Lenora Carrington’s The Hearing Trumpet, has been very entertaining to read to say the least. Initially I had to look up what a hearing trumpet was before I even began to understand the possible metaphorical meanings that the trumpet could hold. I found that it is the equivalent of today’s hearing aid. It is interesting to think about the possibilities that Mariam has because she now has the ear trumpet. The hearing trumpet provides a fascinating metaphor for the power that Mariam is able to have because of it.
In the first section of the book, the trumpet is a tool that enables her senses and knowledge that Mariam would have otherwise not have known. One may argue that she uses the trumpet to spy on her family, but really it’s her curiosity that she is trying to fulfill. She also doesn’t have great hearing to begin with, so why not try on her family? The trumpet provides her with the ability to gain knowledge about her future. This otherwise would have not happened unless she had the trumpet. This also happens when she goes to the “institution” and she is overhearing on one of her companions. This is another opportunity to play with her curiosity and avail herself to the “hearing” world.
The hearing trumpet becomes the metaphor of Miriam’s ability to exercise her full abilities as a human being. With age comes the decline in health and self-sufficiency. We see that Miriam is very self-sufficient because she is always in her yard, taking care of her cats, and is able to bathe herself. The point of view of her family becomes alarming because they see her completely different as she sees herself. The trumpet gives her the ability to also see what others are thinking about her as well.
As Ruth has mentioned in her chapter, I found myself laughing through this as well. Miriam’s point of view is funny and also at times very sassy. I was interested in other parts of the story such as the setting because it is never really clear where Miriam is in the books. The thing that took me about is the language about “Indians” and the agave plants. It made me think of a place such as New Mexico or Arizona. There is much more to be said about Carrington’s humorous writing, but for now it is the trumpet that is an overall symbol that caught my attention.
Coming to Age 