Uses of Time in Aura

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In Aura, there is a distinct blending between times among the era in the novel. The references to the past in this “present” date and time are almost overwhelming, and help to blur the lines between the love story of Conseulo and General Llorente or Aura and Felipe. Felipe is a historian, and seems uninterested in his current life and the situation of the outside world. When traveling to Donceles 815, he glances back, and “… you give one last look over your shoulder, frowning at the long line of stalled cars that growl, honk, and belch out unhealthy fumes of their impatience,” thus proving his distaste for the present day for him (9). He goes to the street with the colonial houses, which effectively is like traveling back in time for him, with the entrance into Donceles 815, as being the portal from which he does not return. Furthermore, the use of the strange herbs and potions Conseulo uses is also a contrast to the norm of the rest of the developing world which again offers insight into the “old world” of the old colonial mansion. The use of the memoirs and the actual historical data found within them also help to push along this sense that we have traveled back in time to witness the reunion of the couple.