Bombal's 'The Shrouded Woman'

 "But now, now that I am dead, it occurs to me that possibly all men once in their lifetime long to make some great renunciation; to sacrifice something vital; to tear to pieces a butterfly, in order to feel themselves masters of their own destiny."

The above quote stood out the most while reading Bombal's novel, The Shrouded Woman. Something about the unique narration of this novel made every line that much more poignant, given that our narrator was dead. It was almost as if she refused to pass without imparting whatever wisdom she could to anyone willing to hear her. Bombal's use of visual imagery was balanced and evocative. As I read, I did feel like I was witnessing the scenes as they played out. I enjoyed her descriptions of the characters and their personalities and what they meant to Ana Maria. 

Additionally, I found the dramatics of the novel very intriguing. The feuds, infidelity, and familial bonds of the characters were explored very intricately for a relatively short novel. I agree with the points discussed in the lecture regarding the comparison between the male and female characters and how the latter was more interesting to read than the former. I believe that Bombal has created a setting in which the men in the book mainly served the purpose of acting as the love interests. This is quite ironic as these roles are traditionally assigned to women. While she did devote a lot of focus to her romantic relationship, the relationships that stood out the most were the ones with her children and with Sofia. The depth of her friendship with Sofia and even Zoila s pointed to the women being the most important figures in her life emotionally, even though the men dominated in other aspects of life.

Moreover, I found the idea of a dead narrator very ominous but fascinating at the same time. The concept of dying a second death after having passed was quite bizarre to me, but something about how the narrator spoke about it struck me. The notion that she was experiencing life as a dead person, especially something as lively as freedom, provided poetic justice to the living, trapped woman. 

Overall, I found this text to be extremely entertaining. I loved the fact that it touched upon themes like family and the power dynamics between men and women. My question for the class would be: What did you think of Ana Maria's relationships? How do you think they shaped her idea of peace?