Deception, Altruism, and Character Development in Literary Analysis
Analysis of Deception and Thematic Elements
2. Instances of Deception
The narrative presents several situations where Maurice’s deception is nearly exposed:
At dinner, the grandmother asked about Elizabeth's native language. The grandmother had noticed that Maurice (impersonating Balboa) spoke fluent Spanish, too. Fortunately, Maurice quickly devised an excuse and avoided revealing the deception.
Another situation highlighting the deception occurred when Maurice described his supposed tour of the rivers of Canada. He mentioned huge mountains full of snow, but the region only has hills, putting the entire plan at risk.
As Balboa had claimed in the false letters, Maurice had supposedly graduated with a degree in architecture. The grandmother, having learned about the subject, asked him about the architecture of a church. Maurice knew nothing about this, forcing him to quickly deflect the question to avoid exposing the deception.
3. Major Thematic Elements
Solidarity
The book heavily features solidarity as a main theme. It emphasizes the inherent goodness of helping others and the positive impact one person can have on another. The author’s idea seems to be to demonstrate the ease and virtue of being supportive.
Example: When Maurice helped the children in the square to cheer up, he did so because he understood their situation and wanted to see them happy.
Altruism
Altruism is the foundation of Dr. Ariel’s organization. All members share the attitude of giving selfless help and attention to others. Isabel, Maurice, and Balboa helped others in their difficult situations without expecting anything in return, making people they did not know feel very happy. This is one of the main themes of the work.
Example: When Maurice sent the bouquet of roses to Isabella to instill hope, he acted without self-interest, aiming to save her from a hasty decision that might have ended her life.
Love
The work does not necessarily speak of romantic love between two people, but rather love in various forms: a man for his family, a person for life, a grandmother for her grandson, etc. It is also about the love one person gives to another by helping them move forward and supporting them in difficult times, often done in the unselfish manner characteristic of the story’s characters.
Example: When the grandmother hugs Isabel after dinner, Isabel begins to feel affection and it helps her feel better about herself.
4. Symbolism of the Title
The Grandmother and the Jacaranda Tree
I believe the title of the work alludes to the grandmother because, even though she was slowly dying inside, she remained standing. In one part of the work, Maurice refers to the jacaranda tree, saying that today it is vibrant and blooming, but tomorrow, when the trees die, they die in silence and standing, and nobody will remember them. The grandmother, without her grandson, was fading, but she said nothing and remained standing, likely for the sake of her husband, Balboa.
5. Character and Narrative Analysis
5b. Maurice's Transformation
From Selfless to Affectionate
I believe Maurice is initially a totally selfless and supportive person, which caused him to suppress his own outlook on life and his feelings. He became a person who lived and felt for others, always looking for ways to make someone else feel better. However, when Isabel arrives—a totally sincere and humble young woman—she completely changes Maurice’s vision of life and teaches him to mix action with feelings, something Maurice had avoided. He could not help but grow fond of the grandmother, and especially Isabel, whom he ends up falling in love with by the end of the play. This is because, in my opinion, the warm and caring nature of this young lady captivates Maurice’s senses and causes him to stop being so interested in other people and start thinking more about himself. For this reason, I support the statement that this character undergoes the main change.
5c. Reality and Fiction
Boundaries Between Worlds
In my opinion, this statement is not entirely supported. The story begins in a totally realistic setting: an office, with real people and nothing unusual. I do not think there are fantastic events at any point in the history that would allow one to say that the story becomes part of a fantastic atmosphere; therefore, I refute that part of the statement. The boundaries between reality and fiction are clearly delineated. I believe there are very few fantastic elements, and they are properly highlighted. However, I do agree that fiction and reality mix. These elements range from a great imitator of birds to the unlikely union of two totally different people.