One of my theories is that the first part of the book (up to the departure from Italy) is STRUCTURALLY identical to the second part, and that the Vampire's story is identical to that of Pascal.
Both the Vampire and Pascal are victims of abuse, without protection, at the mercy of others, without agency in the world. And, for all his striving and fighting, at the end Pascal has nothing to show for himself except defeat. This is when he is forced to BEGGING: begging the editors of magazine to publish his work. If you look closely, that's what his letter is.
COMMENT: do you think this interpretation is too outlandish? Don't be afraid to disagree. Indeed.
I agree with the interpretation that the professor has given. It was his last hope, to have anyone give him a choice and publish his poems. He mentioned that without it, it will be another year of suffrage. He was in need.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your interpretation of Pascal's similarities to the Vampire introduced in the beginning of the book. Towards the end of the book, I completely agree that Pascal was a victim of abuse. Pascal was undoubtedly at the mercy of the foreman while a laborer and experienced defeat when he wasn't able to get anyone to publish his poems. I would also agree with your interpretations that Pascal was begging the editor of the magazine to publish his work. At that point in his life he had no other choice but to do so. Fortunately for Pascal, his begging appealed to the emotions of the editor and he was given the opportunity he desperately needed.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with your interpretation and find it super interesting. Looking back, I think that it is significant that Pascal was the one that found the vampire starving and alone on the mountain. He was able to see that there was nothing magical or scary about her. He later also says that the real evil is not from old ladies but from those who have the power to control and manipulate others such as the foremen. The second half of the book also draws a great deal of attention to Pascal's own starvation and horrible living conditions. We see him confront his own humanity and finally beg for a break in the form of the letter. Unlike the vampire, however, he does get beyond his circumstances due to his tenacity and search for education - something the vampire did not have.
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ReplyDeleteI completely agree with and appreciate your interpretation, professor, but I do feel that we can add on one distinction between the Vampire and Pascal.
ReplyDeleteWhile the paths taken by both figures are structurally similar in the struggle that ultimately degrades each to begging, I feel that Pascal possessed a burning sense of passion and a strong desire to succeed in his endeavor, even if it meant riding out the lows of life until the highs emerged in the distance. The Vampire possessed no such attribute. To increase his chance of success, Pascal made it his priority to learn English in a fluent manner, which led to his ultimate achievement in the world of poetry and literature. The Vampire, on the other hand, never received the chance to enjoy this kind of success; perhaps this is because of her resignation and despair at her exile from the community. While failure motivated Pascal to succeed, it worked in the opposite way for the Vampire, forcing her to a life of tragic acceptance and sadness on the mountain by killing off her will. As such, I agree that the paths of both Pascal and the Vampire are structurally similar, while the ending points differed vastly between each.
I never thought of the Vampire and Pascal to have similarities until reading your interpretation. I actually agree with and think that interpretation is very interesting. The Vampire was shunned and feared from society for being different. We know that Italians, and immigrants from other countries as well, were feared and shunned from American society for being different. The Vampire eventually found herself begging for food and mercy at the hand of the village people in order to save her life, much like Pascal begged at the hands of the American editors to be published to save his life.
ReplyDeleteI never found myself comparing the Vampire's story and Pascal's story, I think I just brushed passed it. I do agree with the professor's interpretation. The vampire was a victim of abuse and was shunned and looked down upon for being different, as was Pascal, so the vampire turned towards begging. In the beginning of the book I would have never thought Pascal would turn to begging. Sometimes you need to be at your lowest point in order to pick yourself back up and get yourself on the right track.
ReplyDeleteI am totally agree with professor’s interpretations. It is not outlandish for me. Unfortunately I never compare this part by myself, I never paid attention to it. It is true that in first part of the book vampire begs people for food, there is no one that protects her. Same situation in second part where Pascal literally beg editors to publish his work. They both had no protection.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the professor's interpretation of the how Pascal is similar to the vampire. The vampire begged for food and money from the townspeople to make a living. That is very similar to Pascal. He lives through hardships and struggles to achieve his ambitions and dreams. He goes around to many publications for them to consider his work but he is ultimately refused. The letter is the final plea for survival. He begs and begs by saying, just consider my work so that I can survive. It actually makes perfect sense when you think about it.
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