Isabel Allende: “And of Clay Are We Created”
- Why do you think the Allende chose to tell the story from the perspective of the first person narrator, who is not even on the scene with the girl? Why not tell the tale from Azucena’s perspective, or even Rolf Carlé’s?
- Analyze the symbolism of the television camera and television coverage in Allende’s story, paying special attention to how the first-person narrator describes watching everything unfold on TV. What symbolic pattern—and meaning—can you find?
- Review the sample essays in response to Allende’s piece and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each. Consider what we have learned regarding argument, thesis statements, and analysis this week.
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SAMPLE WRITING: ESSAY
Because it focuses on both character and theme in Isabel Allende’s AND OF CLAY ARE WE CREATED, the following essay would be an appropriate response to essay assignments involving either of these elements. More specifically, Renee Maalouf here tackles a series of interesting, interlinked questions: How does the story’s central character develop over its course? How do other characters, as well as narration, enhance our sense of this development? What theme might emerge from it?
Read this essay as you would one of your peers’ drafts, looking for opportunities for the writer to improve her argument and presentation in revision. How effectively does the draft answer the questions it poses? Are there claims that might be developed further? other evidence that should be considered? How might the conclusion be strengthened?
For ease of reference, we have altered the citations in this essay to refer to paragraph numbers. Unless your instructor indicates otherwise, you should always follow convention by instead citing page numbers when writing about fiction. For more on citation, see chapter 33.
Maalouf 1
Renee Maalouf
Dr. Mays
ENG 298
20 April 2021
A Moment of Connection in Isabel Allende’s “And of Clay Are We Created”
In the wake of tragedy, empathy and sincerity run rampant toward those afflicted, or at least we hope they do, as we now have technology that allows us to watch disasters happen in real time through our various devices. Such is the case in Isabel Allende’s “And of Clay Are We Created,” as the media gathers to cover a volcanic eruption that leaves more than twenty thousand people buried in clay and to record the last hours of one victim—a thirteen-year-old girl named Azucena. Thanks to the narrator, readers observe one of these reporters, Rolf Carlé, as he makes his way to the scene. He immediately stands out in the crowd, and not just because he means a great deal to the narrator. In the three days that pass in Allende’s short story, Rolf, with the help of Azucena, teaches readers that to free themselves from the clay keeping them down they must first confront the past that weighs on them so heavily. He accomplishes this by
SAMPLE WRITING: RESPONSE PAPER
A response paper may use a less formal organization and style than a longer, more formal essay, but it should not just be a summary or description of the work. Indeed, a response paper could be a step on the way to a longer essay. You need not form a single thesis or argument, but you should try to develop your ideas and feelings about the story by making reference to some specifies. The point is to get your thoughts in writing without worrying too much about form and style.
Almost everything in the following response paper comes directly from the notes above, but notice how the writer has combined and developed observations, adding more direct quotations or details from the text. (For ease of reference, we have altered the citations in this paper to refer to paragraph numbers. Unless your instructor indicates otherwise, you should always follow convention by instead citing page numbers when writing about fiction.)
Maalouf 1
Renee Maalouf
Dr. Mays
ENG 298
10 April 2021
Response Paper on Isabel Allende’s “And of Clay Are We Created”
Allende’s story begins and almost ends with the same detail. We learn in the second sentence that the girl’s name is Azucena, lily in Spanish. At the end, the narrator refers to her again as a “flower in the mud” when she sinks into the clay (par. 28). Azucena’s introduction to Rolf is also with the acknowledgement of “her flower name” (par. 6). Other than the use of her name, there are no other flowers in the story whether physically present in the scene around her or figuratively present as Azucena and Rolf Carlé do their best to make it through each day waiting for a pump. As she becomes a “symbol of the tragedy,” Azucena and her floral name suggest that she should eventually flourish, blossom, and stand for a symbol of hope in the midst of all the destruction (par. 1). The text unfortunately does not have this happy ending because the attention Azucena receives does not help her survive, calling into question the media’s empathy for her and making me wonder why Allende gives a hopeful name to a tragic character. In this regard it is also ironic that to keep Azucena alive, Rolf
Maalouf 2
needs “a pump to drain the water” that keeps her down (par. 9). This runs counter to what a flower typically needs to survive, perhaps foreshadowing Azucena’s ill fate. She even weeps when it starts to rain, the water only bringing more sorrow.
Also Azucena’s claim that “the bodies of her brothers and sisters [cling] to her legs” and hold her in the mud is significant in relation to her name because they almost act as roots that keep her in place (par. 7). Azucena’s roots are her family, memories, and past. Due to the volcanic eruption, the only remnants of those roots cling to her legs. I do not think, however, that Azucena succumbing to the mud is due to her roots pulling her down. Ultimately, what ends Azucena’s life is the inability of anyone to get a pump to her in time. Figures who could have tended to this flower, such as the President of the Republic with his “emotional voice and paternal tone as he told her that her courage had served as an example to the nation,” do not fulfill their role or responsibility to save her (par. 26). A symbol of hope in the wake of a tragedy does not garner empathy that leads to survival. Rolf and the narrator are the only characters who show affection for Azucena, the former staying by her side while the latter manages to get the pump to them, albeit too late.
SAMPLE WRITING: READING NOTES
Student Renee Maalouf wrote the notes below with the “Questions about the Elements of Fiction” in mind (p. 19). As you read these notes, compare them to the notes you took as you read AND OF CLAY ARE WE CREATED. Do Maalouf’s notes reveal anything to you that you didn’t notice while reading the story? Did you notice anything she did not, or do you disagree with any of her interpretations?
