Hi, everyone!
After finishing the book The Shrouded Woman by María Luisa Bombal, a question came to my mind – why does Ana Maria care so much about her image after death?
She cares about her embroidered sheets, perfumed with lavender. She also focuses on her robe of white satin, making her look very slender. These fabric descriptions and also details of her hair. The author Bombal is really good at describing it. During her illness, her hair was heavy and moist. And now, Ana María's hair is thick and parted over her forehead, giving a “disturbing charm”. Also, Ana María notices herself without a single wrinkle, which she thinks that her face pale and beautiful. This whole description and focus are like pursuit of beauty and charm. For me, this is really “crazy”. Ana María's situation now is death! This might be the weakest moment already, and she cares about her beauty! I just found the protagonist super narcissistic. Especially, when I read that she observes her own hands and describes them as “frivolous delicacy of two peaceful doves". And I start thinking why.
Why is Bombal trying so hard to make Ana María be intensely "narcissistic"? Why does María care so much about her image even after death? I think in that context and environment, her body might be the only thing that she feels like she can control, somehow. She cannot control her husband's love. She cannot control her own fate. The way that the author describes María's heavy and moist hair during illness is really like losing dignity as a woman. And then getting back the beautiful hair is like gaining back the charm. Therefore, I would say this is using beauty to regain her image and dignity.
In society, in general, I do think women have always been objects of the gaze. And The Shrouded Woman shows readers the fact that women, like María, acknowledge that gaze from others, and care about their images as women, letting all other people gaze upon themselves. So the self-obsession of women's own bodies is definitely not shallow vanity; it is a fact of self-consciousness and acknowledgement of women's role and situation in that society. This is tragic, I would say. If the main character is not María, but a man. Will he care so much about his hair, deathbed, clothes, skin after death? Probably not. But the main character as a woman, yes, and she cares a lot! I would say, the author tries to tell us that in that era, women's thoughts and souls were always ignored by others, but their bodies, their images.
Therefore, in my opinion, that is why Ana María cares about her image after death - because that is the almost only thing that she feels like other people will see from her. And that is her mark in this world at the end.
Melissa: I like your comment on the objects of the gaze. I also found it remarkable that the book touched upon many themes centred upon femininity, such as a more sophisticated approach to appearances and how this relates to the place of women in society.
ReplyDeleteHi! I really enjoyed reading your take on Ana María as narcissistic. That's not something I really focused on, so it was interesting to see it from that angle. I especially liked your point about beauty and appearance being one of the only things she feels like she can still control, even after death. I also agree that this deeply connected to her being a woman in that society.
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