In her essay on the novel The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, Kathryn Smith highlights the strong presence of women and their influence on the narration and historical context of the story. She makes several assertions about the contrast between the gender roles in the plot. She compares the strict, linear character of Esteban to the circular, encompassing figure of Alba. Smith extrapolates the idea of the linear vs. circular narration to the idea of how men and women interpret history. I agree with Smith’s general statements when she refers to the novel itself, but I disagree when she discusses the gender disparity in historical reality.
1) Claim: The House of the Spirits certainly represents the merging of “fact” and “fiction,” “testimony” and “fantasy.” Further, it posits an ideology that is both literary and political.
Response: I agree. I think that Allende’s novel is a prime example of the magical realism genre as she intertwines imaginative elements into a realistic plot. This statement connects with two key themes in the novel: the supernatural and politics. The paranormal elements incorporated into the book accentuate the meaning behind the political and social representation. House of the Spirits would not have the same affect if Allende chose to stick to a normal, realistic plotline. The ghosts, mummies, premonitions, floating people, crazed dreams, alien communication and other spectral facets add color and flavor. The supernatural is widely common in Latin American culture, such as their celebration of the Día de los Muertos. In fact, Clara tells her daughter “there is no need to fear the dead, only the living” (Allende 238). The simplicity and ease of the spiritual world in comparison further emphasize the destruction and violence of the living world. Furthermore, the mystical world serves as a source of peace, serenity, and intimacy. The elements provide a haven to escape, or at least tranquilize, the harshness of the real world.
The first element of magical realism is seen instantly through the character of Rosa the Beautiful. She was born “white and smooth, without a wrinkle, like a porcelain doll, with green hair and yellow eyes” (3). Her unrealistic appearance was never questioned, a key element for magical realism, but it showed her character in very accurate ways. She is porcelain to represent her purity and cleanliness. It is difficult for something so beautiful and untainted to last for long, thus a result of her early demise.
Another example is the big house Esteban builds for Clara,
“He could hardly guess that the solemn, cubic, dense, pompous house, which sat like a hat amidst its green and geometric surroundings, would end up full of protuberances and incrustations, of twisted staircases that led to empty spaces, of turrets, or small windows and could not be opened, doors hanging in midair, crooked hallways, and portholes that linked the living quarters so that people could communicate during the siesta, all of which were Clara's inspiration” (300)
This big house is a crucial metaphor in the novel. It is an analogy for Clara’s and Esteban’s differing personalities. Just like how the actual aesthetics of the house are straightforward and pretentious, Esteban is practical and sensible. However, the aura around the house is filled with mystery and magic, likewise, Clara is creative and imaginative. Overall the house is also extremely intricate and complex, similarly, the relationship between the two is complicated.
A final example of magical realism is Alba’s communication with ghostly Clara. Clara encourages her to write and become a political activist. Other political elements connected with magical realism look on the “Historical Context” page.
2) Claim: Esteban’s rigid, linear account in The House of the Spirits is a direct foil to Alba’s circular narration, which includes her female ancestors’ stories… His account, then, is fully subjective and written to justify himself and his actions, whereas Alba’s account is an attempt to recreate her family’s history, with the cooperation of all her female relatives.
Response: I agree. I believe that the true merit in Smith’s essay lies in her analysis of how the book is constructed. Her comments are very insightful whereby she goes into greater detail of the linear vs. circular styles of writing history. She points out the story begins in the same way it ends; from a woman’s voice that represents all of the women across the generations of this story. This constant circulation of voices and perspectives creates a timeless sense that underlying all that is going on is a sense that it’s a continuum and there are circulating links among all the voices, alive or dead. Whenever Alba’s narrative is present, its style and feel are very different. It is plodding, defensive, writing by omission and self-congratulatory, self-righteous and linear. With Esteban, there is always a right or wrong, a black or white, and a beginning and an end to his stories.
The paradox of Esteban and Alba can be seen through their writing styles and characteristics. Esteban’s ideology, “What you need here is a strong government, with a strong man. It would be lovely if we were all created equal, but the fact is we’re not. It couldn’t be more obvious” (Allende 64), is simply stated. He is direct, straightforward, and often malignant, violent, and possessive. He sees the mistreatment and inequality of society, yet he embraces it. He tries to control Clara, both mind and body, as he abuses her physically and mentally. I agree with Smith’s statement that “Esteban believes that men like him should control not only politics, but the people themselves, and that history (including his) should be written from the point of view of the elite.” Meanwhile, Clara is a foil for Esteban. Rather than going in chronological order, Alba, on the other hand, uses Clara’s notebooks, which are “divided according to events and not in chronological order, just as she arranged them before she left” (Allende 433). She entertwines the past, present, and future and becomes part of a greater legacy than just her sole individual.
