In “And Of Clay We Are Created,” Isabel Allende presents two very different characters who show both strength and weakness through their ordeal. With one, Rolf Carle, Allende uses straightforward summary to follow the character through his dynamic arc leading to his vulnerability at the very end. However the other character, Azucena, Allende deals with very differently. She avoids summary and rather gives clues into her characters indirectly, leading readers to infer about the personality of girl stuck in the mudpit. Throughout the story, readers learn about Azucena from what others say of her, as well as her dialogue and her actions, and through these indirect means, Allende presents an odd duality of strength and weakness within Azucena.
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Allende portrays this from the beginning by describing Azucena as “the little girl obstinately clinging to life became the symbol of the tragedy” (Allende 1735). Nevertheless Allende is sure to limit this description as only what those who found her and those who viewed her on television saw of her. The narrator also says that Azucena “did not seem desperate” because she was able to accept her fate (1737). This makes readers admire Azucena and her courage through her difficult circumstance. Furthermore the girl's actions reveal a good amount of her character. While Allende states that Rolf and Azecuna talked through the night, a moment which more strongly shows Azucena's strength is when she teaches Rolf to pray (1739). Also, while Allende does not specify if Azucena's brothers and sisters literally clung to her legs or whether this description is figurative, it nevertheless shows Azucena as someone who is looked up to for her strength (1737). Readers may see her as a sort of anchor for those around her despite her broken state. When the president comes to visit the site, he too “told her that her courage had served as an example to the nations.” Thus Azucena's actions and the way the people in the story see her shows her apparent …show more content…
Allende's physical descriptions of Azucena deliver a vibe of brokenness and despair. At the very beginning of the story when the narrator first describes Azucena, she describes her with “eyes wide open, calling soundlessly” (1735), a picture of tremendous fear. Further on, when again recounting the scene when the reporter finds Azucena, Allende gives a description of dirtiness and brokenness, which mirrors the state of the country around the girl: “dark face, her large desolate eyes, the plastered-down tangle of her hair” (1736). This description, with how well it fits the description of the mud-covered country, relays the feel of the “paralysis of that first terror” (1736) onto the girl, leading readers to feel the weight of the tragedt. Likewise what Azucena says to Rolf during the long days and nights stuck in the mud echo her fear and brokenness. “Don't leave me alone” (1737), she pleads Rolf, and later on she points out that “the sky is weeping” before weeping herself (1737). Thus Allende invites readers to see Azucena as a small, frightened girl besides simply an impersonal symbol of strength. While the spectators who watch Azucena through these long days may view her as someone strong, on an intimate and honest level, Azucena shows weakness. Her
Allende portrays this from the beginning by describing Azucena as “the little girl obstinately clinging to life became the symbol of the tragedy” (Allende 1735). Nevertheless Allende is sure to limit this description as only what those who found her and those who viewed her on television saw of her. The narrator also says that Azucena “did not seem desperate” because she was able to accept her fate (1737). This makes readers admire Azucena and her courage through her difficult circumstance. Furthermore the girl's actions reveal a good amount of her character. While Allende states that Rolf and Azecuna talked through the night, a moment which more strongly shows Azucena's strength is when she teaches Rolf to pray (1739). Also, while Allende does not specify if Azucena's brothers and sisters literally clung to her legs or whether this description is figurative, it nevertheless shows Azucena as someone who is looked up to for her strength (1737). Readers may see her as a sort of anchor for those around her despite her broken state. When the president comes to visit the site, he too “told her that her courage had served as an example to the nations.” Thus Azucena's actions and the way the people in the story see her shows her apparent …show more content…
Allende's physical descriptions of Azucena deliver a vibe of brokenness and despair. At the very beginning of the story when the narrator first describes Azucena, she describes her with “eyes wide open, calling soundlessly” (1735), a picture of tremendous fear. Further on, when again recounting the scene when the reporter finds Azucena, Allende gives a description of dirtiness and brokenness, which mirrors the state of the country around the girl: “dark face, her large desolate eyes, the plastered-down tangle of her hair” (1736). This description, with how well it fits the description of the mud-covered country, relays the feel of the “paralysis of that first terror” (1736) onto the girl, leading readers to feel the weight of the tragedt. Likewise what Azucena says to Rolf during the long days and nights stuck in the mud echo her fear and brokenness. “Don't leave me alone” (1737), she pleads Rolf, and later on she points out that “the sky is weeping” before weeping herself (1737). Thus Allende invites readers to see Azucena as a small, frightened girl besides simply an impersonal symbol of strength. While the spectators who watch Azucena through these long days may view her as someone strong, on an intimate and honest level, Azucena shows weakness. Her