Part one of term paper
The novel is titled because Olga, the grandmother who wrote the letters, tried to convey to her Granddaughter that unless she follows her heart, she will never be happy. Olga has this viewpoint because during her life she didn't follow her heart, and made decisions based upon what other people had to say, no matter what she felt. There ...

Part two of term paper
... thought was of death" describes Olga's unhappiness and how she didn't follow her heart when she married Augusto. Olga would have happily left him and moved back to Trieste, but the quote "Why didn't I pack my bags and return to Trieste? Because at that time neither separation nor divorce existed" explains why she didn't leave. At that time marriages "could only be ended in the case of very serious ill treatment." Augusto never hurt Olga, so she had no decent reason to leave him, although her heart ...