Where the Air Is Clear

by Carlos Fuentes

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Culture Clash

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The Splintered Society of 1950s Mexico City

In Where the Air Is Clear, Carlos Fuentes vividly paints a portrait of the striking social chasm dividing 1950s Mexico City, a city cleaved by the jagged lines of wealth, class, and race. At the lowest rung of this societal ladder sit the indigenous Indians, epitomized by characters like the forlorn prostitute Gladys. Fuentes masterfully captures the tension between Mexico's entrenched aristocracy and its emerging elite through memorable scenes. One such tableau unfolds at the destitute home of the de Ovando family, where Norma Robles, an ambitious social aspirant, encounters the scornful aristocratic matriarch, Lorenza de Ovando. The meeting is orchestrated by Lorenza's cousin Pimpinela, a shrewd beauty intent on preserving her family's faltering legacy by exchanging “class for cash” through her nuptials and social engagements. Pimpinela beseeches Norma, a manipulative wife, to leverage her husband's sway to secure company shares. At the mere mention of dining with her aunt, Norma's eyes gleam with anticipation. Meanwhile, Pimpinela cautions Lorenza about the impending visit of an "upstart, obnoxious, vulgar" woman, wed to "a savage from God knows what jungle," urging her to extend a cordial welcome in hopes of securing her grandson’s future at a bank.

Aristocratic Defiance in the Face of Change

The old matriarch's resolve to put Norma in her place crumbles when "Norma, radiant, swathed in mink and toying nonchalantly with her pearls," exudes an air of newfound confidence and belonging, a privilege once reserved for the de Ovandos themselves. After this ill-fated dinner, Lorenza and Norma return to their respective circles, each eager to spotlight the flaws in the other—Lorenza belittles the audacious "daughter of some sheepherder," while Norma mocks the aristocrat's stubborn refusal to acknowledge her own obsolescence. Both factions of the upper crust live in a state of denial: Lorenza clings to the hope of another revolution to reclaim her class, as her grandson Benjamin is ill-equipped for anything beyond his genteel upbringing; meanwhile, Norma spins tales for her stylish friends of her mother’s servitude and her husband Federico's hidden indigenous roots beneath his costly suits and powdered facade.

Wealth and Poverty: A Stark Juxtaposition

Fuentes also contrasts the pinnacle and nadir of Mexico City's societal hierarchy throughout the narrative, shifting seamlessly between the glittering soirées of the nouveau riche and the squalid slums of the impoverished. The solitary morning of the aging prostitute Gladys, following a smoky nightclub shift, starkly opposes the afterglow of the jet set: some are slumbering, while others prepare for another day of prosperous dealings. Norma luxuriates in the sun, pampering herself, and Pimpinela is en route to collect her bank shares. Intermittently, the story leaps from the affluent characters' reminiscences to the stark lives of the nameless poor, whose daily grind starkly contrasts with the newly minted bourgeoisie's indulgent lifestyle.

The Supernatural

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The enigmatic essence of Fuentes's 1950s Mexico is interwoven with its buried ancient past and the shadowy echoes of its pre-Hispanic Indian legacy. Within this narrative, the characters of Ixca Cienfuegos and his mother, Teodula Moctezuma, serve as living vessels of that heritage. They infuse their world with the sacred and the arcane, weaving a tapestry of mystique into the fabric of contemporary Mexican identity. Teodula, initially seen in worship of the Catholic Virgin Mary, gradually reveals her true reverence lies with Coatlicue—the formidable Aztec earth goddess. This deity, a bringer of dawn and harbinger of dusk, is depicted with a necklace of skulls and hands, embodying both life and death in a cyclical dance. Teodula's children have perished, save for Ixca, whom she tasks with securing a...

(This entire section contains 554 words.)

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blood offering to alleviate her people's anguish. Immersed in a death cult's rituals, she speaks serenely of her own mortality, embracing it as a natural passage.

Ixca's soliloquies bookend the novel, invoking ancestral spirits as the sole, unwavering custodians of his land. His enigmatic persona eludes definition throughout the tale; whispers circulate about his origins and status, yet his true essence remains concealed. Symbolic of an ancient god of war, Ixca seeks to fulfill his destined role through various endeavors: he urges Rodrigo towards self-destruction and propels Norma into the tumultuous sea. In the aftermath of Norma's demise, consumed by flames in Teodula's presence, the crone proclaims the sacrifice complete, prompting Ixca's retreat from societal interactions.

