Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits In many novels, relationships shape a character. Throughout Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits dissimilar individuals constantly come together to form relationships that change or develop their disposition. While Allende uses relationships to build upon a character, she also depicts a character's living environment in order to confirm their true soul and lifestyle. Due to the observation of both relationships and environments, a character's true qualities are expressed to a reader. The relationship between two individuals, Ferula and Clara, proves itself a positive product of the union of differing people. Through analysis of Ferula's home and close observation of her bond with Clara, Allende reveals Ferula's true character as she illustrates Ferula's dramatic change from a desolate soul to the selfless and loving character that molds Clara into the confident woman she aspires to. Ferula's life story, the desolation of her soul, and the connection she eventually has with Clara all became evident in the mere description of her living environment. At one point in the novel, Clara wrote of her experience in the vicinity of Ferula?s home. Clara explained that ?The tenement was a long passageway of ruined houses, all exactly the same; small impoverished dwellings built of cement, each with a single door and two windows. They were painted in drab colors and their peeling walls were linked across the narrow passageway by wires hung from side to side. [She] walked deeper into the neighborhood, avoiding puddles of dirty water that overflowed from the gutters and dodging piles of garbage in which cats were digging like silent shadows. In the center of the little... ... middle of paper ... ...ship with Clara, Ferula became one of the most dynamic characters within The House of the Spirits. From ?ruined houses? to a life giving ?fountain? Allende demonstrated the great transformation of Ferula?s soul from complete desolation to true love. The bond she shared with Clara proved itself as one that could not compare to any others within the novel. Clara ?always was thinking of [Ferula]?(152), demonstrating the great impression Ferula left with her. No other relationships developed such a transformation as did this one. Truly, Ferula?s love influenced Clara?s life and molded her heart with the love and confidence that forever remained in the Trueba household and its memories. Works Cited: Allende, Isabel. The House of the Spirits. Trans. Magda Bogin. New York: Bantam Books, 1986. Trans. of La casa de los espiritus. Barcelona: Plaza and James. 1982.
Filban said the home had a yard that was overgrown. “The trees and bushes were overgrown, and the house was dark,” Filban said. “And the windows were covered.” She and her sister slept in the front bedroom of the house. She remembers the bedroom having a large, floor-to-ceiling window. She said you could look out and see the wra...
? . . . it made no difference if they studied medicine or had the right to vote, because they would not have the strength to do it, but she herself [Nivea] was not brave enough to be among the first to give up the fashion.? (6, Ch 1) The women in this society are dependant on the dominant male figure to handle political and economical duties. This point of view is intended to mimic the older generation of women ad present a foundation for the growth of an enlightened generation. Allende uses this excerpt to present a foundation of structure to the novel by beginning with the extremes of opinion, which are followed in the novel through different generations. Alba for example, become a very outspoken activist by trying to attend the student protests and follow Miguel on his demonstrations, a sharp contrast to the indifference or shallowness found in her great grandmother.
Within Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits Marxism is a significant theme and the
With the unfortunate events that transpired causing Iris and her family to evacuate death’s curse, find shelter, and start a new beginning, tragedy has brought the harmony of Clara’s outer beauty and Iris’s inner beauty together, allowing Clara to transform into the creature in which God truly intended her to be, not by magic, but by the words of wisdom, and the visionary power of Clara’s newly found sister, Iris.
At the beginning of the book The House of the Spirits, Uncle Marcos arrives at the Del Valle residents but, he is not alive. Along with the dead body of uncle Marcos is Barrabás, his dog. Clara loved Barrabás very much. Nivea was the mother of 15 children and only 11 had survived and are still alive. Clara is the youngest child. Clara has these sorts of “powers” and is able to communicate with the supernatural. She is able to make tables move and predict the future. The oldest child, Rosa, is known to be the most beautiful girl around. Everyone envy’s her. Rosas fiancé, Esteban Trueba works up north in the mines and does not get to see Rosa much. In an accidental poisoning that was meant for the father, Severo del Valle, Rosa consumes the poison and dies. Clara is awestruck by the events that it causes Clara to become silent. She doesn’t talk to anyone at all. Clara has a vision she will marry Esteban and nine years later she starts talking and marries Esteban. They then move away to a small town that is very run down. Esteban does what he can to fix up the town. He completely restores the town and makes a good living for himself. He is considered to be the “Patron” of the town. Esteban sexually abuses many of the younger children in the village. One of them is Pancha who is seen throughout the story. Ferul...
Eagleton, Terry. El sentido de la vida (2007) Tr. Albino Mosquera. Barcelona: Paidós, 2008. Print.
Clara becomes married, recognizing that she will keep the freedom she had before marriage, while Pechorin is immediate in rejecting commitment because of his fear that it will stifle his independence. After being married to Esteban Trueba, Clara is unmoved and remains distant, putting the diamond jewels her new husband gave her ?in a shoe box, and quickly [forgetting] where she put it?(Allende, 95). She knows that being married to Esteban is her destiny and is not excited by her role as a married woman. During their honeymoon, Esteban realizes that Clara does not in fact belong to him and she would not trade her ?world of apparitions? simply for him (Allende, 96). He tries many times to win her over with presents of jewelry and candy and expressing his affection but Clara?s manner towards her marriage does not change, while her otherworldly magic and knowledge increases and develops. Over the course of time Allende shows how Esteban grows dependent Clara, eventually ?hound[ing] her? for attention (Allende, 180). On the contrary, Lermontov demonstrates Pechorin?s mascul...
