XVI: Romance of the White Flower explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Love and Marriage

  Richard's idealized love for Transita, his promise to wait until her sixteenth year, and his enduring grief after losing her.

• Exile and Belonging

  Transita's solitary childhood on a lonely coast; Richard's sense of loss and displacement after her disappearance.

• Cultural Clash and Identity

  The de la Barca family's decline from nobility to peasant life; Richard's foreign perspective on Uruguayan politics and society.

• Freedom and Oppression

  Doña Mercedes and Dolores speak of oppression by the government and their hope for Santa Coloma's rebellion to restore their property and freedom.

Characters to notice

• Richard Lamb

  Narrator and protagonist; wounded in the arm and cared for by Dolores and her mother; recounts his past love for Transita de la Barca.

• Dolores Zelaya

  Charming señorita who tends to Richard's wound; expresses passionate devotion to General Santa Coloma and her country.

• Doña Mercedes

  Mother of Dolores; cares for Richard's wound and speaks of the family's suffering and loyalty to Santa Coloma.

• Basilio de la Barca

  Last of the de la Barca family; father of Transita; his life was a series of calamities; he consented to Richard's visits and promise to wait until Transita's sixteenth year.

• Transita de la Barca

  Daughter of Basilio; as a child she played on the seacoast; Richard fell in love with her; she promised her hand at fourteen but disappeared after her father's death.

• General Santa Coloma

  Revered by Dolores and Doña Mercedes as a leader of the rebellion; Richard is associated with him.

• Margarita

  Mentioned as having inherited the form but not the spirit of Transita; described as an exquisite statue.

Key passages

• “The impression this exquisite child made on me it would be impossible to convey in words.”

  Richard cannot adequately describe the impact the beautiful child Transita had on him.

  Richard reflects on his first sight of Transita playing by the sea.

• “I saw her only to love her; nor was it a common passion she inspired in me. I worshipped her, and longed to wear her on my bosom; but I shrank then and for a long time after from breathing the hot breath of love on so tender and heavenly a blossom.”

  Richard fell deeply in love with Transita at first sight, but he hesitated to express his feelings because he saw her as pure and angelic.

  Richard describes his reverence and restraint toward Transita.

• “Since I lost Transita I have had one thought, one love, one religion, and it is all told in one word— Patria.”

  After losing Transita, Richard's only remaining devotion is to his homeland, which he calls 'Patria'.

  Richard explains how his love for Transita transformed into a patriotic passion.