Love: Torn Between Passion And Great Hate In The House Of Spirits By Isabel Allende

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Love: Torn Between Passion and Great Hate in The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende

Love is a constant reminder throughout The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende; it flows freely through each and every character in one way or another. Allende has written a novel where at one point of another each and every one of the characters is deeply in love. The relationships and the love that these characters are in are never clearly defined. And though love itself mean something different to every individual, this novel exemplifies the uniqueness that a person feels when they themselves are truly in love. The love in the novel is not just that felt between a man and a woman, but the love of a grandfather for his granddaughter or the secret love that must be hidden from society. Allende has made love itself a character that can be followed by the reader just as they follow Blanca or Alba throughout their lives.

One character in particular that deals with many varieties of love as her life progresses through the novel, Alba seems to encompass the idea of love taking on a life of it's own. Even when Alba is a young child the reader is introduced to the strange affection that Esteban Trueba feels for his granddaughter. Then, as Alba begins to grow, Esteban Garcia becomes a part of Alba's life, first with their meeting in Trueba's study and then when he kisses Alba in the garden. Finally the reader sees Alba in a traditional love relationship with Miguel, the passion felt between these tw...

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...…when she caused those feelings inside me…I knew that I would have her and that she would suffer at my hand.

As the years have passed I searched for ways to cause such suffering in her life, I pined over what pains should befall her. At first I though it would be enough just to take away something that she could never get back. The kiss was my first attempt at ruining her childhood. I hope she enjoyed it as much as I did because for me the line between love and hate is invisible in our relationship. The more I punish her the more appealing she becomes to me. Now that she is growing and becoming more and more beautiful I will have to force my way back into her life. Alba will fill my love even if to her it feels like pain.

Esteban Garcia

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