Bombal’s “The Shrouded Woman” : Reflections from beyond the grave

It is certainly always a delight to hear female voices in modernist literature, and Bombal’s “The Shrouded Woman” is no exception. It is rare to see older female protagonists/ narrators depicted in literature, and that reason alone could suffice for making the book an interesting read. The novel is a narrated by the corpse of a Chilean woman, and depicts her reflections of life in death, as she lies to rest in her grave. Instead of providing a holistic review, I have chosen a few segments from Bombal’s writing that had a impacted me.

The book begins with the narrator’s taking delight in the gaze she is subjected to as a woman, even in death. Through unique self- reflexivity as a corpse, the narrator takes pleasure in her physical appearance at her own funeral and “she takes delight in submitting herself to the gaze of all” (p. 157). This speaks to the constant “gaze” women are subjected to and creates a paradox in defining the fine line between unwanted attention and enjoyment of it. Moreover, her reflexivity as a corpse creates interesting observations through the gift of hindsight, in a tone that is often perplexing and ambivalent. She wonders “must we die to know things” (p. 176), re-evaluating the subtle pointlessness of drowning in misery after her first heartbreak. It also provides commentary on the broader wasted opportunities to live life while one can, and to desire the gifts of hindsight earlier on in life.

Another recurring theme in the book that intrigued me was the narrator’s connection to God and religion. Through instances of questioning her faith, and the existence of God, Bombal creates a powerful concept of agency that is often not afforded to women, especially in patriarchal societies. She says, “God seemed to me so remote, and so sever”. This positions women as having agency in the form of strong ideas, independent thought and being curious. Their minds are depicted as free from capture from the patriarchal cage that surrounds them, which reads to me as an act of rebellion against the missionary movement of the West and the mandatory adherence to God that was demanded of all people, including women.

On an concluding note, another observation I made was that the male characters in the book- whether it was the narrator’s lover, father, or brother are depicted as deeply flawed in the narrator’s mind, which creates active space for women to shine in the book, even given the constraints of their material and worldly conditions. On page 182, she talks about the “price women have to pay” when they refuse to conform to the pillars of patriarchy, but she talks about it in a light which is celebratory of women who choose to do so.

Astha Kumar

Food for thought: 

What are your thoughts on this particular line that comes from the ending paragraph of the book- “Alone, she would at last be able to rest, to die. For she had suffered the death of the living.”