In conclusion, through these two characters Janie and Estrella, it is shown that social immobility is something that causes people to lose their innocence and become restricted. Through these two characters, the readers are able to women going through many instances of trouble, and overcoming the boundaries and restrictions. Janie shows the readers that materialistic marriages are bound to be inevitably unhappy in the end, and women can achieve happiness in a marriage through love and choice. Estrella in her own way shows how social immobility causes many problems for people in the migrant working social class but hope is something needed to overcome the demons and hardships in life.
Allende’s character Esteban Trueba has a very intricate life. Through his triumphs and defeats and through the different places of this novel, Allende portrays several elements that clearly exemplify historical, political and economic events in Chile. Esteban’s life is that of the low class in Chile. He usually longs for power and money to make good things happen. After leaving, his mother and sister, and starting a new and independent life, Esteban’s ideology changes dramatically. For the first time he directly experiments success and wealth. He feels as if he has no problems, mainly because he does not have a family to weigh him down. Trueba's move to Three Marias seems to appease his hunger temporarily, before his monstrous, demanding, and ever growing needs overwhelms him. The type of lifestyle achieved by Esteban Trueba in Three Marias far surpassed that of living with his mother and sister, however only brief moments of satisfaction are incurred. These, previously mentioned, moments created a hunger for perfection and greed that would continue perpetuate at any cost. Only when Trueba receives a letter from Ferula does he remember his life with her and his mother, which forces him to endure his memories of poverty and pain. He even remembers the smell of medicine, which had encompassed their home. These memories force Esteban to reflect on the reasons and ideas that made him leave his origins. He reminisces on that portion of his life, occupied by the deterioration of his family.
The two characters help each other develop throughout the story. Fenstad is a person who is very reluctant to change, whereas his mother is an individual whose mind is always open to new possibilities. It did not surprise me that Mrs.
...book. These symbols and recurrences are not coincidental or superficial, but upon investigation, give deeper insight into how deeply the mindset of our main character was affected. We now know that Felipe had almost no choice and was lulled into this household. Then there is a plausible explanation about the true relationship between Aura and Senora Consuelo. This book turns out to be a very strange life/death cycle that still leaves questions that need to be answered.
The House of the Spirits written by Isabel Allende is an extraordinary novel that weaves together, history, politics, and current events to create a unique piece of literature. Throughout the novel on several occasions it is clear that there is inequality between the aristocrats and the peasants and this leads to struggle between the classes. The issue of class struggle takes the form of growing conflict by causing a division between the Conservatives and Socialists. At the head of the Conservatives is Esteban Trueba, a violent and materialistic figure. He believes people need to work their way up to the top and there is no reason that peasants share the upper classes wealth. On the other hand, Pedro Tercero Garcia represents the Socialistic view and he is willing to make the change through revolutionary principles. As the novel progresses class differences begin to build up and result in a political struggle between the Conservatives and Socialists thereby impacting the society in a negative way and causing it to rip to shreds.
When women are kept in their classical role of mother and caretaker, all is well and their lives are simple. Children relate positively to their mothers in this typical setting; while Dantés was in prison, during a time of distress, he remembered something his mother had done for him. For example, Dumas writes, “He remembered the prayers his mother had taught him and found meanings in them which he had formerly been unaware.” (41). Mothers teach their children to the best of their ability, evidenced in Dantés, as well as when Caderousse says Mercédès is instructing her son, Albert. It is in these moments that a mother’s love, compassion, and necessity are revealed. Lives are calm and enriched as long as women are in their niche. This includes non-maternal nurturing roles, for example, Mercédès attentiveness to Dantés father and Valentine’s special ability to care for Nortier. This loyalty is valued and shown as essential for the stability of life. Though The Count of Monte Cristo depicted women as best suited to the home, they intermittently stepped further out of that r...
Fermina Daza was raised in an environment where women’s success is based on her ability to marry a man of honor and monetary value. She is expected to be brought up in this manner by a fellow female or mother; however Fermina’s mother died when Fermina was very young, thus her father, Lorenzo Daza, an illiterate mule trader, was left to take on the role. Márquez identifies Lorenzo’s motives and expectations for Fermina as he states, “When [Lorenzo Daza’s] wife died, he had set only one goal for himself: to turn his daughter into a great lady.” His emphasis on his one goal for Fermina infers that he did not necessarily have the to intentions to build or establish a communicative relationship with his daughter. He wanted better for Fe...
In the novel A Thousand splendid suns, Hosseini exemplifies the need for companionship and love through the genuine lack of these characteristics in Mariam, a underappreciated, illegitimate woman. Mariam’s battle for self-worth shapes the sincerity of her relationships with others and how they feel they should treat her. The product of Mariam's experiences illustrates how essential love and companionship are when discovering dignity and purpose through adversity.