The Practical Mysticism of Clarice Lispector's Uma Aprendizagem ou o Livro dos Prazeres

Abstract

I n her fiction Clarice Lispector echoes the concerns of Jean-Paul Sartre, Albert Camus and other existentialist writers. Briefly stated, existentialism refers to the notion that life has meaning only as a person participates fully in it by taking complete responsibility for his own existence and creating himself. Man becomes aware of the true meaning of existence only after he experiences nausea and comes to grips with the discovery of his fundamental freedom. Unleashed through the contemplation of animate and inanimate things in nature, nausea is the violent form of anguish that occurs when man recognizes the disparity between the existence of things and himself, when he recognizes what Camus calls absurdity. Unlike man, things are complete in themselvesthey act according to a predetermined plan and can exist without human presence in the world. Because man's existence is not predetermined-if he chooses to ignore the dictates of society, God or any other authority, he may do so--he seems to be a superfluous being both in the physical world and to himself.' As man reflects on the absence of any apparent meaning in his life, he comes to an awareness of his fundamental freedom. According to Sartre, this freedom is both a blessing and a curse: it not only liberates man from the notion that his existence is predetermined, but also forces him to take absolute responsibility for whatever choices he makes. Faced with this awesome charge, man often wishes to ignore revelations of the human condition and continue living without making any choice. Or he may go to a hedonistic extreme and revel in his freedom. While these avenues are tempting to the Sartrean hero, he chooses instead to acknowledge life's absurdity and use his anguish to create his life (HB, pp. 173, 176). As Clarice's protagonists experience nausea and discover man's freedom they too must make choices. Those made by Martim in A MaCd no Escuro (1961), G.H. in A Paixdo Segundo G.H. (1964) and L6ri in UmaAprendizagem ou 0 Livro dos Prazeres (1969) are representative of her characters' reactions to the existential challenge. Martim's nausea occurs as his senses are assaulted by the sights and smells of a barnyard where he has taken refuge to escape the consequences of the apparent murder of his wife. Although initially it seems that he is using his freedom to create himself, it later becomes clear that he has made the wrong choice. Viewing his supposed crime as a heroic act of liberation from the conventions of society, he begins to believe that he is destined to play an important role among men. But his refusal to take responsibility for his act presupposes the failure of his quest.2 G.H.'s nausea occurs as she contemplates a cockroach that she has just crushed in a closet door. Quickly succumbing to the lure of freedom and reveling hedonistically in what proves to be absurdity, her quest fails because she refuses really to make any choice. She seeks refuge from the world, the setting in which she must learn to act if she is to become an authentic individual.3 L6ri's nausea, which is somewhat different from Martim's and G.H.'s reactions, occurs in the middle of her performance of some domestic tasks. The routine of her daily existence is broken as she experiences a pain so acute that it wracks her whole body with silent sobs. It is out of the prolonged anguish that follows this pain that L6ri slowly overcomes her indifference to life's pleasure and pain and