Of Love and Shadows
...ende's Of Love and Shadows, she creates a story including both love politics. This is a story about a woman named Irene, who is engaged to a high Captain in the military, and in love with Fransisco who is of lower class. She struggles with this love triangle because her parents are more accepting of her fiance Gustavo. Throughout the novel irene struggles with her secret love, which her engagement does not keep her from. Irene finds the passion with Fransisco that is lacking with Gustavo. My reaction to Irene's situation of being caught in a love triangle, is twofold. Allende had me feeling happy for her finding that true love in Fransisco and sad for the struggle she went through with her fiance, Gustavo. I thought Allende was strong for writing about going against the norms of society. In Allende's novel she uses the idea of combining political conflict with the love triangle of Irene, Gustavo and Fransisco. This type of writing keeps the reader emotional attatched to what is going on in the story line. The reader is capable of relating to her struggles in many different ways of their lives. The suspense makes the reader try and decifer what she will end up doing. It is very evident that the book "Of Love and Shadows" has more to it then the theme of love gained and lost. I have found that the idea of the military is quite interesting. Gustavo did not realize how currupt and wrong the actions of his military played. I found the time where he seemed to have found his sense of place soothing and sad. He knew that he loved Irene and he knew that he had believed in his duty. But when he came to the conclusion that he could no longer expect her to love him anymore. I felt that this was a major time of truth for Gustavo. It is very evident that the book "Of Love and Shadows" has more to it then the theme of love gained and lost. I have found that the idea of the military is quite inter...