"Tropic of Capricorn" was written by Henry Miller and published in 1939. It is written in first person in past tense. It is the story of a New Yorker in charge of hiring people for Cosmococcus Telegraph Company. His sexual stories are a metaphor of his world vision. The city, the buildings and his thoughts lead him to become a writer, a great admirer of Paris art stream.
The cold spirit of the main character is revealed when he speaks about an friend of his chilhood. Actually, his best friend; he fell sick. The 12 year old protagnist understood the best for him was dying; hence, he decided to stop inquiring about his health, forgetting him and avoiding suffering.
Dedicated to his job, he avoided holidays. Determined to disappear Horatio Alger from American mind he decides to write in the resting time. However, American routines distort his peace: reading newspaper and going to work. Usually he dreams with his eyes wide open: he imagines himself as a cowboy in Texas, sometimes he thinks about the ovaries of Hymie's wife.
Conversations with his friends and collegues are mainly about sex experiences. One of them is Mac Gregor. Once he told Miller about his experience having sex with a crazy woman, Arline. She was absent, she enjoyed and thanked for it. After uniting their bodies, she prayed for his soul.
His memories of chilhood sometimes were breathtaking. Once, he visited his aunt Caroline. When playing with his cousin Gene, a battle started. They must prove other boys they brave and rude. Henry threw a rock and boy fell on the floor. The cops arrived and realized he was dead.
While telling his experiences one watch some features of American cultura that are taboo. For example, he had a collegue called Valesha who was biracial. Because of that she was rejected in their job. He defended her. They had an affair.
It is particular of his prose that cunts have personality. For example, Veronica's is a talking cunt. Other are universe, soft, bright, deep or cannibal.
The event that divided his life was when he read Dostoievski. The Russian writer waas the first man to open his soul to Miller.
The cold man, free of feelings start to reveal how he loved Una, a jewish girl. For any reason instead of asking her to marry him he invented a story about leaving to live in California. They loved each other but he decided to leave. He left deeply alone. No just because he had lost his loved Una, also because he had realized about literature world, he was the only one in the world with that new perception.
His position about religion is clear when he explains his experience with Agnes. Playing with Frances in the water he meets Agnes, an Irish Catholic girl. It started to rain and the lighting of sky did not stop. Agnes started praying because they were frightened. Henry started to dance and to speak against God, Jesus and religion. She cryed, she escaped, she astonished. In order to relax her, he apologized and said nice things of religion. And he was able to have sex with her.
After he knows about Dadaist and French movement, Miller realizes about his role in writing world. He has discovered America, he has become a Dadaist, a Surrealist.
What I liked about the story was astrology quotes.
It was quite complicated for me. I am a Spanish speaker. His literature quotes sex and metaphors to explain his way to understand the world.
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