Holly blog post #1 - About the setting
Thinking about the setting, I noticed the author does not bluntly tell you the location. This might drag out because Farmer wants the reader to make certain connections with today's society and characteristics with the book's. I think that because of the line “I didn’t think anybody was allowed to live in the opium fields” on page 9 of the book implies that the location is quite possibly in Mexico. To further support this theory, the names Celia, Alacran, and El Patron are all Spanish names. Also, on page 7 it says “Matt could read - both English and Spanish. In fact, he and Celia mixed the two languages together, but it didn’t matter. They understood each other.” which could be because Celia is employed by English people at “The Big House”.
In the beginning of the book, it describes the creation of a clone. Not specifically Matt, but that may have been implied. “‘The cells were frozen over a hundred years ago. They can’t be as healthy as samples taken yesterday.’” Said by Lisa, Page 3. This implies that this technology is very advanced, and that perhaps the idea of clones had arisen hundreds of years ago. This leads me to believe that this book is set in a future setting. I think that Farmer intentionally put this at the beginning of the book to firstly, capture the reader's attention, and to set in the idea of these certain clones being unique. In chapter 4 the doctor says "You should have called me at once. It's my my job to make sure it stays healthy." which tells us he knows something that the others don't. In the family tree, it does it says El Patron's former family was unknown, and that his siblings had died young. I find this rather suspicious and very interesting. If Matt is El Patron's clone, he has the same name, and in the beginning of the book it talks about how the Matteo Alacran clones are not fixed, meaning their intelligence is left intact. Is El Patron a clone as well?
So far, this book is almost forcing you to inquire about what might be going on. For example, on page 4, it says “‘Don’t fix that one,’ said Lisa hastily catching his arm. ‘It’s a Matteo Alacran. They’re always left intact.’” which begs the question, why? What is so special about those clones? There is obviously more than one "Matteo Alacran". He is locked inside of Celia’s house, and “He had been warned by Celia never, never to show himself at the window.” meaning that he was intended to be kept hidden. This may explain why all the maids, the doctor, and the big man was so disgusted when they found out Matt was a clone, also that they expected him to be brain dead. That might have been what Lisa was referring to as “fix” in the beginning. All the people in The Big House were considering Matt as an animal, "'Don't,' said Emilia. The seriousness in her voice made the little girl pause. 'Matt's a clone. You mustn't go near it.'" Although, the doctor had second thoughts about Matt on page 43, "'It' a sullen, evil-tempered animal,' she said. The doctor sighed. 'Clones go that way in the end. I did think this one was brighter than most.'" Why would the doctor think Matt was brighter than most clones?
In the beginning of the book, it describes the creation of a clone. Not specifically Matt, but that may have been implied. “‘The cells were frozen over a hundred years ago. They can’t be as healthy as samples taken yesterday.’” Said by Lisa, Page 3. This implies that this technology is very advanced, and that perhaps the idea of clones had arisen hundreds of years ago. This leads me to believe that this book is set in a future setting. I think that Farmer intentionally put this at the beginning of the book to firstly, capture the reader's attention, and to set in the idea of these certain clones being unique. In chapter 4 the doctor says "You should have called me at once. It's my my job to make sure it stays healthy." which tells us he knows something that the others don't. In the family tree, it does it says El Patron's former family was unknown, and that his siblings had died young. I find this rather suspicious and very interesting. If Matt is El Patron's clone, he has the same name, and in the beginning of the book it talks about how the Matteo Alacran clones are not fixed, meaning their intelligence is left intact. Is El Patron a clone as well?
So far, this book is almost forcing you to inquire about what might be going on. For example, on page 4, it says “‘Don’t fix that one,’ said Lisa hastily catching his arm. ‘It’s a Matteo Alacran. They’re always left intact.’” which begs the question, why? What is so special about those clones? There is obviously more than one "Matteo Alacran". He is locked inside of Celia’s house, and “He had been warned by Celia never, never to show himself at the window.” meaning that he was intended to be kept hidden. This may explain why all the maids, the doctor, and the big man was so disgusted when they found out Matt was a clone, also that they expected him to be brain dead. That might have been what Lisa was referring to as “fix” in the beginning. All the people in The Big House were considering Matt as an animal, "'Don't,' said Emilia. The seriousness in her voice made the little girl pause. 'Matt's a clone. You mustn't go near it.'" Although, the doctor had second thoughts about Matt on page 43, "'It' a sullen, evil-tempered animal,' she said. The doctor sighed. 'Clones go that way in the end. I did think this one was brighter than most.'" Why would the doctor think Matt was brighter than most clones?
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