Alternative Titles in the Hour of the Star Clarice Lispector 12th Grade

In The Hour of the Star, Clarice Lispector includes a page prior to the story providing alternative titles that she was considering for the book. These titles are significant in the analysis of the novel as several of them originate from references within the text, and the chosen title emphasizes those aspects of the story. Had The Hour of the Star been entitled The Right to Scream, or She Doesn’t Know How to Scream, the interpretation of the novel would change; rather than having the story culminate at the end of Macabéa's life - her hour of the star - these alternative titles highlight the themes of expression and creation. The idea that Rodrigo speaks for Macabéa and tells her story gives insight into her troubled and unspoken personality; she who truly has earned the right to scream is unable to express herself. In The Hour of the Star, Lispector incorporates the themes of creation and perspective as well as the motif of sound to demonstrate how Rodrigo’s narration of Macabéa's life forms an entity that serves to represent much more than just an individual.

Throughout the novel, Lispector incorporates the theme of creation, suggesting that Rodrigo creates Macabéa's character, and the idea that writing can form an existence...