Esteban Trueba Character Analysis

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The House of The Spirits by Isabel Allende masterfully incorporates complex characters and intricate plots to create an unforgettable spectacle of familial relationships, femininity, and political strife. The story develops over three generations of the De Valle/Trueba family allowing for relationships to be made between an array of characters. Esteban Trueba, a central figure in the story, is defined through characteristics conveyed in his treatment of Alba de Satigny and Esteban García. With the establishment of Alba and Esteban García’s interactions, Allende also makes a simple but crucial distinction between the characters which, in turn, leads to a fuller understanding about the nature of forgiveness and resentment. In analyzing Esteban’s …show more content…

Esteban’s relationships with everyone else in the house were deteriorated, so much of his affection and sentiments are bestowed to Alba; he mentions that Alba meant more to him than any of his actual children had. “Those moments with his granddaughter [were remembered] as the happiest of his whole existence...Senator Trueba’s relationship with the rest of his family only worsened with time” (275). From waking him up in the morning to accompanying him to Tres Marías, Alba has developed a special bond with Esteban that allows for his repressed personality to arise, one that simultaneously was covered again by the rest of his family. Seeing Esteban in a negative light for much of the book due to his behavior at Tres Marías and his treatment of his family members, Alba gives a refreshing take on Esteban, showing that Esteban has the potential to become a person separate from his actions. His relationship with Alba is also his reconciliation with his past. Esteban gives Alba what he was unable to give his other children, whether it be lavish gifts or support. In caring for Alba, he was also making up for his love that would’ve gone to Rosa, his original lover, and Clara, who left him after his abuse. Alba had inherited traits from Esteban’s past lovers, such as Rosa’s green hair and Clara’s intuition; for Esteban, this allows a deeper connection to be made with

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