Broken Mirror: A Deep Dive into Rodoreda’s Novel
Prologue: A Novel’s Essence
A novel is a tapestry of intuitions, resurrections of the heart, honor, and disappointments. Details are paramount. Rodoreda experienced a period of writer’s block due to other priorities, such as survival. She found writing short stories less demanding. Her first novel, The Garden by the Sea, was the last to be published. It was a monologue that paved the way for her other works.
Broken Mirror stemmed from the creation of the sea and Diamond Square. The novel’s roots now run deep within it. The name originated from a place she visited during her childhood. Many readers believed the character of Colometa in Diamond Square was Rodoreda herself, but she clarifies that while all her characters possess aspects of her, none are entirely her. After crafting Diamond Square, she struggled to envision an alternative novel. Many readers immersed themselves in Colometa’s character, and Rodoreda felt trapped. She needed to create a completely opposite character, thus Cecilia from Camellia Street was born.
Writing Broken Mirror proved challenging due to the lingering fatigue from Diamond Square. Between writing short stories, she penned My Cristina. Cecilia’s childhood drew inspiration from a chapter in an alternative version of Broken Mirror, “Sanavia Without Building,” which she realized didn’t align with her style. After developing Camellia Street, she revisited and rewrote Aloma’s Youth. She took a break to fully concentrate on Broken Mirror.
Mercedes Rodoreda aimed to create a novel about a wealthy family, an abandoned house, and a desolate garden. The characters are neither inherently good nor bad, mirroring the complexities of real people. They harbor secrets. In the novel, not everyone who falls in love reciprocates, and not everyone who seeks to give love finds a recipient.
Rodoreda opted not to use interior monologue, desiring a broader narrative scope. She wanted to portray three generations, necessitating diverse perspectives and narrative voices.
Before writing the book, she had two chapters organized. One focused on the children, drawing inspiration from her own childhood, which informed Cecilia’s character. The other centered on the adult characters, particularly Eladi from Diamond Square.
She considered several titles for the novel: The Abandoned House, A Family’s Stories, The Past, Three Generations.
Rodoreda described how Broken Mirror differed from her other novels. She wrote it much slower, unlike her previous works. She also explained that she discarded a file containing numerous characters whose voices she had explored.
The character of Teresa Goday emerged from an anecdote. Mercedes visited the restaurant Pearl of the Lake and observed a girl gazing at the river. This encounter inspired Teresa Goday. Rodoreda was captivated by the girl’s expressive eyes.
In Teresa Goday, Rodoreda was interested in exploring several aspects relevant to the novel: secrets, unrequited love, moral ambiguity, and nostalgia.
Justifying the Novel’s Title
Mirror = Water: Evokes the classical myth of Narcissus. Water can also symbolize death.
Eyes = Mirror of the Heart: The mirror reflects the inner world.
Types of Mirrors: Truthful, magical, evil, superficial.
Behind the Mirror: Lies the dream world, our deepest reality. Those who dream avoid monotony.
Amadeu Riera: The character was conceived when Rodoreda’s friends visited her notary’s office. On the table sat a crystal and silver vase containing a red rose. They discussed the need to cover his house in Cadaqués.
Armanda: The character was inspired by an encounter on Santaló Street in Barcelona. Rodoreda saw an elderly woman, impeccably dressed and carrying a basket overflowing with food, walking with a slight limp. Her eyes still held a spark of excitement, adorned with carnation buds. This encounter gave rise to the Valldaura family’s cook.
Sofia: Rodoreda then envisioned Teresa’s daughter, Sofia. She wanted to create a completely different character who could play a significant role, with her husband as her antagonist.
The Garden: The garden of the Valldaura house is fictional and idealized.
Two Recurring Themes in Rodoreda’s Works
The Angel:
When Mercedes was three or four years old, her grandfather told her she had a guardian angel. This belief stayed with her and likely influenced her writing.
We see this manifested in Armanda’s dream, where Eladi appears as an angel.
Metamorphoses:
Inspired by Ovid’s work, Rodoreda uses metamorphosis as a means of escape and liberation for her characters and herself.
1. Structure of the Novel
The novel is divided into three parts, each with an introductory section.
Part One: Introduction
Part Two: Tragedy
This part features three generations of characters, completing the family history.
Jaume’s death foreshadows the tragedy that permeates the second part: Maria’s suicide, Ramon’s escape, Eladi’s death/suicide… These are signs of the doom and destruction looming over the family.
Transition from Part Two to Part Three
This section marks a shift from realism to the fantastical:
The ghosts of Maria and Teresa appear.
These are two characters who deserve redemption.
Part Three: Decomposition
Teresa dies of old age.
The Civil War reaches the tower.
Sofia flees to France.
Armanda becomes the keeper of the family’s memory.
The last three witnesses, Ramon, Sofia, and Armanda, eventually reunite.
Sofia decides to sell the tower to make way for new homes.
2. Themes of the Novel
The theme of the broken mirror reflects two fundamental human concerns: love and death.
Love creates internal conflicts.
Death manifests in various forms, as seen in the novel: alleged murders, suicides, death from old age.
The destruction of the physical space symbolizes the death of memory: the end of a world destined for oblivion.