Rodoreda's 'The Time of Doves'

 The Time of the Doves by Mercè Rodoreda is a captivating story with a unique protagonist. Initially, I wasn't quite sure how I felt about Natalia, the narrator. My emotions swung from sympathy to shock to frustration while reading about her. However, as the book progressed, her character developed as she learned to adapt to her circumstances. Oddly enough, this made me enjoy the book even more. It was interesting to see how she navigated life in a begrudging marriage and during a war. 


I found the dynamic that Rodoreda created between Natalia and Quimet symbolic of the traditional 'submissive woman/dominating man' dynamic. Quimet was a controlling man who more or less declared that Natalia would be his wife after one encounter in the town square. Additionally, he finds ways to measure up the pain that she has felt with himself to prove that she cannot outdo him in any way. This was evident when he compared having a tapeworm to childbirth, claiming that they had been through a similar level of pain now.


What is noteworthy during their interaction is his nickname for her, Colometa, which means dove. Throughout the book, we see Quimet's obsession with doves through collecting and breeding them in their house. I find this to be symbolic of how he views his relationship with Natalia as well, his so-called dove. He views her as his property, something he can collect and control. 


Thus, Natalia's hatred for the doves is a powerful indication of her rebellion against him and his behavior. When she receives news of Quimet's death, the last dove also dies, marking the end of their relationship too. 


Additionally, it is also important to note how the author has described the effects of war on an average civilian. Natalia never goes too in-depth about the war and who is fighting; this could indicate how she does not care for the politics of the war. All she focused on was her children and keeping them alive. It was devastating to read about her consideration of killing her and her children so that they would die of their own will and not because of the effects of the war. 


Overall, I found this book to be a fascinating read, despite the certain level of predictability it possessed. My question for everyone else would be: what do you think of Natalia's relationship with her children? Do you think she was a good parent?

Comments

  1. c.c28 February 2022 at 15:07

    I liked your post! I didn't read the book, but your thoughts on the man woman dynamic you say is presented in it made me chuckle, remembering how in elementary school kids would always say getting hit in the groin as a guy was worse than childbirth. I guess the tapeworm is a 1930's version of that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Diya Mann28 February 2022 at 18:00

    Hi Devanshi,
    I really enjoyed reading your post! To answer your question, I believe Natalia was a good mother to her children. She couldn't spend as much time with them because she had to work to keep them fed. As a mother, she did everything to decrease their suffering by trying to work, selling all her possessions, and sending her son to the camp for them not to be drastically affected by the war.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jennifer Nagtegaal28 February 2022 at 19:53

    “her character developed as she learned to adapt to her circumstances…”

    Interesting point. This reminds me of the notion of “Bare Life” that Jon discussed in his lecture. So, could we say the opposite? That instead of developed she was reduced?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Proust's 'Combray'

I dived into Proust's Combray completely unaware of what to expect. The first thing that caught my attention was the language. It was very descriptive, thus allowing me to envision every room and meal as the narrator experienced it. Secondly, I noticed the stream of consciousness that the narrator seemed to be traveling along while narrating. What started in a room with an insight into the intricacies of sleep and wakefulness turned into a formative childhood memory. This form of writing intrigued me immensely because of how naturally it flowed. I almost did not notice the transition until I read about the narrator's next idea! I must confess that I did get a little bit confused when the narrator switched to talking about his childhood experience from his ideologies as an adult. However, once I picked up on the difference I was able to enjoy the innocence with which the child craved to be with his mother. As seen in the scene below, Proust's description of the raw emotion
Read more

Aragon's 'Paris Peasant'

  Paris Peasant was an unexpected read, to say the least. The first thing that caught my attention was Aragon's use of descriptive language. I've never particularly enjoyed excessive description, so I did find it kind of challenging to read certain portions of the book.  However, the irregular structure of the text was fascinating to discover. It was interesting to see the paragraphs broken up by newspaper articles, pictures, and municipality warnings. As stated in the video lecture, the retention of the original fonts and motifs in the book adds a layer of authenticity and charm. This makes readers feel as if they are exploring the city of Paris with the narrator.  Additionally, I found the blurring of the lines between reality and imagination intriguing. It would catch me completely off-guard - the sentence would start off as a description of a real place or person and end with a fantastical twist. In this sense, I truly do believe that Aragon was able to craft a wonderful su
Read more