Shrouded Woman by Maria Luisa Bombal

Maris Luisa Bombal's "The Shrouded Woman" blurs the line between life and death as it starts off with the protagonist, Ana Maria, narrating her own funeral. It follows her reflecting about her memories, her relationships of friends, family and lovers while lying on her deathbed surrounded by the people she knew she was alive. 

I felt a bit empathetic and found myself slightly cheering for Ana Maria when she was pursuing her love for her first love, Ricardo. Despite the potential consequences she might face , she still decided to embrace her desires and pursue a romance with him. Her boldness went against the societal norms and expectations set in the mid 20th century which offered her a glimpse to what life could've been. For Ricardo, he was described as a man who was charismatic and alluring, drawing Ana Maria into a deep romance in the beginning, but it was suddenly cut short, leaving her with a sense of longing and loss. Ricardo's departure, driven by his pursuit of better career oppurtunities, triggered a growth period for Ana Maria. This made her reflect and have her own introspection, self-discovery and freedom. 

The part of the novel about Ana Maria and Ricardo was personally my favorite part of the novel. The passion of how Ana Maria vividly describes her memories with Ricardo made me reminisce and that made me feel empathetic towards the intensity of a first love. Even when Ana Maria settled down with Antonio, it felt like she was never really satisfied with that life, always wondering what could've been.

On the other hand, Maria Griselda was a character that was chased by many because of her astounding beauty. She felt almost as the exact opposite of Ana Maria where she was very confined and shackled by the expectations society has placed on her. For example, her husband was very controlling and wanted her to follow the traditional roles of a wife which served as a constant reminder that her freedom was very restricted.  

Discussion Question: How does Ricardo leaving impact Ana Maria's character reflection and how does it show the challenges and possibilities of finding love in the mid 20th Century?

Comments

  1. Daniel OrizagaJanuary 31, 2024 at 2:30 AM

    "What could've been?" Following this question, I think the narrators are also blurring the line between what happened and what could have happened. Part of what is intriguing about this novel is that it talks about both the facticities and potentialities of the characters, and it is the reader's job to investigate those territories.

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  2. Rowan LewisJanuary 31, 2024 at 12:40 PM

    I was also rather moved by the recount of her first love with Ricardo. I feel like the way she was addressing Ricardo directly rather than just talking about him added to the emotional weight felt by the reader.

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  3. MarcusFebruary 1, 2024 at 10:21 PM

    Hi Andrew, answering your discussion question, I think that Ana Maria's and Ricardo's relationship shows some of the challenges of finding love during that time because I feel like the idea of class was more important since things such as arranged marriages were more common back then and since they were of different class it made it alot harder for them.

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