María · Chapter
LVII explained
Two months after María's death, Efraín receives the last of Emma's story and the key to María's closet.
What happens
Two months after María's death, Efraín receives the last of Emma's story and the key to María's closet. He visits his father, who gives him Salomón's will and dowry papers, confessing his role in separating Efraín from María. Efraín then returns to the house on the sierra, where he revisits the scenes of his love, opens María's closet, and finds her braids. Overcome with grief, he wanders the garden and is stopped by Tránsito, who shows him her baby, offering a glimpse of life's continuity.
Themes in this chapter
Disease and Death
The chapter is steeped in grief and mourning following María's death, with Efraín's visit to her room and the memory of her funeral.
Love and Sacrifice
Efraín's profound love for María is shown through his intense grief and the keepsakes he cherishes, while his father's confession reveals the sacrifice that separated them.
Characters to notice
- Efraín
Grieving deeply, revisits the house and María's belongings, contemplates suicide, and is consoled by Tránsito.
- Emma
Gives Efraín the key to María's closet and the last part of the story.
- Juan Ángel
Accompanies Efraín, asleep on his knees, and later lights a candle in the house.
- Tránsito
Finds Efraín at the ravine, comforts him, and shows him her baby.
- Braulio
Present with Tránsito, embraces Efraín.
Key passages
“It is to go to Kingston. It is Salomón’s last will and his daughter’s dowry papers. If my regard for your interests, made me separate you from her, and hasten her death, perhaps, you will know how to forgive me.”
Efraín's father gives him documents and confesses that his concern for Efraín's future led him to separate the lovers, possibly contributing to María's death, and asks for forgiveness.
The father's guilt and plea for forgiveness highlight the theme of family duty versus love.
“I opened the closet; it exhaled the loved fragrance. My hands and lips were pressed to those garments which I knew so well. I drew out the drawer of which Emma had told me; the precious box was in it. A cry escaped me, and a shadow fell upon my eyes as those braids, which still seemed to know my kisses, unrolled in my hands.”
Efraín opens María's closet, touches her clothes, and finds the box with her braids, which overwhelms him with emotion.
The sensory experience of María's belongings intensifies Efraín's grief.
“At the edge of the ravine, lined with rosebushes, in whose jagged bottom lay the mist and thundered the river, a criminal idea for a moment dried my tears and cooled my brow.”
Standing at the ravine, Efraín briefly contemplates suicide, a 'criminal idea' that dries his tears.
Efraín's despair reaches a suicidal point, showing the depth of his loss.