Las Ataduras Flashcards
‘Nunca está uno libre: el que no está atado a algo no vive’
- Santiago
when to use:
bonds, Santiago and Alina, Benjamin and Alina, Philippe and Alina (bc. reference to marriage)
- reference to the title
- good explanation of the relationship between Benjamin and Alina (Benjamin wants to be her ‘Atadura’)
- context - Alina asks Santiago if she will get married - this is his response
‘Pero cuando hay tormenta, tiene que estallar, y si no estalla es mucho peor.’
- Phillipe
when to use:
Philippe and Alina, Benjamin and Alina, family question
- context - Philippe telling Alina she has to face her problems with her family otherwise she will ‘explode’
- good to explain the tension between Alina and Philippe and also Alina and her family
‘Las verdaderas ataduras son las que uno escoge, las que se busca y se pone uno solo, pudiendo no tenerlas’
- Santiago
when to use:
reference to title, Benjamin and Alina, Philippe and Alina
- context - Santiago explaining to Alina the difference between her relationship with Benjamin compared to Philippe
- Benjamin wants to be her ‘atadura’ but Santiago is telling her that they are bonds you choose not something that is put onto her
‘Se puede uno pasar la vida, hija, sin perderse por mundos nuevos. Y hasta ser sabio.’
- Benjamin
when to use:
theme of escape, Benjamin and Alina, controlling/possessiveness
- Benjamin wants Alina to stay with him - shows him being controlling
- context - conversation with Alina, Santiago and Benjamin, Santiago knows Alina well and knows that she will leave -
- first time we see how much Benjamin doesn’t know Alina
‘Que ya no aguanto más aquí encerrada’
- Alina
when to use:
- Philippe and Alina, escape, relationship difficulties, family problems
- Alina at her breaking point in her argument with Philippe, very overwhelmed
- context - just before she runs out of the house to the river
‘Nunca había encontrado esta dificultad de comunicarse con ellas’
- Narrator
when to use:
- Alina and her childhood, change etc
- context - Alina talking about how she can’t relate to any of the other girls from her village - she feels distant
- mostly since Santiago’s death - she hasn’t been the same and shows how much she needs to get out of the village
‘Ella, Benjamín, no era para morirse entre estas cuatro paredes’
- Herminia
when to use:
- independence, Benjamin and Alina, Herminia and Alina
- context - Herminia telling Benjamin that Alina is not going to spend the rest of her life in their village, and that he needs to accept this
‘Tú me pones nerviosa, tú!’
- Alina
when to use:
- relationship difficulties, Philippe and Alina
- context - Alina gets very overwhelmed and angry - highlights the frustration in their relationship
- anger also a result of her problems with her father
‘Su abuelo y su padre parecían querer disputársela para causas contradictorias…’
- Narrator
when to use:
- Santiago/Benjamin and Alina, relationship difficulties
- context - Alina grew up with Benjamin and Santiago always arguing over her
- clear to the reader that Santiago knows her much better
‘El dice que yo he nacido para estar libre’
- Alina
when to use:
- Benjamin and Alina, control, marriage
- context - Alina telling Santiago that her father told her she was born to be free - he is the one that is telling her how to live her life (controlling)
- possible to argue that her marriage to Philippe is a form of rebellion - Benjamin says she won’t get married so she does to spite him
‘A ella la hizo andarina y salvaje’
- Narrator
when to use:
- description of Alina, her childhood
- context - describing Alina as a child, how she was active and wild
- comes up later when Philippe mentions what he likes about her
- shows how Alina has always been in love with nature and very independent
‘Alina en esos momentos pensaba que tenía razón su padre.’
- Narrator
when to use:
- Benjamin and Alina, escape, control
- contest - after Eloy firsts mentions to Alina that he is leaving - she gets very upset
- Alina starts to doubt herself and thinks that her father is right and that she should stay in the village
“No está en edad de atarse a nadie”
- Benjamin
when to use:
- Benjamin and Alina, control, bonds
- context - Benjamin says this at the Romeria - he comments about how she is not at the age to be attached to anyone
- selfish - he wants her to himself and does not want her to find anyone else - also just wants to show off to his friends
‘La llevaba con él al monte en todo tiempo y le enseñaba los nombres de las hierbas y los bichos.’
- Narrator
when to use:
- childhood, Benjamin and Alina, love of nature
- context - description of her childhood spent with her father in nature - he taught her what she knows about animals and nature etc.
- shows that they did once have a good relationship when she was a child
‘Pero Alina no tenía miedo de ningún bicho.’
- Narrator
when to use:
- bravery, nature, strength of Alina
- shows her love of nature and how she has never been afraid of animals
- good to use for a nature essay - can link to her personal life and feelings as well
‘Quería escapar, cambiar de vida. Se hizo huraña y estaba siempre ausente.’
- Narrator
when to use:
- Santiago and Alina, Alina and death
- context - shows how much Alina changed after Santiago’s death
- she is still stuck at home but she still has the same urge to escape - perhaps even stronger now that it has been so long
‘Me parece mentira todo lo de la iglesia, no creo en nada de nada’
- Alina
when to use:
- religion, death, change
- context - Alina has lost her faith in religion in the time after Santiago’s death - she doesn’t believe in anything anymore
‘Como la voy a dejar?’ ‘Ya no habla conmigo como antes..’
- Benjamin
when to use:
- Benjamin and Alina, separation, change
- context - Benjamin is very possessive over Alina - he can’t accept that she wants to go to church etc
- he doesn’t understand that she has changed since Santiago died - doesn’t like that she has become more secluded
‘Porque solo las mujeres entienden y dan calor’
- Santiago
when to use:
- Santiago and Alina, death, women
- context - when Alina stayed up all night talking with Santiago
- they have a very strong bond - Santiago looks to Alina for reassurance because she is a woman and he had a strong bond with his wife - shows the respect and admiration between the two
“Luchaba contra aquel sentimiento de alivio que le producía el pensamiento de que se iba a separar de él”
- Narrator
when to use:
- Alina and Benjamin, separation
- context - Alina feels guilty that she is happy that Benjamin finally leaves Paris
- classic Gaite writing style - inner feelings of Alina
