The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende - Research Paper Example

? The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende Understanding the Role of Writing in Nurturing Familial Relations Year Level – Section March 2, 2012 The House of Spirits Introduction The ‘House of Spirits’ by Isabelle Allende highlights the significant role of writing in connecting the past to the present in order to guide the future. Precisely, it is through understanding the happenings in the past that people are able to learn what to do in the present in order to align the future with their short-term and long-term goals. Writing plays a crucial role in this sense since it is through written literature that people are able to exactly preserve their learning and effectively pass it over to the future generation. In a much deeper sense, learning about the past helps in the construction of firmer familial identity. Familial relations, as bound by knowledge and love, are reinforced when its members understand their stark similarities and differences. In this regard, this essay is divided into three parts. The first part examines the unique role of writing in nourishing familial relations, as shown in the stories of the two main characters, Clara del Valle and Alba de Satigny. Through this part, the primary themes of their experiences are drawn and investigated. The second part evaluates the plot in connection to Allende’s effectiveness as a writer in delivering the aforementioned thesis. Through this part, the narrative form of the novel is to be studied in much depth. The last part crystallizes the observations gathered by infusing philosophical ideologies into the analysis of the role of writing in the piecing together of self and familial identity. The Two Main Characters: Clara and Alba The ‘House of Spirits’ is a tale about family that spans four generations, but focuses on the lives of the two women in the clan, Clara del Valle and Alba de Satigny. Although each of them had unique individual experiences, it is essential to note that their stories hinge on two primary themes: sacrifice and revenge. These themes are essentially preserved through writing—an activity that both characters were fond of. Indeed, it is through the sharing of their personal accounts that their familial story is preserved and immortalized. 1. Sacrifice The kind of sacrifice that is depicted in the novel is marked by selflessness. Indeed, it is the other-centric love that furthered the actualization of sacrifice. For one, Clara epitomized sacrifice when she tried to improve the living conditions of the peasants in Tres Marias. Through the projects she single-handedly launched, she was able to contribute in the bettering of the peasants’ lives. Aside from Clara, there are other characters in the novel that displayed self-sacrifice as fuelled by the internal love they had for other characters. Firstly, there is Blanca, Clara’s daughter and Alba’s mother, who started weekly pottery program for mentally-challenged children in her community. Ferula is another character who had a penchant for helping other people. As a youth, she spent most of her time nursing her mother Dona Esther who became paralyzed due to arthritis. After Dona Esther had died, Ferula took care of Clara, whom she developed obscure romantic desire. Secondly, there is Jaime, the son of Clara who rejected material comfort to work as a doctor to the poor. His life ended in sacrifice when he got arrested and killed for not joining the coup to destabilize the government. In this light, it can be said that sacrifice is a direct consequence of the characters’ love toward an intended goal. For Clara and Ferula, it is their internal want to help others that led them to do various forms of self-sacrifice. For Jaime, it is his personal goal to succeed in his chosen career that helped him remain focused in his endeavors. 2. Revenge Aside from sacrifice, another overarching theme in the novel is revenge. However, it must be noted that there are two kinds of revenge in the novel. The first kind of revenge is ‘immediate and personal’, which is strongly depicted when Esteban Trueba, the husband of Clara, set out to kill Pedro Tercero Garcia in order to avenge Blanca’s deflowering. Revenge was his way of redeeming his tainted pride not only as a father, but more importantly as a man. In this regard, Esteban took the law into his own hands in order to actualize his plan of killing Pedro. Another example is seen in Clara when she stopped talking to Esteban for the rest of her life after the old man had knocked out her teeth. Her immediate act of revenge severely harmed Esteban internally, which almost drive him mad. The second kind of revenge, on the other hand, is ‘delayed and transferred’. This is best captured in Esteban Garcia’s continual mistreatment of Alba. His actions toward Alba stood to be his indirect way of hurting Esteban Trueba, who never recognized him as a grandson. Indeed, Esteban Garcia used Alba’s sufferings as an effective tool to hurt Trueba’s feelings. 3. The Role of Writing In both of these themes, it is essential to underline the important role of writing in piecing together the experiences not only of Clara and Alba, but of their entire clan. Thus, writing not only preserves specific events but also provides higher wisdom to its intended audience. Through writing, Clara was not only able to understand her internal powers as a child, but she was also able to relate to the other characters that surrounded her. For Alba, writing gave her the strength to move on in life. Apart from being able to comprehend the deep familial issues that had influenced her life, writing also served as an avenue for her to learn more about herself in relation to her relatives. Thus, it is the retrospective examination of oneself that writing is able to render to both its writer and readers. For Alba and Clara, writing drew them closer to one another as they were able to acquire a deeper view of their familial identity. Analyzing the Allende’s Narrative Style At this point, it is vital to pay close attention to Allende’s narrative style to be able to assess whether he succeeded in relaying his thesis to the readers. For one, although writing is only showcased in the characters of Clara and Alba, the fundamental lessons of the story are best found in their accounts. Precisely, Allende is able to efficiently communicate his lessons about familial relationship without exaggerating its content. Specifically, Allende is able to utilize Alba’s introspective attitude to contextualize her experiences as part of a cycle of violence that had been put into motion long before her birth. Her decision to break the chain of retribution, as concretized by her act of forgiveness, underscores the value of familial peace and harmony. Indeed, it is through writing that she is able to connect with the past and overcome the terrors of the present. The depiction of this scene exemplifies the primary message that Allende wants to relay to the readers, that writing serves as a powerful outlet in venting out one’s feelings and thoughts, which cannot be done in other means due to a repressive environment. Through writing, both the writer and the reader are able to comprehend the deeper meaning of life. The narration of one’s evil experiences may not always make sense when verbally told to other persons, but when written down and reflected upon, its real and deeper purpose is discovered. As implied in Allende’s story, the greatest gift that Alba can give to her entire clan is the written account of her life and of those that had surrounded her. Writing as an Element that binds Familial Identity It is in the nature of people to ask about why certain things happen in their lives. In the words of Martin Heidegger, it is care, or the internal longing for wisdom, that drives people to act in order find meaning in their lives. While it is true that people learn from experiences, it is the people who provide these experiences that truly mark a long-lasting effect. The family, in this regard, provides its greatest contribution in the discovery of one’s purpose in life. At the onset, it can be said that family members become the first contact points of the person to the external world. However, this nature becomes crucial especially when their role as molder of personal identity is taken into consideration—family members teach the person the importance of morality and ethics in the enhancement of one’s life. There is truth in the saying that the best citizens of any country spring from an ethically-grounded family. Building on this contention, it can be said that while the lessons about morality may be similar to the majority of families, it is in the manner through which these lessons are shared that certainly mark true familial identity. Like national culture, familial identity is best expressed and relayed to the new ‘members’ through its unique habits and traditions. Ideally, these traditions must embody the values that the family stands for. However, due to inevitable conflicts and misunderstandings among the family members, these values may not be delivered as they are ideally designed, as in the case of the family of Clara and Alba who came from a very chaotic familial background. Writing, as explained in the previous part of this essay, helps one better appreciate his family by knowing the happenings in the past and learning from these experiences. Read More