Notes on Isabel Allende’s “And of Clay Are We Created”
What do you expect?
The title is almost in the phrase of a question and makes me wonder if I am about to read a myth/story about how humans were created.
The first paragraph, however, reveals that a tragedy occurred and that Azucena and Rolf Carlé seem to be at the center of that tragedy as the media reports it. The detail that Rolf Carlé “never suspect[ed] that he would find a fragment of his past” makes me expect Rolf will confront his past while saving Azucena (par. 1).
Azucena’s name (“lily”) and the narrator’s reference to her as “the symbol of the tragedy” (par. 1) make me think that she should eventually blossom and become a symbol of hope in the midst of destruction.
What happens in the story?
A lot happens in this story that takes place over three days. Before the story starts, a volcano erupts, and a girl gets trapped in a mudpit. During the story, a reporter stays with her and tries to reassure her that she’ll be okay, but because the necessary equipment doesn’t get through in time, she dies.
A lot also happens in between those major plot points. Rolf’s partner (the narrator) monitors the situation, trying to get the pump to him. Meanwhile other media outlets report what is happening to Azucena without helping her get out.
Rolf finally faces his past, the horrors he endured during WWII, his father’s abuse, and the death of his sister. His reflection allows him to see himself as “buried in the clayey mud” (par. 23).
How is the story narrated?
The narrator is Rolf’s partner. Little details reveal the identity of the narrator as the story goes on, but there’s confirmation when the narrator is described as “his life companion” (par. 27).
The story is told in past tense and first person. There are four breaks within the story (after pars. 16, 25, and 28) that reflect the passage of time. The first three parts each focus on one day. The last break in the story stands out because the last paragraph has the narrator refer directly to the effects of all this on Rolf after he is “back with” her (par. 29).
Because the narrator is so close to Rolf, we seem to gain access to a lot of Rolf’s thoughts. There are moments where it is unclear whether the narrator knows/assumes what Rolf is thinking and how much gets revealed because the narrator is watching footage of Rolf. For example, she says she “overheard fragments of what [Rolf and Azucena] said to one another and could guess the rest” (par. 22).
Who are the characters?
There are three main characters: the narrator, Azucena, and Rolf. The narrator is Rolf’s partner and knows a lot about his past, so she understands the change that takes place in him. We never learn the narrator’s name. Azucena is thirteen years old and has never been anywhere except her village (par. 15). She is trapped in the mudpit after the volcanic eruption and unfortunately dies at the end of the story. Rolf is a reporter with a past he has not confronted until he meets Azucena.
He and the narrator seem to be the only people who care about Azucena, which is especially clear because of minor characters like the President of the Republic who arrives in “his tailored safari jacket” with “vague promises” and waves at her with “a limp statesman’s hand” (par. 26). The presence of him and the media doesn’t save her. Instead it’s the narrator who manages to get the pump to her, albeit too late.
There is not necessarily one person who serves as an antagonist or villain in this story. The characters instead face natural and personal disasters. As a result of this disaster, Rolf sees himself in Azucena, as someone trapped in the clay of their past.
Katharina is Rolf’s sister and the only other named character.
What is the setting of the story?
The eruption takes place on a Wednesday in November, but the year is unclear. Rolf’s memories of World War II and the reference to “thirty years” in the first paragraph let me know the story must take place in the 1970s. The technology that is available like tapes, precision lenses, recorders, etc. also means that the story can’t take place too far in the past.
The story is more unclear about place. We do not learn the name of the village or “the Republic,” but obviously it is somewhere with a volcano, somewhere that people speak Spanish (“Azecuna” is Spanish for “lily”) and where at least some of them are Catholic (this is her “First Communion name,” par. 1). Why not name the country?
Three days pass in the story. But we also go back and forth in time as Rolf remembers the memories he has been trying to repress.
In terms of physical setting, we’re either with Rolf and Azucena at the scene of the eruption, or we’re with the narrator as she does what she can to help Azucena and monitor the situation.
What do you notice about how the story is written?
The narrator mostly uses complex sentences and vocabulary to tell this story. I think this style is important because these longer sentences carry some of the emotional turmoil of the story.
The narrator makes it very clear that three days pass with Azucena in the clay. This makes me wonder if this is a Biblical allusion to the three days until Jesus was resurrected. The rain could also be a sign of baptism or cleansing that takes place. The clay is also symbolic. One thing it might symbolize is the weight of Rolf’s past.
The narrator is very sympathetic to and worried about Rolf and Azucena. This is most likely due to the narrator’s relationship with the former and concern for a girl in such a terrible situation. What makes the narrator’s narration interesting is that at times she reveals just enough to hint at what happens without explicitly saying it, or there are hints along the way until she reveals the full picture. For example, when first introducing Rolf, the narrator says she “came to realize that this fictive distance seemed to protect him from his own emotions” (par. 4). This foreshadows Rolf facing his emotions later on in the story.
What does the story mean? Can you express its theme or themes?
There are two main themes that stood out to me as I read this story. The first is about how the media reports a tragedy. Millions of people manage to see Azucena’s face on their screens because of cameras that made their way through the rubble, but the pump that Rolf keeps asking for does not come through. Even though millions see Azucena as a symbol of this tragedy, no one except Rolf and the narrator seem to actively try to save her.
The second is about Rolf’s past. He suffered a great deal of trauma that he managed to bury in his role as a reporter. He manages to rid himself of the clay that held him down while Azucena submerges. This makes me think back to the title. Are we created from the moments of our past?
