For this week’s reading I chose to read Nada by Carmen Laforet. This post war aroma is consistent throughout Andrea and her surroundings. While in the midst of longing to study in Barcelona, she has to simultaneously navigate her new family dynamic dealing with post-war hauntings.  

The contrast of Andrea’s past and current state is very dramatic with her family, “what a relief to be away from the stares of those extraordinary beings!” (pg. 8). She often reflects on her past life through her memories, which is understandable seeing how different her life is now. The war changed the way her family acts, society and life’s overall feel. She seems very distant and alone even in her own home. She paints images of being surrounded by pictures like of her grandparents for example. I think this line “In the light of day the room had its horror, but not its awful disorder, its absolute abandonment” (pg.12) illustrates this feeling very well. Though her environment is not as horrific as it once was during war, the feelings of trauma still linger. Clearly, it is hard for her to disassociate these feelings from even her own home. 

The character Gloria is seen as a counter stereotype to the ‘obedient woman’, she is seen as ‘crazy’ because she isn’t afraid of speaking her mind. Gloria goes against patriarchal standards of this time period. She is described as a “absolutely inappropriate woman” (pg. 16). We see her constantly fighting with Roman; as he says “now that piece of trash has the gall to talk to me” (pg. 17). Whereas other women talk to the men in the book with a lot less authority or demand.  “Gloria, the snake woman” (pg. 82) is a very outspoken and intricate character. In this time, Gloria represents the ‘atypical’ woman, deemed this ‘ugly duckling’ in a sense because of how prominent the patriarchal values were. Therefore, making her a really dynamic character as she takes on this narrative. 

Nada’s substance led me down many paths and left me with a lot to think about. In my opinion, I found Gloria one of the most interesting characters. With Gloria’s perspective in mind, it made me wonder if post war conditions made the patriarchy more or less cruel towards her being. Since we only really see her interactions post war, it made me think about what her dynamic was with men before. War is a prominent male construction. So I pose this question to my classmates, how do you think the Spanish civil war changed and/or adjusted patriarchal views (if so)? Do you think Gloria was treated less fairly now more than before?