Rodoreda Reflection

This week I chose to read The Time of the Doves by Mercé Rodoreda.

I found this book easy to read and hard to put down. I quickly got lost in Natalia’s little world. Before getting into the novel I knew it was set around the Spanish Civil War and after the first few pages and meeting Quimet I thought I would be reading the classic love during wartime story, however, this novel was not that.

Natalia is simple and timid. She did not come across as a strong character at the beginning of the novel and she is often naive. She meets her husband Quimet who was abusive and controlling from the start. Calling her Colometa (little dove) instead of her real name. He is very possessive over her and quick to gaslight in any situation. He was clearly insecure and always looking for attention from others. I did not enjoy the relationship between Natalia and Quimet, it was frustrating to read and I pitied Natalia and the life she was living. 

The narrator followed a stream of consciousness throughout the novel. I notice a repetitive amount of run-on sentences, this could have been a result of translation but I found it reflecting Natalia’s state of mind. Natalia was a worrisome character and never felt comfortable with herself. At first, I had hoped for a character with more self-aware character but I found myself drawn to Natalia’s view of the world. She retells significant events that shaped her life and offers a sort of self-analysis of her life story. 

The doves were an interesting symbol in this novel. Natalia is the one who takes excessive care of her family as well as a growing number of birds that Quiment insists on raising while Natalia who is not very fond of them does all the raising. I found the doves to be a reflection of Natalia herself. At the start of the novel with Quiment calling her Colometa meaning little dove, I found it interesting the connection Natalia had to the birds throughout the novel. The doves start needy and helpless, scared to leave the dovecote and appear to rely greatly on the home Quimet built for them. Natalia’s relationship with the doves was parallel to her life. At first, she was content with them just like she was content with her life. As the novel continues Natalia builds character and realizes she will no longer stand for the birds and the implications they have in her life. I wonder what else the doves could have symbolized? And what was the author’s intention with them?