Tag Archives: romance

Week 7- My thoughts on Mercè Rodoreda’s “The Time of the Doves”

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In regards to Mercè Rodoreda’s The Time of the Doves (La plaça del Diamant, 1962), I found the novel to be exciting, and I was engaged with the text throughout the entire reading. The novel is set somewhat before the Spanish Civil war and leads into the battle itself as the story progresses. The story is about a girl named Natalia who works in a pastry shop and continuously gains complications throughout her life. The story, for me, seemed to be more of a tragedy than anything else. The fact that Natalia attempts to kill herself and her children with hydrochloric acid was shocking to me as I believe that a mother’s first instinct is to protect her children, not harm them in any way. Therefore that moment was surprising for me. The purpose of committing these deaths is for the primary pursuit of happiness in which “everyone would be happy,” if Natalia had passed away to a world in which she “wouldn’t have done any harm,” (Rodoreda, 146). I believe that the pursuit of happiness is essential, which is shown in the last line of the novel. One of the novel’s last words, “Happy,” confused me as I did not understand how the novel could end happily (Rodoreda, 201). The moments of Natalia killing unborn pigeons and death’s surroundings make the novel more tragic than happy. Therefore, there is somewhat of a polar difference, with the ending being “Happy,” and the story shifting between romantic and tragic (Rodoreda, 201). 

There is also that trauma seems to be a recurring aspect in the novel. As the novel has shifted in the plot towards the start of the Spanish Civil war and somewhat after that event, the notion of history and trauma seemed to be critical aspects in the novel. Such as when it is stated that with her new husband and when he says that with him during the war, the people had “picked him up half ripped apart on the battlefield and pieced him back together as best they could” (Rodoreda, 160). The moment that would occur to a soldier seems traumatizing, and I would like to believe that due to the similarities and differences between Natalia and her new husband, they had found some form of solace with each other. The theme of trauma affects decision-making for Natalia, and it seems as though many of the events in the novel are out of Natalia’s control, and she becomes collateral damage. Somewhat like a war in itself. It could be said that while the novel was set during the Spanish Civil war, there is also another war within Natalia’s life. The troubles with her first husband, her consideration of death, the somewhat tragic story of Natalia’s life, and the trauma that Natalia seemed to suffer through reflect some aspects of war in Natalia’s life. 

 

I would ask: do you believe that the story could be considered a tragedy? Or is it a case of a woman trying to control a situation that is out of her control? 

 

-Muskan Shukla

 

My thoughts on Maria Luisa Bombal’s “The Shrouded Woman”

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Maria Luisa Bombal’s text “The Shrouded Woman,” written in 1947, discusses the state between life and death. The main character seems to be recounting her relationships with people in the novel who come and visit her body. The narrator recalls events related and moves on towards peace and moving to the afterlife through this process. The novel highlights the role of women in relationships and the role that gender plays in creating a societal norm for how both men and women should act in society. 

One of the themes in the novel is the power men have over women. Additionally how women tend to be controlled by these men. For example; when the narrator states that men “once in their lifetime long to make some great renunciation; [. . .] to tear to pieces a butterfly, in order to feel themselves masters of their own destiny,” (The Shrouded Woman, 166). Additionally, the narrator had reflected, “I persisted in linking my life to yours, not understanding why love should be incompatible with your career,” (The Shrouded Woman, 166). This shows that women in this scenario are somewhat dependent on men, and men can leave women without remorse. The power dynamic is shown when the narrator states that they “not for a moment [. . .] think of the consequences of all this,” with “this” being the relationship that they were in (The Shrouded Woman, 169). In the end, the woman is left with memories of her lover. Therefore, the relationship between a man and woman in this society is one where the woman is dependent on the man regarding most aspects of the relationship, especially with a woman having a more profound emotional attachment to the man. On the other hand, the man is either moved by duty or can leave when they choose to. 

Another interesting notion presented in the novel is the role of death in regards to the act of recalling previous events. It seems as though the narrator questions the role of death and questions whether “must we die in order to know?” (The Shrouded Woman, 176). In this case, the “in order to know,” is related to how the people in the narrator’s lives are honest only after she has passed (The Shrouded Woman, 176). This is another norm that is a part of society, not to be openly honest about your feelings and rather present negative feelings such as ego to repress honesty. 

The questions that I would want to ask for this week are; 

How did gender become a means to decide societal and social norms?

Why does the narrator choose the temporal context of the time between life and death to discuss topics of gender and recollection?

 

– Muskan Shukla