Life, Death, and Cinematic Montage in María Luisa Bombal's "The Shrouded Women"

 


 Life, Death, and Cinematic Montage in María Luisa Bombal's "The Shrouded Women"

The line between the known and the paranormal is blurred in María Luisa Bombal's book "The Shrouded Woman," offering an intriguing exploration of life after death. The story revolves around a women, Ana María's death. Though her body is dead, Ana María's awareness is alive, enabling her subconscious to observe people who were once her family the grieving of her death. Through the protagonist Ana María, who lies dead yet conscious in her casket, Bombal uses a cinematic montage method, contrasting aspects of the real world with the portrayed mysterious world of death.

The story is told through a series of disjointed memories in which Ana María recalls important events in her life. This disconnected storytelling approach is similar to the montage method of filmmaking, which contrasts unrelated sequences to form a cohesive whole. Ana María has conflicting interpretations of herself as she makes her way through her memories, which present her as a complex, and multifaceted person. Ana María is portrayed as an insightful person who struggles with existential issues, while also being an intense mother, a naïve girl, a selfish lady, and a passionate lover. Her persona is given more complexity by all the different perspectives shown, which highlights how subjective human perception is.

Ana María learns a great deal about her past self as she explores the paranormal world of death. Death doesn't seem to be an end in and of itself, but rather opens a door to enlightenment, freeing her from the ordinary concerns of life. Ana María's funeral, which marks the end of her journey, represents the transcendence of real life—a life enhanced by self-awareness and a sense of cosmic order. By contrasting Ana María's past and present, Bombal goes further into the connection between life and death. The cinematic montage technique employed in the novel underscores the seamless integration of these two realms, emphasizing the cyclical nature of existence.  This portrays death as an integral aspect of the human experience rather than an isolated occurrence.

Bombal's portrayal of death offers a captivating departure from conventional religious and theoretical perspectives we usually are taught or have heard about. It was a refreshing viewpoint on the afterlife that we don't see every often, which made it intriguing and mysterious. 


My Question: How does Bombal's portrayal of death in "The Shrouded Woman" challenge traditional religious and theoretical perspectives?

Comments

  1. Tesi29 January 2024 at 17:11

    Alex, you made an interesting point of the cinematic aspect of the narrative. The vivid imagery in the text also contributes to this perception. Great reflection on the world of death and life.

    Thanks for your comment

    Tesi

    ReplyDelete

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