“The Time of the Doves”- Rodoreda
Hi everyone, this week’s reading was “The Time of the Doves” by Mercè Rodoreda. I found this book a little slow but reading about wartime from a female perspective was interesting. The descriptions of war were heartbreaking; when Natalia almost felt she needed to kill her children because of the horrible living conditions I only felt pity for her. Not being able to provide for your children must be a horrible feeling. Some of the writing reminded me of Proust from week one with some very long sentences near the end and the rich descriptions of buildings in particular.
Quimet was quite the character. I thought he was going to be a gentleman but quickly realized I was wrong with how he would leave Colometa alone for days and give away doves for free when they needed to make money. Him calling her Colometa even though she was annoyed by it was the first red flag. After he died in the war, I have to admit I was not too bothered. Even though Quimet was not a good husband, the fact that Natalia grieves him and their old life is a very real thing that happens; when looking back on the past it is easy to gloss over the negative parts.
Natalia later marrying Antoni was definitely an improvement from Quimet. When Antoni called Natalia by her name on page 165 when asking to marry him, I couldn’t help but feel emotional. After being called “Colometa” by Quimet through their whole marriage I was happy Natalia would finally be with a man who would use her real name and appreciate her for who she is.
The fantasy elements of the book were a surprising twist. The scene on page 150 was especially puzzling to me. After thinking of how to kill her children, Natalia goes into a church and has an experience where balls of incense start shining and angels chant about soldiers who were killed in the war. According to Natalia another woman sees this as well but I find it hard to believe as Natalia was most likely not thinking straight at the moment from malnutrition and desperation. This scene was also shortly after Quimet had died so Natalia was probably especially hopeless. Perhaps this was Natalia’s mind trying to grapple with all the evil resulting from the war resulting in a hallucination.
My question is: What do you think the scene at the church represents?
"...and the rich descriptions of buildings in particular." It is true, and also a space like the church, as you comment at the end of your blog, takes on great meaning in that passage. It is at the same time a public space, open to all, but where it is possible to explore the intimacy of reflection. It is an in-between, the place of accompanied solitudes.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mention the church scene. Very few other people have mentioned it, though I do refer to it in my lecture, but to me it's very striking. It's one of a number of scenes in the novel in which the very fabric of reality seems briefly to be warped or shaken. (I think also about the scene in which she imagines hands coming down from the ceiling to shake her children as she once shook the pigeons' eggs.)
ReplyDeleteHi Arissa, great blog post! Your comparison of the writing style being similar to Proust is interesting and I definitely agree...but it's a lot less frustrating I will say. To answer your question I viewed the church scene as a coping mechanism. Natalie was grieving quite a bit at that time, so conjuring up that fantasy-like scene was a way for her to "breathe" a little. It allowed her to escape from the difficulties in her life and be surrounded by something...beautiful?
ReplyDeleteHi Arissa! I really enjoyed reading your post, I agree with your thoughts on Quimet for sure! In response to your question, I think that first of all, I find this whole scene very interesting and definitely a standout. As you mentioned, Natalia was overwhelmed by grief, and physical weakness, both signs that she could be going in and out of some sort of trance. However, I do believe that it is common for people to view churches as places to ground them, so I also think that it sort of could have been going in that direction as well.
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