In this first section of the book, Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton paints a portrait of a seemingly elitist New England family, whose members are exposed to a foreigner, Lola, and need to accept her in their family. Ruiz de Burton creates a sharp contrast between Mrs. Norval and Dr. Norval, leading the reader to ponder why he would marry such an ignorant and miserable woman, as he appears to be more open minded and clearly educated. It is important to mention, though, that the Doctor seemed to have been similar in thought to Mrs. Norval before his travels, highlighting an important lesson that it is unrealistic to have unbiased thoughts towards something different if we have not experienced it. In this case, the experience of traveling and being exposed to Lola’s culture has showed Dr. Norval that others are not that different at all. For the time period in which this is set, this is quite an accomplishment for the Doctor.
The contrast created between the characters, which is mostly achieved through dialog between them, is an effective way to convey the thoughts of the characters while advancing the plot of the story. Mrs. Norval’s words around a group of characters often create seemingly very awkward situations. However, it is apparant that she believes that her life is ideal and thinks highly of herself, even though she simply lives on a pedestal and fails to explore things outside her own little world. This thought process leads her to be stereotypical and ignorant.
I find the short chapter format to lack efficiency in this book so far. The author is not trying to make the plot seem fast paced, or provide a juxtaposition between characters or settings. Therefore the plot seems a bit broken and the exploration of stories and characters seem to be lacking in depth.
For the upcoming section of the book, it will be interesting to see the inclusion of religion, especially with the upbringing that is wished for Lola, while Mrs. Norval attempts to mold Lola into something she believes to be ideal. So far, the writing has been cleaver, and I look forward to finding out more about the story.