Which letter do you think was most important to the narrator, the one by Mendel or the one by Sebastian, the visiting scientist?
Why do you think she was so disgusted by her husband's prizing of the Mendel letter and the "bad" story he would always tell about it?
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5 comments:
Antonia didn't like her husband's attitude toward the letter and the story because he missed the point. Richard's story was about science -- he'd probably term it something like the downfall of a great mind, while her story was about her grandfather and his friend and that friend's mentor-nemesis.
And Richard's story was abstract and theoretical, while hers was concrete and colorful and alive. Antonia made Sebastian see the wall and the clocktower and the gardens and the hives, the spectacles on Mendel's face and Tati's bare feet.
And the picture she painted stayed with Sebastian: the wall is still here, and you can see where the garden was. It's a lovely place. Perhaps you should visit someday.
I think the Mendel letter was more important to Antonia, but I'm not sure. It had a direct link with Tati, although she linked the Sebastian letter with Tati in her mind. And the latter one had a direct connection with her that the former did not have. So that cuts both ways.
But that's viewing it from my perspective. It's hard to find her perspective on it in the text. One large clue is that she gave the earlier letter to Richard, while she kept the latter letter to herself. But that may be explained by her priorities and immaturity when her relationship with Richard was beginning. But at the time Antonia gave it to Richard, she said, Someone who appreciates it should have it.
But over time, the letter became dear to her, as her disgust at Richard's telling of the story illustrates.
As far as the latter letter goes, she makes a point to say she still has the letter. And she imagines Sebastian writing the letter, and that makes her think of Tati. And she wonders what Tati would think of the way it came to me...from a scientist who meant to be kind. And there's something dear in mentioning detail like the blue airmail envelope.
Tough question! Perhaps equally important?
Yeah, maybe the point is that it's your heart's connection with something that makes it valuable.
The Mendel letter only seemed to have value to the husband insofar as he could name-drop with it
Exactly. I sort of said this in my previous comment, but I think it had to do with the emotional value. I think after many years she realized that Richard did not truly appreciate the Mendel letter. He valued it for its scientific and historic content, but he missed the beauty in it, the details.
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