The Shrouded Woman

 Hey everyone, I hope you had a good weekend and enjoyed this week's reading, "The Shrouded Woman" by Maria Luisa Bombal.

This novel tackles the captivating and intricate life narrative of Ana Maria, a woman whose existence extends beyond death as she passionately narrates her own story. It explores Ana Maria's experiences, desires, feelings, and reality through the use of magic realism. Magic realism expresses fantasy-like events with realistic undertones. It serves as the perfect way to describe the extraordinary events and realistic undertones that shape Ana Maria's journey. Within this novel, I was able to explore themes that resonate deeply with the universal human experience. Many will be able to reflect upon their own lives while reading this novel and be able to connect their emotions and struggles. Personally, I enjoyed the unique style and the powerful voice of the main character even after death; I hadn't seen anything like this before. 

This novel made me think deeply about independence and identity and how complex human relationships are. It brings forth the challenges women face when defending themselves to society's standards. It highlights the strain of personal desires and external expectations such as family, society and traditions. This book's themes of love and passion really brought it emotional deepness. I was drawn to the intense emotions and how these emotions shape each character and their experiences and relationships. I think this novel will make people go beyond the surface level of traditional narratives, which will challenge us to question societal norms and embrace the complexity of human experiences. Also, the use of magical realism adds the intriguing concept of fantasy to the exploration of love and passion.

"Her eyes filled with tears which she dried immediately, but already silently others were flowling, then others..." This quote is a complex and overwhelming emotional experience. The inability to suppress tears reflects the natural and human response to overwhelming feelings that I think many can relate to. 

Just a few lines down, this quote also stood out to me. " Why, oh why must a woman's nature be such that a man has always to be the pivot of her life? men succeed in directing their passion to other things. But the fate of so many woman seems to be turn over in their heart..." This quote shows how historically, and sometimes still seen today, women often were expected to make their man the center of their lives, making them the "pivot" of their existence. I resonate with this differently, where I find my emotions intensely connected to my partner. It points out inequality where men are seen as having the freedom to pursue their passions and endeavours, while women may find their fate linked to their hearts.

Question: What are some other gender roles that are depicted in the novel that stood out to you?