The Shrouded Woman/ La Amortajada

This is the first book in a while that I have sat down to start reading, and only got back up when I was done. The entire novella felt poetic, I adored the flow of the writing and it felt very easy to read in comparison to the two other books we have read so far. Along with that, I think reading something from a woman's point of view drew me in as someone who has been raised as one. While reading I went through a variety of emotions but often I just felt sad for Ana Maria, and all of the other women in the story. As Ana recalls memories from her life it becomes obvious the role women had in society at that time. Also, the constant comparisons between female characters. I could be mistaken but not once was a man's appearance described as in-depth as a woman's. Beauty, entirely defined by what men were attracted to, was constantly discussed. Contrary to the gender roles, which are less dramatically oppressive now, the male gaze is definitely as strong as ever so these parts of the story stuck out to me. I will not use this blog post to get into the details of the idea of the male gaze but I can safely say that all of the women in this book had it ingrained into their minds. Pages were spent describing Marie Griselda's beauty and how it affected those around her, both men and women. The women around her compared themselves and deemed themselves inferior causing anxieties of if they were good enough for their own husbands. Silvia is driven to suicide over time due to her husband's obvious interest in Marie. It is only Ana who sees past this and forgives the woman. This woman's effect on so many lives leads me to my next point, an irritating and depressing theme within this book was the lack of healthy or happy marriages which unfortunately was probably realistic. Ana Marie's retelling of her first love was filled with childlike joy until she had to have a herbal abortion (side note that was probably wildly dangerous at the time?) because he was not allowed to marry her. She then marries and by the time she feels the same way for her husband he has lost interest. So on and so on. The same can be seen with marriages like that of poor Silvia, and even Marie Griselda who while so beautiful still cannot seem to be happy. 

I will be thinking about this book for ages and have so many other rambling thoughts that I really can't quite put into words, mostly revolving around Ana Maria's. and other characters, obvious mental health issues. My question for the class is: If you were to look back on your memories the way Ana Maria did after death what do you think you would be drawn to reliving? How would your views change without the pettiness and grudges we sometimes hold onto our whole lives?

... I really loved this book lol.