Free “And of Clay We are Created” Essay Sample
“And of clay we are created” is a short story by Isabel Allende. She is the narrator. The story is about a volcano eruption that occurred in Columbia and left very many people dead. Her lover, Rolf Carle, a reporter, was sent to take photographs of a certain girl called Azucena, who had been stuck in the mud for some days. He put a lot of efforts to rescue the girl unlike other reporters who just came, took photographs and went. The paragraphs below discuss Allende’s story about the girl, the reason why she focuses on her and the efforts made by her lover to rescue the girl.
The story is about Azucena who has been stuck in the mud after the volcano eruption
This tragedy left so many people dead and the girl was lucky to survive. Nobody seemed to bother apart from the reporter, Rolf, who tried his best to get her out of the rubble. This was serious tragedy since “the odor of death was already attracting vultures from far away, and where the weeping of orphans and wails of the injured filled the air, the little girl obstinately clinging to life became a symbol of tragedy”. People did not make any effort to rescue the girl even after taking so many photographs that were being shown in the media. The reporters opted to take photographs rather than rescue her. The narrator focuses on Azucena to show how the majority of the people only mind about their own lives. Besides, she focuses on the girl to show how she changed the life of her lover.
The geologist had already warned people in this country about the tragedy, but it sounded to them like a tale from an old man. In fact, “it was calculated that beneath the mud lay more than twenty thousand human beings and an indefinite number of animals putrefying in a viscous soup. Forests and rivers had also been swept away”. The reporter, with the help of some few other people, tried to rescue the girl by tying a rope around her body so that they could pull her out. But this was all in vain since the girl suddenly screamed due to pain, “they tried again and her shoulders and arms appeared, but they could move her no farther; she was trapped”. Surprisingly, the girl told them that her legs were stuck to the dead bodies of her family members and that is the reason why she was unable to come out of the rubble. Allende could hear the voice of the reporter comforting the girl through the television. She also appreciated the effort her lover was making to get the girl out of the dangerous situation. Rolf asked for assistance from the soldiers but they just went away to rescue the other victims who also called for help.
Rolf discovered that he needed a pump that will assist in draining water so that he could get the girl out of there. His lover made every effort to get the pump since she felt pity for both of them, the reporter and the girl.
There I was near his world, and I could get at least a feeling of what he lived through during those three decisive days, I called all the important people in the city, senators, Commanders of the armed forces, the North American Ambassador, and the President of the National Petroleum, begging them for a pump to remove the silt, but obtained only vague promises.
The only thing the nation could do was to watch the pictures of the poor girl
The narrator felt so hurt due to the girl’s suffering as well as her lover’s fruitless efforts. In the television, the narrator saw people taking refuge in the churches due to the melting snow that had formed many rivers. There were so many volunteers who were trying to rescue the people. The girl and the reporter waited to see whether they could get any help. The reporter gave her hope and even got her food from the army since she was getting weaker and weaker. As soon as she ate, she vomited all of it. This made him worried because the doctors said that there was too little they could do for her. The girl wept but the reporter told her, “Don’t be afraid, 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”.
What hurt the reporter and the narrator more was that the other reporters came to photograph the girl with very many expensive machines but they could not afford a pump for rescuing her. “Azucena’s face was beamed to millions of screens around the world. And all the while Rolf Carle kept pleading for a pump”. It was so sad to see clear pictures of a girl crying in pain and hoping for rescue. The narrator could do nothing, but he felt happy since her lover was doing his best to make the girl happy and comfortable. She said that, “I had the horrible sensation that Azucena and Rolf were by my side, separated from me by the impenetrable glass”. She made sure that she followed all what was happening through the television.
The narrator liked the girl very much since she taught her lover how to pray thus changing his life
Actually, the narrator was so happy since her husband could pray, and the first thing she told him when they met was, “you are back with me, but you are not the same man” (Johnson 58). Besides, the narrator says that her lover changed from having “awesome tenacity” (Johnson 58), after she met Azucena. Furthermore, Azucena made the reporter to reveal his childhood experiences, which he could not even tell his lover, the narrator. “Unaware that this situation could bring up old memories, the more he talked to Azecuna, the more he revealed his past” (Johnson 64). He had not told anyone about his past, which was very horrible due to the abuses he got from his father.
It was so shocking that even the president went to see Azucena, the girl who was making the news headline in the whole country. The president just congratulated her due to her courage since she served as a very good example to the country. But, “Rolf interrupted to ask for a pump, and the president assured him that he personally would attend to the matter”. Unfortunately, the girl died after a few days because she could not bear all that pain.
In conclusion, Allende’s story is very sad since it portrays neglect in most of the countries
It shows how most of the governments do not value their citizens. If a pump was bought, the girl would not have died. They neglected her and only used her to make news that was watched throughout the world. Basically, an uncaring attitude is portrayed because most people only care about their personal interests.