Time of the Doves by Merce Rodoreda

I would like to begin by saying that my feelings about this novel are very mixed I found that in certain parts the descriptive nature of Natalia’s narration was rather boring and it seemed that sometimes she went on and on about things I did not find to be integral to the story, causing me to lose interest a bit. However, in other parts of the book I found her narration extremely interesting or puzzling which allowed me to be pulled back into the novel and live Natalia’s story with her. One of these puzzling narrative elements was her constant use of animal-related imagery when describing people or events. She often referred to Quimet as having “little eyes like a monkey” (16) and Cintet as having “very big eyes like a cow” (27). She also frequently describes herself and her feelings with the imagery of a cat; when she is first in the apartment at the beginning of the novel she says “I felt the way a cat must feel, running around with his tail between his legs or sticking out.” (27). Later after the war had begun and she was contemplating killing her starving children she said “I had about as much strength as a dead cat.” (145) to help describe her situation. I think these links to animals give the reader a unique view into Natalia’s psyche as if she is just as caught off guard by the strangeness of these descriptions as we are As if there is no other way to describe these people and events. This also relates to what was mentioned in the lecture about the barrier between humans and animals and how it relates to the qualified life and the bare life. 

Another point I would like to raise about this novel is that it struck me as feminist literate in the same sense that Bombal’s shrouded woman did. Natalia is also a character struggling to find her freedom and happiness under patriarchal constraints. She tries her best to operate in a way that compliments her husband but at the same time is crushed under the weight of not having a confidant. She constantly has to solve her problems creatively or underhand to not upset the flow of her husband's life or others around her. When work is slow for Quimet and they need money she gets a job cleaning houses in the morning so she can still be home later to care for the children. When Quimet becomes obsessed with raising doves she has to live with them to the point that they start driving her mad “I couldn't tell her all I heard was doves, that my hands still smelled from the sulfur in the water dishes and the birdseed in the food trays.” (101) she goes on to say that she “I had no one to complain to, that it was my private sickness and if I ever complained at home Quimet would start telling me his leg hurt.” (101). This perfectly describes Natalia’s struggle as she is drowning under the weight of her husband's decisions with no one to help or understand her struggles. Even in this situation, she must find an underhanded way to get rid of the doves choosing to torture them rather than interfere with her husband's desires. The struggle many women face is summed up by Natalia when she says “no one cared how I felt and everyone kept asking me to do more like I was superhuman.” (107). At this time a woman's job was to be accommodating and of service to others even at her own expense.

my question is how do you think of how Natalia handled her struggles in the novel? Did you think how she dealt with problems with Quimet, her kids, and the war was clever or unintelligent?