The Hour of the Star

The novel is written from the first-person point of view of the narrator, Rodrigo S. M. Although Rodrigo’s first-person perspective initially appears traditional, his narrative voice consistently subverts conventional formal expectations. In one sense, Rodrigo’s point of view is unique because he vacillates between tonal extremes; for example, in one passage he waxes eloquent on the creation of the universe, while in another he complains about the bags under his eyes or lapses into sardonic commentary (for instance, about “the most popular soft drink in the world” [15] that is sponsoring the writing of Macabéa’s story, meaning that he is drinking Coca-Cola while writing). These tonal extremes cast Rodrigo as an unfocused, unreliable, and mercurial narrator. He occasionally breaks the fourth wall and employs the first-person direct address, thus speaking directly to his imagined readers. Such moments grant his narration an intimate, vulnerable, and confessional tenor. However, this effect is fleeting, in that Rodrigo always reverts back to his more esoteric thought processes. Therefore, his narration is as uncertain and ungrounded as his inner world. He can make no more sense of himself or his beliefs about life than he can of his writing.

Rodrigo’s first-person perspective is distinct because he has an intimate relationship with Macabéa, the protagonist of the story he’s writing throughout the novel. His first-person narration therefore grants access to his creative process since he consistently remarks on his feelings for Macabéa and her unfolding story while actively fabricating her story. This formal dynamic casts the work as a meta-narrative and therefore enacts the novel’s subtextual commentaries on the purpose of art and the artist’s role in creating meaning.