I found The Shrouded Woman to be an easier read compared to Paris Peasant and Combray. The writing was descriptive but not overflowing with a lot of vivid details. The scenes also didn’t feel like they suddenly changed without a reason either. It is also my favorite novel so far, though I do wish I could’ve read this as a physical copy rather than on the computer. Nevertheless, I found it interesting that this novel was regarding Ana-Maria, who is a dead narrator as she talks about the people who have had a significant influence on her life. Although, it feels more unfortunate that Ana-Maria reflects more on the men in her life rather than her children or parents.
Ana-Maria reflects on Ricardo, her first love when she was a teenager who had to move to Europe to “study scientific farming” (165). Ana-Maria asked Ricardo to marry her and take her with him, however, he refused as he doesn’t seem to think that being married to Ana-Maria would be beneficial to both his career and future. Ricardo’s rejection and departure broke Ana-Maria’s heart, as she cries to Zoila that he doesn’t love her anymore. However, ironically as Ricardo visits Ana-Maria on her deathbed, she “understands that this man had never remained entirely apart from her” (176). This is quite devastating, as she finally realizes Ricardo did- and still does love her on her deathbed. Thus, causes her to wonder “must we die in order to know?” (176), which is truly a philosophical yet heartbreaking question. I think in most situations, perhaps yes, since pride, ego, and fear of vulnerability often restrains people from being honest about their feelings. It would be interesting if we had Ricardo’s perspective on his relationship with Ana-Maria, and what his thoughts and emotions were when he visited her on her deathbed.
When Ana-Maria’s brother, Luis, visits her, I found this line to be quite powerful, “I remember there was a time when we loved each other very much; … a time you had forgotten but which my death reawakened in you” (180). It’s unfortunate that she was separated from him due to an outsider when they were once so close to each other. It’s quite tragic how sometimes people come to a realization of how much they love one another when it’s too late. Luis seeing Ana-Maria on her deathbed seemed to make him realize how much he once loved his sister, in a similar way to how Ana-Maria realizes how much Ricardo still loves her after all these years. Even though it’s not the same type of love, as one is a family type of love and the other is a romantic type, it’s still love that was realized after her passing.
A question I have for my classmates is why does Ana-Maria’s reflection focus more on the romantic relationships rather than her family, friends, and children? What could this also imply about our society today?