In my humble opinion, I think Clara's tragic flaw resulted in a lot of disasters in this novel. First, one of her flaws is that she lacks a sense of attachment or humanly love towards anyone. Although she has this bond with Alice, it doesn't necessarily continue throughout the book. She lives with a millionaire, Ambrose, but doesn't seem affectionate towards him. Her relationship with Patrick is surface level and has no meaning whatsoever. Because of her indifference, Patrick is more confused and is not able to get closure. To Patrick, this has left a huge scar in his life and he is not able to move on this point of life anymore.
Another one of her flaws is her aimless pace in life. In this book, we don't see any of Clara's motivation or goals in life; Her behavior and actions seem spontaneous and often irrational at the most. There is no indication of deep thinking in her life as she just wanders off from one place to another. Because of this, she doesn't seem to have any intimate relationship with anyone and in this book she is clearly portrayed as a flat character without any change or revelation. This tragic flaw eventually leads her self-destruction and ultimately to Ambrose's death. However, at the end, as we see Patrick and his daughter driving to Marmora we can sense Clara's significant change in life or even hope for the future.
2 comments:
I agree with you on what Clara's tragic flaws are. Although you separated them into two, I think the first one is a result of her second. Her spontaneity is the reason why she cannot stay attached to one person. I wonder if Clara also lacks a sense of identity. Maybe Patrick is very similar to Clara, except that he has a goal, a search for his identity. Although Patrick develops throughout the book, he is still very much lost.
Min soo, your response to the character of Clara is interesting. I get a sense that you really don't like her personality, as Ondaatje has portrayed her. I am pondering what Michael has posted and I wonder the same thing - is Clara more vulnerable and lost than we imagine? Is she actually the one we should feel the most pathos for? Is her seeming confidence really a facade for her uncertainty and perhaps profound sadness? Hmmm...
Post a Comment