leads the ants far away, to the highway.

//__Esteban Trueba: __// On page 115, the reader again notices how Esteban Trueba ‘blew his stack’ at the idea of Clara naming his children “Jamie and Nicolas”. The reader notices his ‘barbaric’ rage and anger as he tries to frighten Clara by “smashing a porcelain jar”. (pg. 115). We see that his solution to his rage is getting drunk, he then goes to the Brothel the “Red Lantern”. This shows how quenching his sexual appetite eases his barbaric rage. This is also true earlier in the book, where he rapes Pancha and later when his temper becomes more violent as Clara becomes more distant. (pg 129: In a rage, Trueba sometimes reverted to his former sins….” This quote further supplements this idea, along with the quote on page 130 where Esteban would “lose his patience and furiously shake her awake, shouting the worst accusations…….begging her forgiveness for his cruelty”.) His rages is further exemplified when he starts to become jealous of Ferula, and “pulls her from the bed, dragged her down the hall, pusher down the stairs and thrust her into the library… shouting things he never should have said….lesbian arts” (page 132), where Esteban throws Ferula, his own sister out of his house, and threatens to kill her if she ever returns. This results in Ferula setting a curse on him, which foreshadows the downfall in his relationship with Clara, and his life.

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