Aura and the Second Person

Throughout the novel, we are constantly brought into the narrative. For example, when Felipe looks at himself in the bathroom, the narrative switches and describes Felipe's attributes as the reader's own attributes. However, I believe that there is a clear line between accommodating Felipe's personality as our own and his unreliable thoughts and narrative. As a reader, we can still pick up on foreshadowing clues (like the nightmare he has which ties into the ending) and when we've already pieced the mystery behind Aura together, we become frustrated with Felipe's obliviousness.

Although Felipe constantly denies the surreal elements around him to the reader's frustration, I find that how Fuentes uses the element of authorial resistance is a reflection of human character, particularly when things of great interested are present. In Felipe's case, this is the money he is receiving for the job and his infatuation with Aura. He dismisses the creepier elements of the house because he has his own incentives and personal motives that require him to remain in the house. Perhaps it is also a comment about how we try to make the best out of bleak situations, especially when we know that there is an eventual benefit. For example, having a bad day at work can be remedied by the fact we can leave and go home and still get paid for working through a horrible day. Perhaps then, Felipe's character is a reflection of perseverance in humans.