Week Ten: Roberto Bolano, Amulet

This week, the book was Amulet by Roberto Bolano. In terms of story structure, sentence structure, vocabulary and content, it wasn't too difficult to understand or follow. That said though, it was still my least favourite book of this semester. It wasn't necessarily boring, but I also wasn't incredibly captivated by the storyline or super invested in any of the characters, even the main protagonist. The book wasn't long but I did end up taking way too long to get through the whole text. 

Even though I didn't really enjoy the story, I did recognize the fact that our narrator Auxilio seems to have led quite an interesting life. Or maybe it wasn't even her life that was so interesting but the stories of other people's lives that she added up and made into a collection which she then presented as the summary of her own that was interesting. I feel as though the main thing she did with herself was act as a secondary character in everybody else's life. I don't mean that in a judgmental way because that seemed to be exactly what she was happy doing, but her stories are just stories of what other people have said, written, done and seen. She also came across as quite unsure of herself, especially of her roots. She couldn't properly say for sure what year she arrived in Mexico City or whether certain events happened or not. She was like a drifting leaf that doesn't have a tree of itself and isn't even sure which tree it detached from to begin with. Instead of holding on to her own past, she attaches herself onto those of others and makes her home with whomever she finds comfort in. 

Would I have been happy living the way she lived? I think so. I really like hearing about what other people have experienced and I love reading things that other people have written. I believe I would have been quite happy doing as she did - meeting people, floating around, collecting anecdotes and spending my days doing random busywork to fill my mind with poetry, philosophy and literature. She represents a kind of unanchored, free way of life that has a sense of tranquillity and lightness. 

Here is my question for Amulet. Do you think that you would personally enjoy her way of life? Do you believe that you would be fulfilled and happy spending your days reading, doing random work and socializing the way she does? 

Comments

  1. Jennifer NagtegaalMarch 21, 2022 at 8:28 AM

    “Or maybe it wasn't even her life that was so interesting but the stories of other people's lives that she added up and made into a collection which she then presented as the summary of her own that was interesting.” - interesting observation! And now that we’ve both used the word interesting… In what sense are you using in this “adjective that hardly seems adjectival at all”? (138) I’m the sense of “mysterious” as our protagonist and narrator employs it?

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  2. Sophia CinelliMarch 21, 2022 at 10:23 AM

    Hi Lisa!
    To answer your question, I don't think I could enjoy my life as much if it was spent reading, socializing, and doing random work. This lifestyle, in my opinion, is too relaxed. I would need something that kept me busy, in a more productive way, in order to have a sense of fulfillment.

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  3. UnknownMarch 21, 2022 at 12:44 PM

    Hello Lisa!
    I don't think I can enjoy such life as much as she could in the story because I would rather like to have a life with a clear goal or commitment. But when I think if I was a poet in that era, I would deem it as a best life in which one float around and listen to people. Just because I feel like that is how great poem is written. -Tsuyoshi Hashiguchi

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  4. SOCI 370March 21, 2022 at 1:26 PM

    Hi Lisa!
    This is such a great blog post! Thank you so much, I really enjoyed reading it all. To turn to your question - Do you think that you would personally enjoy her way of life? Do you believe that you would be fulfilled and happy spending your days reading, doing random work and socializing the way she does? I believe I would not, but I wish I could be more like her in that aspect. I need to have a constant challenge and something I am striving for. I find it near impossible to relax (ugh)
    Thanks again!
    Sadie Glickman

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  5. TierraMarch 21, 2022 at 2:05 PM

    Hi Lisa!
    It's really interesting to read your take on Amulet and Auxilio. Reading your post, I agree with you, she seemed to feed off other people's stories and experiences more than her own throughout the story. However, the main story that she retells as her own is the event of her being in the university bathroom when the riot police occupy it, and everything that follows the event seems to be quite muddled to her. It made me wonder if she completely detached from herself when that happened and began attaching herself to everyone else's stories.

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  6. BreanneMarch 21, 2022 at 3:27 PM

    Hello! Thanks for sharing your honest thoughts on this weeks read. To answer your question, and like other classmates have said, I dont think i would enjoy living as Auxilio did. While I do love having the freedom of doing things as I please, i think not having structure or a solid routine would be anything but relaxing for me.
    - Breanne Wish

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  7. ElizaMarch 21, 2022 at 3:34 PM

    Hi Lisa! Thank you for your insightful blog post, I agree with everything you had to say! This book was also my least favourite book of the semester and I did not really like or resonate with the main character. I don't think I would like to live a life like Auxilio, as it was too relaxed for me and I would want to create my own stories and memories. I would also get tired of going to bars and cafes constantly. It seems however, that she was perfectly content doing this, which I am honestly quite jealous of!

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