The Clan of the Cave Bear
The Clan of the Cave Bear is the first book by the famous American author Jean Marie Auel. Published in 1980, it is a prehistoric fiction novel, set in the Paleolithic era of the European continent. With this first work the saga began: Children of the earth, which has sold millions of copies around the world.
The narrative presents the childhood and adolescence of the protagonist of the series, Ayla, who from a very young age has stayed orphan, due to that his tribe succumbed to A natural disaster. Between the lines, it is described how the little girl grows up in a hostile environment, very different from the environment she used to. In 1986, the play was adapted into a film by Michael Chapman, starring Daryl Hannah.
Summary of The Clan of the Cave Bear (1980)
Ayla she is a girl of 5 years of Cro-Magnon origin, who wanders through a land destitute due to a terrible earthquake. Her walk in search of the place where she lived - which has disappeared along with her tribe - leads her to unknown and extremely dangerous areas. Suddenly, is rammed by a huge cave lion that leaves her dying from serious injuries.
On the other hand, the shaking also caused damage a another group of primitive men, neanderthals, who belonged to Cave Bear Clan. They had to leave their caves, claiming that they had been possessed by a curse of evil spirits. As they fled they found the wounded girl, and immediately, Iza - the healer - tries to save her.
Creb, the mog-ur (shaman) of the clan, notices that the little girl has marked your skin with it totem emblem, which for them is a symbol of power. Everyone notices how different Ayla is; they are robust and strong, while she is slim and fair complexion. This causes conflicting opinions in the clan, who are debating whether to continue the path with her, or abandon her to fate.
Despite the confrontations, Iza convinces Brun, the group leader, to take the girl with him, alluding - in part - that she will be under his charge. From there, Ayla will grow up in an environment very different from her own, since her tribe was one link higher in evolution. The young woman has great intelligence and skill with weapons, in addition to communicating by emitting sounds, something frowned upon among Neanderthals.
Despite the constant rejection by the clan, Ayla will live in an incessant search for acceptance. To help your integration, Iza teaches her her knowledge as a healer, which he assimilates quickly, but which he cannot exercise because he does not have the: “memory of the clan”.
This young woman will go through many vicissitudes, but she will be able to overcome them thanks to her strong spirit, as she is protected by the cave lion totem.
Analysis of The Clan of the Cave Bear (1980)
Modular
It's a novel belonging to the genus historical fiction, which takes place in the Crimean Peninsula, located on the European continent. The book features 560 pages, Divided into 28 short chapters, told by an omniscient third-person narrator. Throughout the plot, the interrelation between two prehistoric tribes is described "Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons."
Characters
Ayla
She is a girl of Cro-Magnon descent and barely 5 years oldWho she is the only survivor of her ethnic group. She is he main character, both of this book and of the entire saga. The author describes her as a blonde girl with blue eyes; common traits in their lineage.
Iza
She is the Clan healer of the cave bear, and who takes care of Ayla since they find her badly wounded. Little by little, she will consider the little Cro-Magnon as one more daughter, so she will try to help her so that the other members of her ethnic group accept her.
Creb
It is the shaman - or mog-ur - of the Neanderthal nomads, who is also Iza's brother. He is crippled. Together with her sister, they will take care of Ayla, so she contributes to the upbringing of the young woman.
Other characters
Within the narration, very varied characters are included, among which stand out: Brun (the head of the clan) and Broud (Brun's son). Other names also stand out, such as Uba, Who daughter Iza and will end up growing up as Ayla's sister. The story will reveal the names of other characters such as: Aba and Durc, who are very important in the life of the protagonist.
Accurate representations
Despite being a fictional plot, the literata delves into reliable details on these subspecies of the genus homo, which have been documented by paleontologists for years. Hence, the text presents many historical and informative aspects of these two races, among them: their hunting techniques, customs, as well as detailed descriptions about their physical traits.
Opinions of the novel
The Clan of the Cave Bear has had millions of readers around the world, only in the web its acceptance percentage exceeds 90%. Many consider it as: "The most beautiful prehistoric saga ever told". For its part, on the Amazon platform this text has a rating of 4,5 / 5; where more than 70% gave 5 stars to the book, and only 6% valued it with 3 or less.
Biography of the author
Jean Marie Untinen was born in Chicago (Illinois) on February 18, 1936. She is the second daughter of an American couple with Finnish descent; his mother: Martha Wirtanen; and his father: Neil Solomon Untinen, a house painter. In 1954, she married Ray Bernard Auel and seven years later they already had a large family group with seven members, the couple and their Five sons.
Thanks to his high IQ, he joined Mensa, an international association of the gifted. After finishing high school at night, he studied at Portland State University and the University of Portland. He received two honors degrees from Mt. Vernon College and the University of Maine. At the age of 40, he obtained an MBA from the University of Portland.
Literary race
At the end of university, Jean Marie decided to dabble in literature, for this he began an investigative process on the Ice Age. After a long time of bibliographic documentation on prehistory and several survival courses, he decided to create an entire saga, instead of a single book. The first installment was: The Clan of the Cave Bear (1980), which became a resounding success.
Henceforth, the American literary published 5 sequels to complete the series, which he titled: Children of the earth. These novels are set in prehistoric Europe, which describe the evolution of two races of men: Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, as well as their possible interaction. It is estimated that more than 45 million copies have been sold worldwide.
Jean Marie Auel books
- Saga Children of the earth
- The Clan of the Cave Bear (1980)
- The valley of the horses (1982)
- The Mammoth Hunters (1985)
- Plains of Transit (1990)
- The stone shelters (2002)
- The land of pinted caves (2011)