Mercè Rodoreda, The Time of the Doves

For this week's reading, I read The Time of the Doves by Mercè Rodoreda. It was an easy read to get lost in. It felt like an emotional rollercoaster as I read the book. The past tense narrative of Natalia made it seem like she was reliving these moments, and as a reader, I felt the unprocessed anxiety and trauma.

Her husband Quimet was introduced and right from the start I could not stand him. There was a lot of toxic masculinity, and I was getting so frustrated reading the relationship between Quimet and Natalia. From the very beginning, Quimet is so possessive over Natalia, telling her that one day she will be his wife. Even giving her the nickname Colometa is an attempt to show ownership. Quimet is an insecure and manipulative man. His jealously accuses Natalia of taking a walk with her ex-boyfriend. He attempts to quit her job by grabbing her neck and shaking her head. He is shown easily threatened, and if he doesn't get enough attention or if Natalia complains about being tired, he would start complaining about his leg. He always wants attention and sympathy from others. After being sick with a tapeworm, he declared, "now we are even because [she] had the kids and he had a worm fifteen yards long" (78). In order to stop Quimet from getting angry with her, she had to realize "if I wanted to be his wife, I had to start by liking everyone he liked'' (22).

I really enjoyed reading the parts of Quimet's friend, Mateo. Throughout the novel, I was livid with all the toxic masculinity and the abusive nature of Quimet. Mateo was not afraid to show his emotions and that he was madly in love with Griselda even when Quimet and Cintent would say, "he was sick in the head because love was weakening his brain" (71). The relationship Mateo had with Natalia was genuine. Mateo knew he could go to her without being judged, and when Mateo said Quimet didn't realize how lucky he was to have a wife like Natalia, it’s sad that Quimet would never say such a thing to her.

When Natalia decided to kill her children, it was shocking, but I understood that she was helpless and could not see her children suffer anymore. She did so much to try to feed them as a mother. It would be so hard even to think such a thing or even leave your young children alone locked in a room for several hours to make a little bit of money to help. But the family was rescued in time by a kind elderly grocer, who marries Natalia and raises her children as his own. Even though Natalia left Pere for Quimet, she stayed a loyal, hardworking, empathetic mother and wife. I believe that good things happen to good people, that people like the grocer see how she had become and gave her and her children a chance to live again.

My question for the class is: Do you agree with Natalia's idea of trying to kill her children? Do you think there was another way to solve her problem?

Sagan Françoise, Bonjour Tristesse

For this weeks reading I read Bonjour Tristesse by Sagan, Françoise. The text was an easy and enjoyable read. The narrator Cecile was an intriguing narrator I was constantly hooked into what she would do or say. She was unpredictable. Her lifestyle of living in the moment caused her many problems because she put no thought into how her actions would effect her future. This is where Anne would have brought a positive influence into the 'live for now' dynamic Cecile had with her father. I found it crazy how on page 25 Cecile's father said why should Cecile get her diploma "I never got any diploma and I manage to live very well. . . . My daughter will always have a man to take care of her." This explains a lot about the relationship between Cecile and her dad because he doesn't expect anything of Cecile and this reinforces her carelessness about her life. 

Cecile's relationship with her father also affected her relationship and view of men in general. This can be seen when Cecile says "I much preferred my father's friends, men of forty, who spoke to me courteously and tenderly treated me with the gentleness of a father - or lover" (21). However I did not think Cecile's relationship with her father was as bad as some of the other readings, like Agostino, but the way he raised her brought up all sorts of other problems. Also it contributed to how stubborn she was when it came to her father's engagement to Anne. Anne valued all the things that Cecile could not stand. Anne came in the way of the life that Cecile built with her father and she was too stubborn to accept help until it was too late. Anne was the only person who held Cecile accountable especially when it came to her education. If Cecile could have embraced Anne into their family it would have benefited her to have this respectable role mode in her life, but instead she was left with an incredible sadness and no improvement to her lifestyle.

I thought this book gave an interesting perspective on this young girl's life and how the choices she made could effect the lives of the people around her. This read held my interest from beginning to the end. I also enjoyed getting to see the dynamics of a blended family and the relationship between a daughter and her perspective step-mother.

My question for the class is How would Cecile be different if her father raised her with more important morals?

Alberto Moravia, Agostino

This week's reading Agostino by Alberto Moravia was an interesting and easy read that gave voice to sexuality, class, and maturity. I was slightly uncomfortable with the relationship between Agostino and his mother and how he viewed her. It definitely did not help the situation when his mother welcomed a young man, Renzo, who had the same friendly and spontaneous ease that characterized her relations with her son. The thought of sharing his mom or not having his mother complete desirable attention made him extremely jealous. This betrayed behaviour made me think that he had a hard time accepting his family dynamics. The betrayal was hard for him to take since he may have thought she was not just leaving him but also moving on from his dead father.
 
Agostino seems to have lost his childhood and is confused with growing up. He seems confused with his true identity. He explores brothels, experiments with risky behaviour, like smoking, and sneaking out to hang out with his friends. It is definitely not easy for a thirteen-year-old teen during this stage of life. We all went through these fragile years of coming to maturity and handling all the emotions and questions that came with it. Alberto Moravia did a great job setting the scenes and the feelings felt by Agostino coming to face the separation he was getting from his mother. I think this confusion and loss of innocence Agostino feels has a lot to do with his father not being there. I believe as a growing boy with all these emotions coming in, it's more difficult without a father figure present to help guide the situation. I sympathize with the narrator as he is going through a significant milestone in his life and does not have any guidance or support. His new friends are not quite the mentors as he is repeatedly humiliated for his weakness and ignorance regarding women and sex. 
 
I could not stop making connections to Freud’s Oedipus Complex throughout reading this novel. Everything that I learned in psychology made me wonder how much Freud would love to dive into Agostino's mind and make sense of his secret unconscious thoughts and desires on his mother since many psychoanalysis were present.
 
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was an easy and detailed read. It was easy for me to be captivated within the book, feel the confusion from the narrative, and visualize the imagery and scenery of the beaches and boats of Tuscany. My question for the class is: How would a father figure have helped Agostino navigate these difficult changes?