Las ataduras (1960) is a short story by Carmen Martin Gaite (1925–2000) that focuses on the life of Alina, an intelligent girl who shares a strong bond with her father, Benjamin, and her maternal grandfather.
As Alina matures, and especially after the passing of her grandfather, she sees her friends become adults: Eloy moves to Buenos Aires and others marry and have children.
Alina grows restless and yearns to leave the village; she admits to Don Felix that she has lost faith.
Later, Alina starts to have a sexual relationship with a French man named Philippe which results in her falling in love with Phillippe, becoming pregnant, marrying Philippe, and moves to Paris with him where they have two sons, abandoning her dreams of majoring in art in Santiago de Compostela.
"Las ataduras" encompasses many themes, most notably: bonds, love, tradition, and the true meaning of freedom.