Monday, December 15, 2008

Doña Bárbara - Fri., Dec. 12 - Marisela's tenure as dueña and señora of Altamira is very short

Santos says that he cares about Marisela like a ..."Like what?" says Marisela, "Like a distant cousin or like an unfortunate wild thing? No, I know. Since you are living with DB, you'll treat me like a step-daughter. I not interested in your affection. The only father I have is Lorenzo Barquero." Santos says that it is normal for someone her age to be confused. Marisela responds that she isn't confused, unlike him. "You want me to forget you?" she says, "I will do that. I will get you out of my heart all at once." She says that she is going to fall in love with Gonzalo like a crazy person and give him many kisses. She walks away and leaves Santos looking like he didn't know what hit him.

BP, Danger and Pernalete tell DB that since Santos came to the Arauca everything has gone to hell in a handbasket. DB says that they are ungrateful and have forgotten all the things she has done for them all these years.

Santos asks Gonzalo what his intentions are with Marisela and Gonzalo says that he intends to marry her. Santos says that Marisela isn't for him. Gonzalo replies that he has fallen in love a couple of times before but never like this. He is crazy in love with her.

DB tells her confederates that the problems are all their fault and they are not capable of acting on their own. She warns them against messing with Santos. Soon she will be the mistress of Altamira and no one will be able to stop her.

Lorenzo says that he can see Cecilia is very happy and assumes it is because Antonio isn't going to marry Federica. He tells her that he is ready to stand aside for her true love. Cecilia tells him no. She has chosen him to be her companion and she isn't changing her mind. She tells him that she cares for him. "My angel," she calls him and kisses him on the cheek.

Federica tells Antonio that he can do what he wants with her but she will follow him because he is the man of her life. Antonio suggests that she enlist in the army as a water carrier so she can slake the thirst of the soldiers the ways she did with the vaqueros at Altamira. Federica pretends to be shocked. Antonio says that he is going out alone. When she asks what he is going to do about her, Antonio replies that is her problem and calls her a "cangreja," a crab.

DB comes back from her meeting with her confederates in a very bad mood. She won't tell Santos what the problem is, of course. Santos has success in jollying her out of the bad mood until he starts talking about how wonderful Marisela is and how he will give her more responsibilities at Altamira because very soon she will have her own hacienda.

Cecilia comes to bring Marisela some hot chocolate. She asks if she has fought with Santos again. "Yes," says Marisela, "but for the last time. I am going to get him out of my heart and my head because I can't stand any more." Cecilia says that she is sorry to see Marisela so sad. Marisela says that she isn't going to be sad any more. She is going to forget Santos. Cecilia asks what Marisela is going to do to forget Santos. "They say, like cures like ('un clavo saca a otro clavo,' literally, 'one nail drives out another nail'). That is what I am going to do, find another nail. Even though I am dying inside, I am going to fall in love with Gonzalo and marry him."


DB is scornful of Santos' decision and says that Marisela is barely civilized. She accuses him of trying to civilize everything he touches and turning her into the "Saint of the Arauca." Santos says all he wants to do is love her and they kiss.



BP tells Danger that under the influence of Santos, DB has changed. He says that he doesn't care that she has thrown him out of her bed. He is sticking around to see her fall.

After sex, DB tells Santos that she hopes they made a baby. Santos asks why DB is so obsessed with having a baby. He says that his concern about her having a baby is because of DB's daughter, Marisela. DB is angry that Santos has brought up Marisela again and forbids him to mention her name when they are in this room. Santos is furious. He accuses DB of being jealous of Marisela. He tells her that she can't tell him what to do or threaten him. He leaves her room. They continue their argument out in the living room where everyone in the house (except Andres) comes out to see what's going on. DB chases them away asking if they have never seen a couple fighting.

Antonio comes to DE's hacienda, which is called Chaparral. DE introduces a new babe into the picture, his daughter, Lucia.


The next morning, Eustaquia tells DB that Santos is taking a shower. She goes to see him. He asks what she is going to forbid him to do now? to breathe? to think? to live?

She doesn't reply but starts to take off her clothes. Santos says that she can't manipulate him. She steps into the show and starts to kiss him. (They have really big bathrooms on these novelas!)
Santos says that she can't tell him not to do things.

Lucia shows Antonio his room. She says that she went to a boarding school in San Fernando after her father remarried. Antonio asks if she is going to the university and Lucia says no. She likes life in the country.

Gonzalo, Cósme and Eustaquia gossip about DB and Santos at the breakfast table and wonder if they are still fighting. Then the couple in question come in all smiles. Santos apologizes for what happened the previous night and says that it won't happen again. He is going to San Fernando for a couple of days.

Josefina wishes that Andres would wake up. She says that he has been saved by a miracle. She puts the poem that he wrote to her in his hand and says that she has read it a million times. Andres wakes up and says that he will write her many more.

DE tells Antonio that he is going to San Fernando for a couple of days for the meeting of the cattlemen's association that Santos organized. DE tells Antonio that he understands how difficult it was for him to decide to come to Chaparral when Santos asked him to return to Altamira. He says that he appreciates someone who can make difficult decisions and that is what he needs at his hacienda.

Lorenzo questions Santos' decision to put Marisela in charge of Altamira. Santos says that the only way for her to learn is to try to do things. Lorenzo agrees. Santos says that she needs to learn these things to be able to run El Miedo when DB gives it to her. "You don't really believe that DB is going to give the hacienda to Marisela, do you Santos?" says Lorenzo. Santos replies that Lorenzo should trust him. Lorenzo says that when he sees DB give the hacienda to Marisela, then he will believe.

