《伊莎贝尔》"The Story of Isabelle Gladys"

The translators final question, "What is your happiness built upon, women?" If it were Gladys, I believe she would answer "youth." Gladys pathological narcissism prioritizes the pursuit and enjoyment of her own "beauty" above all else, leading to the tragic stories of her daughter and grandson. As she aged and struggled against the signs of aging by desperately concealing and denying the marks of time on her body, her panicked and hasty gunshot to Bernards request not only killed him but also completely invalidated herself.

Initially, I intended to give this work a four-star rating, as I thought the character of Gladys may have been too exaggerated for the sake of the literary work and had made me uncomfortable. However, it was not until the translators afterword that I realized this was a partial portrayal of the authors own experiences. Perhaps, just as in patrilineal societies where women are superficially oppressed by other women, I believe that mothers will not treat their daughters as pathologically as Gladys did.

It is evident that Gladys enjoyed the adoration of men. When faced with Montys proposal, she repeatedly refused him until the thought crossed her mind again, and she realized that she was about 20 years older than him, causing her even more panic. She was aware of her feelings for Monty, stating "I love him. Im not keeping him out of virtue or anything nice between us. You dont understand that. You are still a child. I am keeping him because I am a woman who has to feel that she is still young and pretty, who still has something to offer him to satisfy his vanity. If he knew my age, and if he knew that I had lied all these years, what shame I would feel. And what a punishment to be old, what a punishment to be robbed of love. He would leave me. If he didnt leave me, it would be worse, because I would think he was after my money, and I couldnt bear the thought. I would die of it. I need someone to love me."

Gladys mother was semi-insane, and Gladys herself was indifferent as a mother. Ultimately, Gladys was a child who never felt safe or grew up, and liked to attract peoples attention when dancing. The phrase "need love" is mentioned many times throughout the text, because she has never truly felt loved; she enjoys the admirations of men because it proves her own existence. Therefore, when her daughter died, Gladys mourned and said, "There is no one left in this world who loves me."