# XXXII explained — María

> Chapter companion for María by Jorge Isaacs.

## What happens

Efraín and his father work late into the night on business matters. A servant arrives with letters, one of which reveals a major financial loss. The father is devastated, blaming himself for trusting others. They decide to conceal the news from the mother and delay their return home. Efraín reflects on the harshness of misfortune in old age and the beauty of the valley that he may never see again.

## Themes in this chapter

### Family and Duty

Efraín and his father work together, and the father's concern for concealing the loss from the mother highlights familial duty and protection.

### Disease and Death

The father's reflection on old age and the proximity of the grave underscores the theme of mortality and the weight of misfortune in later life.

## Character check-ins

### Efraín

Narrator and son, deeply affected by the financial disaster and the impending journey.

### Señor A⸺

Efraín's father, who receives the devastating news of financial loss and struggles with the blow.

### María

Mentioned in Efraín's thoughts as he imagines her sleeping peacefully, unaware of the troubles.

### Feliciana

Old nurse, mentioned as the one to give the servant something to eat.

## Key lines

> There are strokes of misfortune which one receives in youth with indifference, without uttering a complaint; then one trusts in the future. But those which come upon one in old age seem the work of a cowardly enemy; it is but a short distance to the grave.

Misfortune is easier to bear when young because the future seems full of hope, but in old age, it feels like a cruel blow, especially when death is near.

_Reflection on the differing impact of hardship at different stages of life._

> That man has killed me! Read that letter. At last, what your mother dreaded has happened.

The father expresses that the news from the letter is devastating, confirming the mother's fears.

_The father's reaction to the financial loss._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mar_a_se/chapters/xxxii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mar_a_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mar_a_se/chapters