BA# 5
The Albanian Virgin
When I first read the story I did not really assume any connection between Lottar and Charlotte to begin with, however to think that women so sick in the hospital could come up with such a story seems hard to believe unless of course it is a story of herself. I also feel that the way they did not reveal Lottar's real name when in Maltsia e madhe, makes it seem more likely that her real name could have been Charlotte. The names Charlotte and Lottar even look alike, and for someone speaking a different language who cannot pronounce Charlotte, may shorten it to Lotte or Lottar. I feel that whether or not the two are connected is a secret and one that is quite relevant to the story.
I also was questioning where Charlotte and Gjurdhi may have gone after Charlotte was checked out of the hospital. Maybe it is possible that, if Charlotte is Lottar, they disappeared back to Maltsia e Madhe because Charlotte felt that going back might be helpful in her illness or at least comforting for her. I also thought it could be possible that Gjurdhi is really the Priest in the sorty and that is how they met. On the last page of the story Lottar is calling out for the Priest as she is being taken away by the British consul. I feel that while in Maltsia e Madhe, maybe Lottar and the Priest started a relationship more than the reader is aware of and they continued it after Lottar was rescued and going back there after Charlotte is checked out of the hospital may be in order to bring Charlotte back to a time of her life that was meaningful during her illness. Where they dissapeared off too is another secret that makes reading this story more interesting as well.
This story really has alot of layers that make the reader question what is happening and why. Who are Charlotte and Lottar, are they the same person? Where did Charlotte and Gjurdhi go? All of these secrets make the story much more interesting to read, and trying to peice them together after reading it can help the reader make a more meaningful connection than if all the answers were just laid out for them through-out the story.
4 comments:
I agree with you on how Gjurdhi could be the Priest and Charlotte could be Lottar. For example on page 97 when Gjurdhi walks in the bookstore and has his crucifix and Claire sees it...it almost seems like the same crucifix that he had when he and Lottar first incounter each on page 82. I also agree with you on how Lottar and the Priest wanted to be together I think that's why he took her to the Bishop instead of back to Kula...
I agree with Mande's post. I too noticed that the names CharLOTTE and LOTTar have a connection. In class we were discussing how all the characters connected in the story.
When I first read the story, I was quite confused at what the point of the story was, perhaps because of so many secrets. As with many of the stories in Open Secrets, many questions are left unanswered. I feel like the point to the Albanian Virgin, along with the other stories, is to create your own endings, thoughts and opinions.
It reminds me of those books in which you would choose what happens next, for example it would say "If you walk through the door, go to page 8. If you use the phone, go to page 55." etc. It seems almost as if the story is more up to us, as readers, than to the author.
We are never told if there is actually a connection between Lottar and Charlotte, we are never told where Charlotte and Gjurdhi go to, we are never told in detail the relationship between the priest and lottar and if the priest may be Gjurdhi, we are never told why Nelson returns,etc.
All of these secrets need to be thought about and "answered" by the reader to make the story a more interesting read.
I agree with what everyone seems ot be saying. First off that all of these short stories in open secrets seem to be completley unsatisfying. It's like there are too many secrets, and you need to do all the work. I personally get disappointed with stories like this, but when you take the time to really try and figure out what the connections could be or if there are any underlying hidden clues it gets interesting, and you are able to really have you're own point of view on the stories. I also agree with what everyone said about the connection between Charlotte and Lottar. Kasandra's example was a really good one, i noticed that too, and i think the little things like that really keep these stories interesting. But all together i definently agree with what everyone else seems to be saying about there being so many secrets in this short story and the connection between Charlotte and Lottar.
I thought the secrets in this novel were pretty self explanatory they seemed to have just jumped out of the book. Whether it because we are being trained to look for those connections or whether the author made it very simple to find them. It came to me the instant that the author said that Gjurdhi was wearing a crucifix and that Charlotte ran away again, the connection between the Priest, Lottar, Charlotte, and Gjurdhi became obvious. So i completely agree with everyone when they say that Charlotte was Lottar and Gjurdhi was the Priest.
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