Nada by Carmen Laforet really captured my attention as the book was filled with drama, relationships and betrayal surrounding a young university student. Laforet did an excellent job in portraying the characters as somewhat delusional as I often found myself questioning many of their actions. Although this book has a lot to unpack, this blog post will focus on the relationship between Andrea, and her friend Ena.
Ena and Andrea met through school as they both attended the same university. They seemed to really get along right off the bat considering they came from two widely different backgrounds. Andrea’s family lived in poverty while Ena lived within the middle to upper class. I feel that this also attracted Andrea towards Ena as she was curious to know what it was like to live such a lavish lifestyle in comparison to her own. As Andrea spent more time with Ena and her family and less time with her own, I think she had grown to idolize the life Ena and her family lived. Andrea longed for that sense of family, stability and normalcy within her family that she could never quite find as they often fought and betrayed one another. Looking at Ena’s family from an outsider perspective, it was all Andrea had ever wanted.
As for Ena, before reading the entire story, I almost felt that she was wanting to be a part of Andrea’s family to a certain extent. She seemed fascinated by how much incentive Andrea’s family had towards their goals in life. She was not used to seeing that as her family had already gone through that stage in their life, and were now satisfied with the life they had created. Ena was also fascinated by the constant energy that was in Andrea’s family. It seemed as though there was always something going on. I don’t think she realized the extent to how much of the energy in that house was toxic and violent. However, as we learned, Ena was just using Ramon to get back at what he did to her mother many years ago.
Even though both characters came from vastly different backgrounds, it was nice to see how they could come together to support one another. I enjoyed the end of the story when Ena’s family welcomed Andrea into their family as they invited her to move to Madrid.
Questions:
If you were Andrea, knowing what Ena did to your uncle, would you still befriend her? And would you consider Ena a good friend?
“She was not used to seeing that as her family had already gone through that stage in their life, and were now satisfied with the life they had created.” – interesting that you see it this way, Sophia! I wonder if Laforet is calling us to see a life that is created (with Ena’s family), or rather, if her purpose may be to use Ena and her family as a foil for Andrea and her own, in order to illustrate a life and a family destroyed by war…
Hi Sophia, Andrea and Ena’s relationship is definitely significant, I wasn’t too sure what to think of it but your post is very helpful! I agree that their friendship exists around a fascination with the other’s completely opposite life, adding an opportunity of comparison for the reader about life post-war for different classes. To answer your question, I don’t think I would stay friends with Ena if I was in Andrea’s position; Ena betrayed Andrea, and the way that Ena was already curious about Roman before they were close friends indicates that the friendship may have been started with different intentions. However, I can understand why Andrea stayed friends with Ena since her life was pretty miserable and Ena provided an escape.
Hi Sophia, I agree that Andrea may have been attracted to Ena party due to the significant differences in their family backgrounds. While at the same time, Ena was attracted to Andrea’s family as well, specifically Roman, due to her mother’s past with him. I also enjoyed how despite the differences in their family backgrounds, Andrea and Ena seemed to have become close friends, and Andrea genuinely feels happy and loved by Ena. If I knew what she did to my uncle, I would’ve most likely distanced myself away from her. I think while it seems like Ena genuinely cares for Andrea as a friend, it did feel like she had hidden intentions from the start. However, Ena was also the reason why Andrea was able to escape her family and start a new life. Ena’s betrayal and her choice of saving Andrea at the end do give me complicated feelings about whether she’s a good friend or not. Ena’s actions also seem similar to Roman in a way that they can both be “nice when [they] want to be” (36).
Hi Sophia! I also noticed Andrea and Ena’s friendship, two girls living in different circumstances met, but at some point I felt their friendship was not equal. Andrea can be said to be a little envious of Ena’s life, and Ena approached Andrea because of her attraction to Andrea. But I think Andrea will continue to be with Ena, because it’s one of the few relationships she can relax with and what leads her to a new life.
Hi Sophia! I also agree with the fact that Andrea is attracted to Ena due to how different Ena’s life is. She is able to get what she longed for from Ena which caused her to idolized Ena . If I was Andrea, I dont think I am able to befriends with her after knowing what she had done to my uncle. It would also made me wonder if that was her intention on being friends with me in the first place. However, I think Andrea is still able to befriends with Ena because she idolized her too much and she is able to get what she longed for from Ena (the feelings that she couldn’t get from her families and being able to leave the place.
Hi Sophia!! It was really nice to read your blog as I decided to read the other book this week!! You have captured the essence of the novel so well that it has encouraged me to read it next!
Thanks so much,
Sadie
Hi Sophia! I really enjoyed reading your take on this week’s read! I agree with all of the previous answers, I think if I was in Andrea’s position, I probably wouldn’t have stayed friends with her. Although, in the end, Ena provided her an escape I had a feeling that the initial motivation for their friendship was just an opportunity Ena saw with her uncle and concealed those intentions away from Andrea. There are so many other qualities that make her a good friend but to me, that would be a big thing to overlook. Looking forward to the group discussion on Thursday!
Great insight! I totally agree that this text has been the most engaging out of the weeks thus far. Also, I enjoyed your perspective on Ena being fascinated with Andrea’s family. Your statements about best friends coming from completely different backgrounds almost rings the cliché of opposites attracting true. Maybe it just is so, that they do!