“Nada” by Carmen Laforet had me questioning if this was the craziest, yet oddly realistic, family I have ever read about. Aside from all the comments about the women in the book acting like animals, from the grandmother or men, I still could not understand why Andrea bothered to stay so long in this family (for simply being human). I could see why Gloria was having trouble leaving, because of the abusive relationship she was in with her husband, Juan. I will almost always support reasons as to why women act in a certain way; we are typically logical and reasonable beings, although there is no excuse for not leaving, especially when your baby was attempted to be murdered by the father two times (that I’ve counted). The grandmother was another annoying character with her Christian morals and it often aligned with only her daughter and daughter-in-laws, and never for the sons, Roman and Juan. For instance, when Andrea wanted to go to Barcelona, she was told to remain an “innocent, Christian girl” and to only study. I don’t mean that it is not a valid moral, but it is the fact that the grandmother ignores and rather praises her sons who cheat on their wives with their brother’s wife. The book makes us believe that the grandmother is the only loving person in the house, but she uses her ‘love’ (Christian phrases) to control the women in the house. The same goes for Aunt Augustian, but she is just a lot more direct with the control, especially with shaming Andrea for being an orphan and Gloria for being a bad wife. On that note, Juan also shames Gloria. For example, there is a moment in the book where Juan uses a glass object to try to hit Gloria with it, but cuts the baby’s hand. Juan then puts the blame on Gloria for being an awful mother. Seemingly, it shows how the men are never held responsible for their horrible actions. This book has similar themes for showing the sufferings women go through because of men, especially during, before, and a bit after a particular war in a country. These situations still speak for what some women go through even today, like unfortunately being in abusive relationships. Andrea even says her family members are like “ghostly women.” The level of poverty in the home made these horrible conditions even worse for the women. As they were allowed to take a limited amount of showers and eat less food, according to the orders of the Aunt, mostly.
My question is: Do you think this story was based on a true story of a family?
Adia,
Thank you for your blog post. I think there is a sense of city breaking the innocence in a way. You also made a good point when commenting on the itnergenerational dynamics!
From a psychological viewpoint, poverty does increase risks of mental illnesses and decrease confidence levels in one’s ability to succeed on their own (which in turn leads to worse physical and mental health). The fact that the book takes place in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War doesn’t help matters considering there would be families who were once wealthy now having to struggle with this issue. Overall, there would be a hopeless atmosphere – and people would be more likely to lash out towards each other (especially if they have to spend time with each other unwillingly all day). So yes, it is possible that the story could be based off of a real family.
Hello! I do not necessarily think it was entirely inspired by a real family but through some research, it is said some of the events in the novel are inspired by the authors life. To touch on some of the points you have discussed I also found myself getting angry at the treatment of women. The misogyny displayed by almost all the characters was frustrating to read. Although, it did provide some insight into the lives of women during that time. It was very telling that the most violent and destructive characters were the men, but at the same time, were the only characters who’s actions were excused by others (mostly the grandmother). The grandmother was definitely annoying at some points, but I do think she loved everyone including her daughters and Gloria in some weird way.
Hi Adia,
I enjoyed reading your blog post and found you touched on some interesting points. I agree with you on the idea that the the grandmother was annoying at some points due to her actions. She seemed to protect the men when their behaviour was horrible and not acceptable. I did not know how to feel about the grandmother as she displayed this toxicity but also seemed loving and caring towards everyone.
“the men are never held responsible for their horrible actions.”
Yes. Though I wonder what you thought of Román’s suicide. Even Andrea, I think, is by the end somewhat sympathetic towards him… to what he could have been, but the promise that he never fulfilled.
hello,
to answer your question I think the idea that unresolved tension and financial distress can cause chaos and calamity in a family and cause irreparable dysfunction is very true. However, I do think Roman’s character does add some dramatized elements to this story which I think are more fantastical in nature.
Hi Adia!
In response to your question, I don’t think this story is actually representing a family, I think it is more so representing how one’s attitude and outlook on life can be altered based on the circumstances and environment at the time. I also think it’s interesting to see how this possibly affects Andrea over time as she is exposed to her poor and unpleasant home, but also experiences a more lavish lifestyle with her friendship with Ena.
– Ava