I)
Joan Miró is a surrealist and experimental artist from Barcelona, Spain. He derived his very unique style from other artist such as Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne. Miró not only does paintings but is also known for creating sculptures, murals, and even ceramics
When I first read the chapter’s title “Miró, Miró, on the Wall”, I immediately thought of the well known line from Snow White “mirror, mirror, on the wall”. Having that thought lingering in my mind, I noticed in the beginning of this chapter Claire has a lengthy interaction with a mirror in her bedroom. Claire is described as standing with “her body in the full length mirror” and has several moments where she is staring at her reflection. Translated from Spanish, “Miró” means I look or watch. Considering that Miró is of Spanish descent, I felt this was a clever play on words since Claire is watching her own reflection.
I feel the purpose using the mirror is to symbolize an individual as being a work of at art. On page 78, Claire has a flashback where she is arguing with her father. It ended with him calling her “Modern. Like a fixture. A painting. A Miró”. Taking all information into consideration, I interpret this as meaning Claire is a work of art, but because you can not simply hang her up on a wall she is displayed through a mirror where she reflects and creates her own abstract piece through her own life experience, thoughts, and physical appearance.
II)
I estimate there are more than 60 human interactions or “collisions”. The one that intrigues me the most is Claire and Solomon finding out how their son, Joshua, passed away. It was heartbreaking to see at first Claire first thought of an exam when being told Joshua had ‘passed”, followed by the realization of what is actually going on. After the sergeant says Joshua had “died a hero” Solomon responds with a bit of hostility by saying “You don’t die a f[**]king hero”. Staring into some prints Claire even says “Miró, Miró, on the wall, who’s the deadest of them all”. Claire may be saying this as a way of receiving clarity/confirmation of her son’s death, or it could be possibly a way of seeing him for the last time through the “Miró” .
Primary Characters:
- Claire
- Solomon
- Joshua
- Ciaran
- Corrigan
- Lara
- Blaine
- Adelita
- Gloria
- Tillie
- Jazzlyn
- Fernando
- Sam
I really liked how you interpreted the word mirror as author’s attempt to portray Claire as an work of art. I never thought of it in that way. Thank you for the fresh insight!
Describing Claire and Solomons reaction to the news of their son dying shows the different signs of grief. Claire was first in denial where as her husband had been angry. I didn’t even think about why Claire had said “Miró, Miró, on the wall, who’s the deadest of them all” and I certainly did not think of it as her way of finding clarity or seeing her son for the last time.
I too noticed a lingering of Claire in front of the mirror and how that relates that to art, but I didnt think about how it was the author relating that to the chapter title. You are clear in how Claire is a work of art like a painting.