Hints of Ixca's lethal nature thread through the narrative like shadows. Rosa's son, wary of Ixca's offer of food, bites his hand, unleashing a trail of blood. Later, the boy is mentioned only in death, as Rosa prepares for his burial. Ixca's taste of his own "acrid [and] metallic" blood sends his mind swirling, a dizzying cacophony of terror echoing in his ears. The boy's demise, potentially linked to the mysterious potency of Ixca's blood, remains an unspoken chord within the story.

Hortensia, the blind mistress of Indian descent tethered to Federico Robles, emerges as another potential mythic figure. Her ties to the world and her lover resonate with supernatural undertones. Unlike the enigmatic forces embodied by Ixca and Teodula, Hortensia symbolizes the nurturing, restorative spirit of ancient Mexico. Federico finds solace in her embrace, escaping the turmoil of his high societal life, and returns to her after losing all, seeking a redemptive existence on a farm. A subtle kinship with Ixca suggests Hortensia's own mythical identity; she perceives that they both "come from far away," are able to "understand without words," and possess "faces that frighten us and carry us to the limits of passions, good and evil," faces that would instill fear in others, "who would destroy us if we would show our true faces." Her connection with Federico transcends the superficial bounds of his social existence, a reality beyond "what life has made him." She declares that "the world which at last will be Federico's and [hers] is right here," waiting to reveal itself once Federico uncovers his "true face." Like Ixca, Hortensia holds a vision of an authentic Mexico lying beneath the veneer of the present, poised to arise following the collapse of cultural façades. When this transformation occurs in her lover's world, Hortensia enfolds him in her arms, offering a fresh, untainted beginning.

Revolution and Its Aftermath

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Fuentes and the Mexican Revolution

The tapestry of modern Mexico's history, especially woven with the threads of the Revolution and the tumultuous years that followed, is a recurring motif in the novels of Fuentes. Despite the fiery promise of transformation, the Revolution did little to alter the day-to-day realities of most Mexicans. This disheartening truth fuels Fuentes's Marxist perspective on history. His profound indignation compels him to embrace and steadfastly adhere to ideas that, for a period, the rest of the globe seemed eager to abandon.

While he shunned the rigid confines of Moscow-style Communism, Fuentes's version of individualistic Marxism lacks a precise definition. It appears more as a visceral reaction to the seemingly insurmountable social issues than as a methodical plan for societal rejuvenation. Suspicious of both capitalist and authoritarian Marxist ideologies, Fuentes treads his own path, searching for answers in the shadows of disillusionment.

Emptiness and Betrayal

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Fuentes paints a vivid portrait of Mexico City's inhabitants, suggesting their lives are marked by a profound emptiness and a pervasive lack of fulfillment. Many drift unaware through this void, while others feel its haunting presence only in fleeting moments. Interwoven with this theme of emptiness is the sense of betrayal, notably illustrated by the Cain motif that critic Gyurko discusses (referenced in Fuentes's biographical section).

Federico Robles, Fuentes's emblematic figure of the nouveau riche, epitomizes this betrayal. He turns his back on revolutionary ideals and distances himself from the Indigenous roots that form the core of his ancestry.

Violence and Death

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The novel is a tapestry woven with threads of violence and mortality, its pages frequently stained by bloodshed. Fuentes paints a vivid picture of Mexico City, where danger lurks just beneath the surface, suggesting it is a reflection of the broader Mexican landscape. Ixca Cienfuegos, an omnipresent voice of Fuentes, cynically notes the futility of suicide in Mexico, quipping that there's "a very good chance that at any moment you may be killed by someone else." This dark humor echoes through the narrative.

Tragedy marks the novel's opening as Juan Morales, a taxi driver, meets a sudden end. Later, Manuel Zamacona, in a grim twist of fate, falls victim to senseless murder. A stranger takes his life simply due to a disliking of the poet's gaze. Zamacona, who strives to capture and define the essence of Mexican identity, ultimately succumbs to the very violence he perceives as a pervasive element of the nation's soul.

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