Commentary Writing of Characters "And of Clay Are We Created" Isabel Allende

Commentary Writing of Characters

And of Clay Are We Created

Isabel Allende

From Clay and Back to Clay

“And of Clay Are We Created” is one of Isabel Allende’s story based on the real story happened in Colombia. Its title makes the readers want to know what the story tells about anxiously. “And of Clay Are We Created” brings us to an affected situation where there is a confusion to rescue the victims of disaster. In its title, Allende presents a unique and interesting story with a brilliant philosophy. We are as human being is created from clay and when we die, we will be buried in clay too. From clay and back to clay. When we read this story, we can not find the textual evidence which describes the characters, because Allende does not describe the characters directly.

There are three characters in this story: Rolf Carlé, Azucena, and the narrator who is never mentioned name and strong predicted as Carlé’s wife. The interesting thing from Allende’s way to describe the characters is she does not describe the characters directly and she does not focus in the physical appearance, but she describes the characters from their inner thought, actions, and dialogue.

The story starts suddenly with a line: “They discovered the girl’s head protruding from the mud pit, eyes wide open, calling soundlessly.” and it introduces a young girl name Azucena, if her name translated into English, it would be “Lily”, name of flower. She has been found buried up to her neck in the mud pit, because her village has been destroyed by a volcanic eruption disaster. The national news media has discovered her, while the rescue effort was going on. She said to Rolf Carlé, a reporter who first found her, that her body was held by her dead brothers and sisters under the mud pit. She talked about her life, and she told him that although she is thirteen years old, she has never felt in love before. And finally, after three days buried up to her neck in a mud pit, she died.

Rolf Carlé is the major character in this story. Carlé is a responsible man to his job. As “I” said that Carlé and “I” were together when the station, a place where he work as a reporter, called before dawn to assign him to record the situation in the scene and he is the first reporter who reached the scene. He is also the first person who discovered Azucena, a young girl who buried up to her neck in the mud pit. He appears as a kind, lover, helper, and hard worker. He tried to save Azucena somehow not only because he felt compassion, but also he loved Azucena as his sister, because he had ever lost his sister thirty years ago. It can be seen in the line: “You have to keep your strength up and be calm. Everything will be fine. I’m with you and I’ll get you out somehow.” and in the line: Rolf assured her that he loved her more than he could ever love anyone.

Azucena is a nice young girl. She seems like a stolid, mousy, and follower girl, because she told to Carlé that in all her thirteen years no boy ever loved her and that it was a pity to leave this world without knowing love.

Narrator is a patient woman who loves so much her husband. It can be seen in the line: I sat in the kitchen, sipping my coffee and planning the long hours without him, sure that he would back in the next day. It shows that she has been familiar with this kind of situation and she can accept that.

It is described in the story that the relationship between Carlé and Azucena is very close although they do not know each other before. It is shown from the actions and the words used by Carlé. He always tried to make Azucena relax and amused her by singing a song. He also took care of her by giving her foods and drinks. He considered her as his dead sister, Katharina. He even told her his very secret part of his life which has been told to anyone including his wife before. Azucena also told him about his life.

The relationship between Carlé and the narrator also is close. They are a harmony couple. They loved each other so much, although Carlé said that he loved Azucena more than he loved anyone.