Must we die in order to know certain things?
Maria Luisa Bombal’s The Shrouded Woman, like Proust’s Combray, pertains to the theme of memory. It is also heavily driven by the relationships the protagonist, Ana Maria, has with the other characters in the book. Whilst reading The Shrouded Woman, I was instantly moved by the poetic descriptions. These descriptions made reading the book so much smoother and easier, as the imagery that I got to imagine while reading added more depth even with the simplest phrases. One of my favourite quotes is on page 59, which goes:
“Then the rain starts again. And it falls, obstinately, quietly. And she listens to it falling. Falling and sliding like tears down the windowpanes; falling and expanding the lagoons to the far end of the horizon, falling. Falling on her heart and drenching it, dissolving it into sadness and languor.”
Even with the simple description of rain falling, it was written so beautifully and poetically. As someone who appreciates poetry, I really am impressed by Bombal’s subtle incorporation of it in certain parts of the book.
Between the memories Ana Maria has, the memory she has of Ricardo and her children were the ones I specifically found intriguing. Of course, the whole “forbidden romance” story she had with Ricardo instantly hooked me. In addition, I think their relationship touched on a lot of relevant stages one goes through with heartbreak, more specifically with your first love. Like Ana Maria and Ricardo, I think there tends to be a bit of codependency that sometimes occurs in your first relationship, and your entire life seems to be just falling apart once it ends. When Ricardo told Ana Maria that he was going to go away for school, she quickly retorts it back to their relationship and thinks he doesn’t care for her and even calls him “good for nothing”. But when she was on her deathbed and he comes to visit, she then realizes that he never stopped caring for her, even though their short live love affair had to end. I think this realization was possible through her now objective point of view on things as she is now dead. Sometimes at the moment, there are simply some things we cannot perceive with clear judgement unless more time and wisdom is gained.
I also saw some parallels with Ana Maria’s children’s relationships as well as her own. In Ana Maria’s family, their social class was often a cause for their insecurity in relationships. Furthermore, there were a lot of comparisons and jealousy rooted in insecurity that I noticed, particularly from Alberto’s relationship with Maria Griselda.
My question is: Do you think Ana Maria’s recollections of some mistakes she made with her relationships (particularly with Fernando) alludes to her regrets or her making peace with it?
