The Shrouded Woman: A Story of Love, Loss, and Remembrance
The Shrouded Woman
Part 1
1 to 3
2 to 4
3 to 4
4 to 5
5-3
6-4
7 to 4
8-5
9-3
10-2
11 — 5
12-4
13-2
14-5
15-3
16-4
17 to 1
18-2
19-5
20-3
This book is about a woman named Ana Maria who dies from a heart attack. While lying in her coffin, surrounded by her relatives, she remembers moments from her life with each person who comes to see her.
There was Zoila, her lifelong friend and confidante. Zoila had been like a second mother to Ana Maria, especially after her real mother passed away when she was a child.
Ana Maria’s children were also present. Anita, her twenty-year-old daughter, was a married woman with two children. Her husband, Alberto, was very jealous of her, which caused tension in their marriage and angered Anita.
Her other son, Fred, was the darling of his mother. He was a curious and mischievous child.
After a while, Ana Maria hears the sound of horses approaching the room where her body lay. This triggers a memory of Ricardo, her first love. She recalls her pregnancy with him when they were young. They had been friends for three years before their relationship turned romantic. Upon learning of her pregnancy, Ricardo abandoned her, causing her immense pain. She eventually lost the baby.
The memory of her father’s presence fills her with fear. She had been terrified of telling him about her pregnancy, a fear that lingered throughout her life.
Standing before her is her sister, Alicia, a devoutly religious woman. They had grown up together in a Catholic school, where Alicia was pious and prayerful, while Ana Maria was mischievous and rebellious.
Fernando, her lover, is also present. He seems strangely content, remarking that she can finally rest, as he always took it upon himself to solve her problems. He tells Ana Maria about the death of his wife, Agnes, and she is struck by his cold demeanor.
She also remembers her husband, Antonio, a cold and distant man. At first, she didn’t love him, but after leaving him for a few months, she realized that she did. However, by then, Antonio had become cold and unfaithful.
As she lies in her coffin, listening to Father Charles, she recalls a conversation they had. He had asked her what she wanted from heaven, and she replied that she wanted to be earthly, grounded. She remembers being sick and Father Carlos offering her confession. She put him off, saying the doctor was coming, but her condition worsened, and she received last rites. It was in that moment of truth that she began to die and experience the death of the dead…
She reflects that she could have fought to live, but she chose to rest, to die.
Part 2: Third Flat
Characters
1. Protagonist: Ana Maria
The main character, Ana Maria, was married to Antonio and had three children: Albert, Fred, and Anita.
She was a kind-hearted woman who faced many challenges, including her husband’s infidelity, which filled her with hatred. She had a difficult childhood marked by the absence of her mother and the emotional distance of her father. After getting married, she realized that she was alone and dependent on Zoila, who became a mother figure to her. Ana Maria was so reliant on Zoila that she couldn’t even comb her own hair.
Physically, she was described as a beautiful woman with long eyelashes and delicate hands. She had thick, lovely hair, but her illness made it damp and heavy. She was financially well-off, somewhat capricious, and lived on her estate in the countryside.
2. Antagonist: The Feeling of Love
The antagonist in Ana Maria’s story is the complex and often painful experience of love. She suffers greatly because of her love for Ricardo, her first love, who abandons her after she becomes pregnant. She hides her pregnancy from her family, especially her father, fearing his reaction. Although she loses the baby, the emotional scars remain.
She also endures suffering in her marriage to Antonio. Initially, she doesn’t love him, and her decision to leave him leads to his coldness and infidelity. When she realizes her love for him, it’s too late to repair the damage.
3. Secondary Characters
- Alicia: Ana Maria’s sister. They were raised together in a Catholic school, where Alicia was deeply religious and Ana Maria was rebellious. Alicia was known for her beauty, with her blonde, curly hair. However, over time, she becomes sadder and her physical appearance changes, becoming paler and, in the eyes of others, less attractive.
- Zoila: Ana Maria’s nanny and lifelong companion. She became a surrogate mother to Ana Maria after her mother’s death. Zoila was always there for her, both physically and emotionally. She was an elderly woman with gray hair.
- Fernando: Ana Maria’s confidant and lover. He was privy to all her secrets and often offered a listening ear but rarely gave advice. Fernando was also married to Agnes, who tragically died by suicide using a drug called Veronal. He recounts the incident to Ana Maria, noting that his wife didn’t seem sad before taking her own life.