The Hour of the Star

Macabéa loves to listen to her roommate’s clock radio. She develops a habit of turning it on low every morning and listening to the broadcasts of the time, the sounds of dripping water, and the regular ad programming. This station is her favorite “because also amongst the drops of time it [gives] short teachings about things she might one day need to know” (29). From her regular listening sessions, Macabéa learns about an array of topics relating to culture, history, art, and civilization. She doesn’t know whether she’ll ever find “any use for this information” (29) but values it because she thinks it might be relevant to her or her life someday. Later in the novel, Macabéa starts relaying the things she hears and learns about on the clock radio to Olímpico when they start dating. The radio has granted her access to understanding her world and therefore to relating to others. Macabéa isn’t an intellectual but delights in educating herself and in making new discoveries. The radio is a tool for her to do so, and it connects her to the world beyond her insular life in Rio de Janeiro. Thus, the radio symbolizes truth and understanding.