At first glance, the title “The Time of the Doves” immediately reminded me of peace, hope, and freedom; however, having read the novel, I find this contrary to what Natalia endures in reality as she unfolds a feminine perspective of the Spanish Civil War, and the effects it had on her life. I view Natalia’s relationship with Quimet as a strong indicator of her constraint, just like the consistent imagery of how the doves are caged. Quimet is portrayed as a dominant and manipulative man who imposes his desires on Natalia. Rodoreda writes, “He called me Colometa, his little dove… and when I said my name was Natalia he kept laughing and said I could have only one name: Colometa” (18). In this sentence, the idea of doves parallelizes with the title and perhaps shows how in the eyes of Quimet, Natalia will always remain a “little dove”, which is something to be possessed and controlled.

I noticed there were multiple biblical references as well as the imagery of nature, which I think are connected to Quimet’s dominance in the household. Rodoreda writes, “He talked about Adam and Eve, and how woman was made from man’s rib… Because Adam, who was the father of all men, desired only the good” (40). Quimet emphasizes the causal principle of women, and how their existence is contingent on men, hence women’s compliance to men. Biblical references help Quimet reinforce the centrality of his doctrine as he has a preconceived plan for their lives, with Quimet being the carpenter and Natalia being the caregiver. In this way, Quimet parallelizes religion and the idea of singularity with his beliefs, thinking that his ideas are the sacred way to be obliged, just like biblical teachings.

At the same time, I was also a bit confused about the dynamics of their relationship because it seemed to me that Natalia yielded to Quimet’s psychological abuse and authority, even after his death. When Quimet refuses to apologize for his tardiness and claims that he has seen Natalia with Pere, her former fiance, Natalia displays passivity and obedience by adhering to his manipulation, leading her into thinking that she has truly gone out with Pere. Moreover, after Quimet’s death, Rodoreda writes about how the pigeons remind Natalia of Quimet. “So It turned back to the door and took my knife and carved ‘Colometa’ on it in big, deep letters” (197). Natalia may still have an emotional connection with Quimet, and I wonder if this means that Natalia embraces her identity of “Colometa” even more after Quimet’s death. It is interesting to see the transition from being conditioned to be referred to as “Colometa” to her carving “Colometa” voluntarily.

The scene where Natalia contemplates how to kill her children is something I find interesting because it allows me to see the unique point of view illustrated by Natalia, a mother and a widow. I interpret her decision to kill her children as a sign of motherhood guilt rather than despair, though both play vital roles in her decision. “…With their ribs sticking out and all their bodies all lined with bright blue veins, I decided to kill them” (145). The war devastates her life with the loss of her husband. Coupled with her failure to provide for her children owing to their financial constraints, this manifests her guilt since she is inclined to fulfill her role as a loving mother who cares for her children. She first loses her identity as a wife, then is stripped of her identity as an adequate mother. Both losses have a detrimental effect on her life, and it seems that she sees no purpose in living anymore, now that they have been taken away from her.

My questions for this reading are: What is the symbolism of doves? How do they relate to the idea of motherhood and femininity?