Introduction
“A Heart So White,” is a story narrated by Juan, an interpreter, and translator who lives in Madrid, Spain, with his wife, Luisa. The narrator takes the standpoint of an onlooker as he examines the institution of marriage and its secrets and betrayals. Juan begins his book by reflecting on the death of Teresa, a woman previously married to his father, Ranz. It is against this backdrop of tragedy and emotional alienation that the story begins. Marías explores the intricacies of marriage and highlights major themes such as emotional alienation and the tragedy of death. This paper explores the themes of emotional alienation in relationships, and the tragedy of death in Javier Marías’ book, “A Heart So White.”
First, “A Heart So White” explores the theme of emotional alienation and lack amongst loved ones. There are several happenings in the book that highlight emotional alienation. For example, the story starts with the death of Teresa, who was married to Ranz. It is not clear why she decides to shoot herself. Also, she leaves her family members at the table with tears in her eyes and heads to her room where she shoots herself. She does not share her problem with her family members, and they do not notice her sadness or tears. In this regard, members of this family are emotionally alienated from each other “His daughter must have been crying when she stood before the mirror her eyes were still fool of tears, tears no one had noticed during lunch, and that could not possibly have welled up once she’d fallen to the floor dead” (Marías 4) This statement shows that Teresa was emotionally detached from her family members and could not open up to them. They were also detached from her because they could not tell that she was ailing. This example shows that emotional alienation in this novel is clearly a major theme.
Another major theme in the book is the tragedy of death. The novel opens with the tragedy of Teresa’s suicide. The author goes to great lengths to show the devastation that affects Teresa’s family and the people around her. Her father is particularly very distraught. He also feels helpless and imagines that he should have saved her. “That perhaps his daughter, while she was crying, had been expecting, wanting someone to open the door and stop her doing what she’d done” (Marías 4). This statement underlines the tragedy and irreversibility of death. It also shows the impact that loss of life has on people who believe they could have stopped it.
Conclusion
Javier Marías’ book, “A Heart So White,” explores the marriage institution. It begins by highlighting the occurrences surrounding the life of Juan, and how he came to be born as well as the people around him. The book captures several themes, but perhaps the most interesting are emotional alienation and the tragedy of death. Regarding alienation, the book explores Teresa’s suicide and how she had been emotionally distant from her family. It also explores the tragedy of her death and how it affects the people around her. Overall, Javier Marias’ book provides a rich subject for thematic analysis.
Work Cited
Marías, Javier. A Heart So White. London: Harvill, 1995. Print.
