The Shrouded Woman by Maria Luisa Bombal

 Hey Everyone! I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did. I found this novel an easier read and more interesting than Proust. I liked that I could read about femininity and how the story focuses on the lively women's perspectives rather than the men's. This story is a woman's world. This novel is about a woman who has passed, narrating her story. 

Ana Maria believes she has lived a small life. Ana was married to Antonio; she is a lover; however, her lover left her and moved to Europe to study science. Ana is a mother to Anita, and Anita marries a good-for-nothing man. She is also a mother-in-law to her daughter-in-law, Maria Griselda, who is not in the same social class as her but enchants all the men in society, "even the great river was in love with Maria Griselda" (196). The character Sofia introduces friendship. 

Central themes in this novel are jealousy and loneliness. Sofia is jealous of Ana Maria's childhood. Everyone is envious of Maria's beauty and how she wins many men's affection at once. Antonio is jealous of Ricardo and how he can gain Ana Maria's love. Therefore, all the women are turned against each other and are agonized by their issues with each other, which creates loneliness. In my opinion, women in this novel are not allowed to find their potential, and I think they are stuck as Ana Maria is in her so-called "small life," as she articulates. 

I found multiple quotes that I would like to share and dissect on how I gain an understanding from them. 

"And he understood what the soul is and felt it within himself...timid, vacillating and anxious, and he accepted human life for what it is, ephemeral, mysterious, useless, with at the end it's magical death that leads to perhaps nothing" (200). This quote was written before Fred met Maria Griselda for the first time. This quote defines how Fred feels about himself and possibly thinks about the purpose of human life, the afterlife, and where it leads. The second quote is intriguing. "No. She does not hate him. But neither does she love him. And she no longer loves him and no longer hates him, she feels the last vital bond of her physical structure being released" (230). I find this quote confusing; there are many underlying messages about how Ana Maria feels about Antonio, or it could mean what it says, and maybe she sees him as just a friend. The pressure is being released on her as she does not have to love him. 

This novel caused me to think a lot deeper about how short life is. 


Discussion question: What is your favourite quote and why, or what is your take on the quotes I have shared?


Comments

  1. Daniel OrizagaJanuary 30, 2024 at 7:18 PM

    Sofía, you are right: there are many ideas, sensations and thoughts that are barely suggested and are found as if behind a shroud that the reader must unveil. I'm glad you enjoyed reading!

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  2. Franchesca JolicoeurJanuary 30, 2024 at 7:48 PM

    Hi Sofia! I definitely was reminded how short life is while reading as well.

    One of my favourite or most memorable quotes in this story is: "And we were in reality two children appalled by the consequences nature had imposed upon certain acts which we had considered nothing more than a marvelous and forbidden game." It presents a common thought or moment when we realize we have grown up. It is jarring and then we have to move forward and face more harsh situations usually

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  3. Sukanya AggarwalJanuary 30, 2024 at 8:06 PM

    Hi Sofia! This novel definitely made me question my own life a few times.

    "I kept going forward just to feel myself more and more filled with life" was one of my favorite quotes from the book. It was quite intriguing (and very sad) to hear from someone who had just died. It was as if she were locked in time, refusing to move on and embrace her own death.

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