The House of the Spirits - Essay Example

The House of the Spirits Fiction writing is a field that has been embraced in the recent times and on several occasions; some books have been converted into movies. Even though many, if not all, of the actions depicted in these books and movies hardly occur in real life, it has been seen as a way of entertainment. Many people do spend money and time buying and watching the materials mainly for recreation purposes. This is an essay whose focus is on the novel “The House of the Spirits” whereby Alba’s character has been analyzed. Further, the relationship and the common assumption of her role as a protagonist have been assessed too. Background This novel starts with a family of one Del Valle where two daughters- Rosa and Clara are the major focus for the family. The youngest daughter- Clara- possesses some powers, which help her make some predictions on the future. On one such occasion, the daughter predicted of a death occurring in the home. A few days later, the eldest daughter Rosa dies after consuming poison, which accidentally was meant for their father apparently, Del Valle was seeking an election post in the forthcoming elections. Devastated by her lover’s death, Esteban Trueba looks for other jobs and secures one as a foreman but as some weird characters. One day Trueba raped some women and one of whom became his wife and bore Esteban Garcia (Allende p.11). Clara grows up, marries Esteban and Blanca, their daughter, is born but their marriage does not last long after Esteban’s ruthless whipping of Blanca upon discovering she was involved in immorality. Blanca becomes pregnant with Pedro Tercelo’s child but they are no longer together and instead marry a French count albeit momentarily. Alba is the daughter Blanca gives birth to and Clara realizes that Alba resembles Rosa in many ways. She goes to college and meets one Miguel and a relationship is initiated. Later, Esteban Garcia kidnaps and rapes Alba and this leaves her distraught and wishes to die but Clara’s spirit comforts her. She vows not to seek refuge for the barbarism accorded to her and strongly believes that forgiveness is what will eventually break the seemingly continuous cycle of evil in that society (Allende p.13). Alba’s character Many critics have claimed that Alba played a significant role in the novel one that could be equated to that of a protagonist. For instance, the reason Garcia rape her was due to her perceived high position and the treasures that she would inherit (Mackay and Ned p.20). Additionally, she was thought by many to be Count de Satigny’s daughter though it was not right (Adele p.25). In fact, Miguel was the father but she did not realize this herself until the introduction done by Blanca. Others argue that this being a house of spirits, Alba may have as well been Rosa who came from the dead only that the name changed. This is evidenced by the fact that upon Rosa’s death, violence, and immorality rocked the society case in point; Esteban’s devastation upon hearing of Rosa’s death went on rampage of raping women (Adele p.10). In addition, when Alba was born, she had the same hair as that of Rosa and this is often thought to be a sign that it was indeed Rosa who had been incarnated (Jenkins p.61). Further, some have stated that since all events seemed to revolve around her, she must have been protagonist. These claims seem true for various reasons despite the fact that Alba’s appearance is only seen in chapter nine. One reason this is thought to be the case is that after participating in the demonstration against the conservative government, the other events focus on her. For example, when Miguel ran away after these happenings, the police came for her in a bid to extract information on Miguel’s whereabouts (Kanoko, and Lane p.199). Moreover, Blanca refusal to leave her as proposed by Pedro Tercelo is another part that explains why Alba was essential to the novel. Leaving her for Pedro would have most likely led to diversion of events and definitely would highlight Alba as a nonentity in the play. Although the pair eventually managed to escape to Canada, Alba’s initial refusal of Pedro’s suggestion prove the play had to be centered on Alba (Kanoko, and Lane p.189). The actions by other have also been attributed to Alba one of them being Blanca’s decision to get married to the French Count despite not having any feelings for him. During this time, Pedro has fled for fear of capture by the government after being in the frontline against the regime. Blanca’s deceived her to marry the French after lying that Pedro had died (Kanoko and Lane p.190). Aware of the pregnancy, Blanca married the French mainly because her being pregnant could not allow her to flee home. Even though the marriage did not last after she discovered the French had sexual relationship with the servants, Alba led her initial acceptance. Earlier at the beginning of the story, Esteban had raped one Pancha Garcia and actions by Esteban Garcia to rape Alba seemed to be acts of revenge. By raping Alba, Garcia was in essence avenging her grandmother who had been mistreated earlier in the field (Adele p.7). It is for this reason that Alba’s position put her on a collision course with other people who used her connection as a platform to exact revenge for actions by her relatives. Obviously, Garcia’s actions were motivated more by Alba’s position and relationship with her great grandpa to inflict anguish on her. At some point after leaving the French man’s house, Blanca had a lot of money, which came from her creatively designed artwork. Even though it is not clearly stated, the presence of Alba compelled her creativity and this could as well be seen as another reason for Alba influencing actions- good and bad- by other characters (Earle p.543). During this time, Blanca was not aware that Pedro was alive contrary to the earlier statements by the father who claimed Pedro was dead. However, even if Blanca knew Pedro was alive the chances of going after him would have been slim because they had parted before. Further, Alba’s relationship with Miguel was mainly the reason the police assaulted her in the presence of seeking information about Miguel’s location. The assault suffered at the hands of police could be traced back to the affair with Miguel who was a major critic of the government especially after the coup (Kanoko and Lane p.195). Hadn’t Alba been closely associated with Miguel there are chances that the harassment by the police would not have occurred. However, because the author sought to let events revolve around her, this part shows she was a protagonist. In conclusion, the ‘The House of the Spirits’ takes a journey where several characters are thought to be protagonists one of whom is Alba. Even though the lady’s appearance occurs for the first time in the ninth chapter, the events that follow prove the author had Alba as the main character. For instance, whereas she was not present when Garcia’s grandma was sexually assaulted, she is used as the object to exact revenge. Again, upon her birth, Blanca’s decisions are mainly influenced by her life one of which is the decision to start working on her own. Her relationship with Miguel brings her more troubles as the police and Garcia rape her. Works cited Allende, Isabel. The House of Spirits. New York: Bantam Books, 1989. Print. Earle, Peter G. "Literature as Survival: Allendes "The House of the Spirits"" Contemporary Literature 6.2 (2007): 543. Print. Mackay, Lesley., and Ned Balbo. "Fascinating Classics: The House of the Spirits (review)." Imagine 33.2 (2009): 20-21. Print. Jenkins, Ruth Y. "Authorizing Female Voice and Experience: Ghosts and Spirits in Kingstons The Woman Warrior and Allendes The House of the Spirits." MELUS 5.2 (2008): 61. Print. Kanoko, Okamato, and Lane Dunlop. "Spirit of the House." The Missouri Review 44.3 (2010): 189-201. Print. Read More