María Luisa Bombal’s The Shrouded Woman felt like experiencing a sad sitcom. I really enjoyed the way her writing felt entertaining and enjoyable, yet she was still able to tackle intense concepts and sad storylines. I think my biggest struggle reading Bombal was the switches between POVs (demonstrating modernism) and the constant use of metaphors that I sometimes found difficult to unwind in order to understand what the sentence were trying to get across. I also realized that Bombal and even her character, Ana Maria, both like using the textures, sounds, and visuals, of nature as to describe their moods and emotions. That was something I really enjoyed throughout the book. There was always some form of chaos going on yet it was still somehow grounded in the natural elements around the characters, whether the wind was blowing or the thunder was striking.
“Why, oh why must a woman’s nature be such that a man has always to be the pivot of her life.” (226)
There was so much to unpack in this book that I truly don’t think I will ever be able to truly touch on it all, however, what stood out to me the most is how much her first love with Ricardo, affected her entire life. I think that in every conversation she further had with any characters, whether her sons, their wives, Fernando, or Antonio, some part of the way she acted and felt the things she felt was because of the tainted and passionate mark Ricardo had left on her. At first, I was confused when his character was introduced first because to me he seemed the most important and I feel like those are generally saved for last, however, I now understand how vital his story with Ana Maria was in understanding her psyche. She was confused when Luis didn’t get involved with Elena, even though she perceived them as having this youthful and playful love for one another, mirroring what she had with Ricardo. She does later admit that she loved the thrill of success she had over him rather than actually loving him, but I think this is just the story Ana Maria tells herself to cope with the understanding that all her relationships have tainted her definition of love and what it should be like to feel loved. What made her drawn to such difficult and horrific partners, those like Fernando who repulses and humiliates her, Antonio who assaults her, and Ricardo whose departure left her in such turmoil? Maybe because that was all she experienced, that’s all she knows as love.
I think this all leads me to ask this. More importantly, how does Ana Maria maintain to be drawn to such negative connotations of love? Why does she desire for the life she is constantly attracted to, to be one of suffering?
“I also realized that Bombal and even her character, Ana Maria, both like using the textures, sounds, and visuals, of nature as to describe their moods and emotions.”What you mention makes the novel a very particular “love story” in any case. At least in the Spanish original the tone is difficult to describe in a few words. There are several competing lines of desire force within Ana Maria.
I liked your observation about the use of nature throughout the novel- that was something that stuck out to me as well. As for Ana Maria’s relationships, I think they illustrate the complexity of love, rather than her being drawn to “difficult” people. Love is rarely simple, and I think this novel beautifully shows the pain and confusion that comes with it.
It also saddens me that Ana Maria never seemed to get to experience happiness, although I believe she is not drawn to difficult people but more so to complexity. All the men in her life are not clear-cut, just like real people and I think Bombal did a very good job of explaining that complexity of love and people through the novel.
Hi! I really like how you pointed out that Ana Maria’s story with her first love Ricardo was told first in this book. I definitely did not think about the order of the different stories being told, and your observation was really insightful in terms of considering this. I also agree that the switching of point of views was quite confusing especially as it often occurred very abruptly.