Marisela comes in and Santos tells her that he is putting her in charge of Altamira when he is away. Marisela isn't sure and asks what if she makes a mistake. Santos says that he has confidence in her and that it is only two days. He calls her the "doña and señora of Altamira" while JP listens from up in a tree.

Leon and Tigre watch Josefina and Melesia lustfully. Eustaquia tells the vaqueros to get lost and tells the terneras to stay out of the way - the men are in heat (en celo).

Santos and Don Encarnación meet in the hotel in Progresso before leaving for San Fernando. Pernalete asks Mujiquita where they are going. Mujiquita tells him about the meeting of the cattlemen in San Fernando. Pernalete says that he will let the authorities in San Fernando know about the meeting.

The vaqueros come to see Marisela for their instructions. She asks each one what they normally do and tells them to go do it. After they leave, Gonzalo arrives at Altamira having ridden over from El Miedo. Marisela says that it is dangerous to come to Altamira but Gonzalo says that he is dying to see her. She has bewitched him. Marisela tells him that the only witch around here is the mistress of El Miedo. Gonzalo says that Marisela has used good witchcraft but she says witchcraft is witchcraft no matter where it is used and she doesn’t want to hear about it from him anymore. Gonzalo says that he likes it when she abuses him.

Back at El Miedo, Juan Primito tells Eustaquia that Santos has said that from now on, Marisela is the mistress of Altamira. DB overhears and is furious. She gets on her horse and heads for Altamira with her vaqueros and Melquiades, “to get back what is mine.”

Pajarote is in Progresso buying supplies for Altamira. He is waylaid by Federica who says that she is lonely and bored. Pajarote has no problem with entertaining her.

Antonio sees BP riding through DE’s lands.

Gonzalo is following Marisela around. She pretends to be irritated that he won’t do any work. She tells him to put a bucket on his head and he does so asking what he has to do to tell her that is crazy about her and if she doesn’t say yes to him, he won’t leave her alone. She pretends to say yes and then takes it back.


Santos convenes the meeting of the cattlemen's association. He introduces the engineer who has investigated what would be involved in bringing a highway to Progresso. Nestor, the newspaper reporter is at the meeting.

Marisela tells Gonzalo that he can be useful. "That's what you want, right? to be useful?" She tells him to teach her how to do accounting. "Where should I begin?" asks Gonzalo. "Where do you think?" Marisela says sarcastically, "at the beginning." Cecilia and Lorenzo watch them. (Gonzalo gets a good view of some of Marisela's 'assets'.)

Federica asks Pajarote to stay after they have sex. She says that Antonio will be angry when he finds out that the baby she is carrying his his. Pajarote leaps to his feet in surprise.

DE's daughter, Lucia, decides to bathe naked under some kind of a waterfall or fountain. BP is watching and he is really doing the thing he does with his tongue that is so repulsive.
He starts to advance on Lucia but Antonio comes up behind him and asks what BP thinks he is doing.

Melendez and the secret police come into the meeting. He introduces himself to the attendees and says that he has something important to tell them.

DB and her entourage come to Altamira. Marisela asks what she wants. She replies that she wants to take the reins of her property. "The only master (dueña) and señora of Altamira is me, Doña Bárbara."

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Comments:
Thanks, Jean. Another interesting episode. DB's jealousy of her daughter has caused her to commit "una locura". Right after she and Santos quarrel when she tries to order him not to speak of Marisela in their bedroom, and then make up in the shower, she goes ballistic at Juan Primito's revelation about Marisela being in charge of Altamira.

I had a pang when I saw Antonio's jaw dropped reaction to the introduction of the Lucia character. I still hope for he and Cecilia to get together again, whether before or after the birth of their child.

The guy playing Melendez is doing a good job. I thoroughly hate him, and find myself wishing DB would get her hands on him!
 

I think the 'old' DB would have done something to make it look like Marisela hadn't done a good job of running the hacienda or that her being in charge had actually caused problems. But jealousy seems to have made DB lose her mind. There's no other explanation for what she did and what how she must have known that Santos would react.

I still have confidence that Antonio and Cecilia will eventually get together. They played out about everything they could between him and Federica so I guess they had to introduce a new possible love interest.

I wonder if we are going to have a revolution? Just killing Melendez isn't going to stop the persecution of the rebels.
 

Great job, Jean! I think DB's lack of self esteem has reached a new low. She lost all self control in her struggle to manipulate the situation. Her jealousy and poor treatment of Marisela is truly despicable. She's met her match with Melendez and that'll be quite a battle. I'm wondering what's going on with the rest of the country. Are the other folks preparing for a revolution? Maybe this is going to be the spark which sets off the revolution...
jb
 

Interesting question about the revolution. I've only finished Part 1 of the novel, and there's nothing about the insurgents yet, much less the reappearance of Doña Bárbara's rapists.

But the edition of the novel we're reading in my class has a long and detailed introduction. It says that Gallegos was born into a middle class family, a very religious and conservative one. When he went to university to study law in 1905, he encountered an environment very different from that of his family. The university was a hotbed of freethinkers. He took up with four friends, all idealists believing they could change the world. Gallegos' first writing was non-fiction and was published in a magazine the five friends created, called La Alborada. It only had eight issues and had to be discontinued because of government pressure.
 

Novelera thanks, so interesting! I've gotten the feeling all along that this struggle between good and bad is about more than just Santos and Barbara...
jb
 

Thanks Jean! I am very curious to see the evolution of this triangle DB-Santos-Marisela!I have read the book which inspired the novela and I have the impression that the conflict between barbarity and civilization is transgressed from the ideated plan to the affective one - Santos fall in love with Barbara and he will struggle to escape this unhealthy and unsatisfactory relation until the end (my guess). Thank you again for your abstracts they ar wonderful!
 

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