Eva Luna Chapters 3 & 4

The one thing that I love about this book the most is the language and how Isabel Allende chooses her words to describe the characters and the things around them. When Eva's mother died, Eva immediately reminds herself that her mother is still there.

"After a few hours she began to spit blood, and three days later she slipped away without any fuss, just as she had lived. I was at her side, and I have never forgotten that moment, because from that day I have had to sharpen my perception in order not to lost her among the shadows-of-no-return where disembodied spirits go to rest" (43).

I think that for a child of only six years old, Eva is very mature for her age in the fact that she is able to control her emotions and know that her mother is still there with her. Eva also knows that in order for her mother to stay with her, she needs to never forget her because her mother tells her exactly that. "'There is no death, daughter. People die only when we forget them,' my mother explained shortly before she left me. 'If you can remember me, I will be with you always'" (43).

I love how Isabel Allende talks about her mother's death. The way that she describes how Consuelo was still taking care of herself even though she knew that her life was coming to an end. Eva's mother still bathed herself and got herself dressed and made herself look presentable even though she knew that she was dying.

I also had a question throughout the reading. Are Eva's stories real, are they made up, or are they stories of dreams that she has had? I was unsure if these stories that Eva told were stories that were passed down to her or if she was clever enough to make up these stories that she told.

In chapter 4, I really enjoyed the opening description of how the postman knew that something wasn't right because of the feeling that he had with his bodily senses, and I liked the description of how he used those sense to track down what was wrong. I also loved the description of the body of the forest and how the postman could see that there was something wrong by how the forest felt. "But the mailman was on edge, his skin prickling because he perceived signs no other human eye would have registered. He always imagined the forest as a huge green beast with gentle blood flowing through its veins, a calm-spirited animal; but today it was restless. He got off his bicycle and sniffed the early morning air, seeking the reason for his uneasiness. The silence was so absolute he feared he had gone deaf. He laid his bicycle on the ground and took a couple of steps off the path to look around. He did not have to go far; there it was, waiting for him, hanging from a branch above his head, a thick cord around its neck" (78-79).

The descriptions of this scene made it feel very real for me and I had chills reading this section, and not a lot of books have given me that feeling. I think that how Allende chooses to describe the scenes and the characters are what makes me want to read more.