The ultimate example of this circulatory narration is the beginning and end of the novel. The opening paragraph,
“Barrabas came to us by sea, the child Clara wrote in her delicate calligraphy. She was already in the habit of writing down important matters, and afterward, when she was mute, she also recorded trivialities, never suspecting that fifty years later I would use her notebooks to reclaim the past and overcome terrors of my own” (Allende 1)
is similar to the ending paragraph, but inversed. Typically, Alba refers to herself in third person throughout the novel except for at the end. Therefore, when this portion is rewritten at the end, the “I” is assumed to be Alba, but at the beginning, the “I” is not specified. Smith claims that Alba is supposedly a fictional version of Isabel Allende herself. I agree as seen through this passage. In fact, Smith states that “Alba Trueba from Allende’s The House of the Spirits is a poignant example of this subversive female narration”, similar to how Allende is one of the revolutionary female Latin writers of her time.
In addition, this circular way of thinking led me to another thought. Alba’s circular method of presenting the story whereby people and events come and go, return and disappear or are told from different female perspectives. To me, parallels the image I have of the house itself where not just people but spirits tend to come and go, return and disappear, over and over again to reinforce this sense of cycles at work that the past is linked to the future, that the dead speak with the living and so on. This story is told predominantly through women’s points of view and pioneers the idea of writing as female resistance and creates other literary “firsts”, including the first Latin female writer breakthrough in Latin America reality/fantasy literature.
3) Claim: Now, I want to further my argument by declaring that, just as Alba’s objective/subjective, woman-centered writing overcomes Esteban’s domineering style, so is The House of the Spirits an example of women’s history overtaking traditional, or men’s, history.
Response: I disagree. Here Smith is saying how not only men and women differ in terms of how they are treated and narrate, but the way they interpret history are inversion of one another. She contends that in addition to recover her ancestry’s story, Alba will only be able to do so through empowering herself through their female documentation. I do not agree with this assertion that a woman can only help a woman understand history. A male’s version of history is not always patriarchal and authoritarian.
There are some merits to positioning everything in this book as a female versus male view of the world, but I believe it is too simplistic and does a disservice to the novel itself. This novel is far more complex and operates on far more levels than simply comparing the two genders. It is true that Esteban’s character is basically one-dimensional whereas the female characters are much more multi-dimensional. However, it is quite another thing to say that this novel represents a female’s way of writing history that is better than a man’s way of writing history.
This theory that there exists a male and a female version of history is absurd. Every one has their own version of history, but it is based on individuality, not on one’s gender. Of course, Esteban’s narrative is simplistic, shallow, and limited but its due to his character rather than he simply being male. I believe it is not right to extrapolate Esteban’s historical view to the point where we’re saying it’s a “male” historical view. It is one man’s view, not all man’s view.
1) Claim: The House of the Spirits certainly represents the merging of “fact” and “fiction,” “testimony” and “fantasy.” Further, it posits an ideology that is both literary and political.
Response: I agree. I think that Allende’s novel is a prime example of the magical realism genre as she intertwines imaginative elements into a realistic plot. This statement connects with two key themes in the novel: the supernatural and politics. The paranormal elements incorporated into the book accentuate the meaning behind the political and social representation. House of the Spirits would not have the same affect if Allende chose to stick to a normal, realistic plotline. The ghosts, mummies, premonitions, floating people, crazed dreams, alien communication and other spectral facets add color and flavor. The supernatural is widely common in Latin American culture, such as their celebration of the Día de los Muertos. In fact, Clara tells her daughter “there is no need to fear the dead, only the living” (Allende 238). The simplicity and ease of the spiritual world in comparison further emphasize the destruction and violence of the living world. Furthermore, the mystical world serves as a source of peace, serenity, and intimacy. The elements provide a haven to escape, or at least tranquilize, the harshness of the real world.
The first element of magical realism is seen instantly through the character of Rosa the Beautiful. She was born “white and smooth, without a wrinkle, like a porcelain doll, with green hair and yellow eyes” (3). Her unrealistic appearance was never questioned, a key element for magical realism, but it showed her character in very accurate ways. She is porcelain to represent her purity and cleanliness. It is difficult for something so beautiful and untainted to last for long, thus a result of her early demise.
Another example is the big house Esteban builds for Clara,
“He could hardly guess that the solemn, cubic, dense, pompous house, which sat like a hat amidst its green and geometric surroundings, would end up full of protuberances and incrustations, of twisted staircases that led to empty spaces, of turrets, or small windows and could not be opened, doors hanging in midair, crooked hallways, and portholes that linked the living quarters so that people could communicate during the siesta, all of which were Clara's inspiration” (300)
This big house is a crucial metaphor in the novel. It is an analogy for Clara’s and Esteban’s differing personalities. Just like how the actual aesthetics of the house are straightforward and pretentious, Esteban is practical and sensible. However, the aura around the house is filled with mystery and magic, likewise, Clara is creative and imaginative. Overall the house is also extremely intricate and complex, similarly, the relationship between the two is complicated.
A final example of magical realism is Alba’s communication with ghostly Clara. Clara encourages her to write and become a political activist. Other political elements connected with magical realism look on the “Historical Context” page.
2) Claim: Esteban’s rigid, linear account in The House of the Spirits is a direct foil to Alba’s circular narration, which includes her female ancestors’ stories… His account, then, is fully subjective and written to justify himself and his actions, whereas Alba’s account is an attempt to recreate her family’s history, with the cooperation of all her female relatives.
Response: I agree. I believe that the true merit in Smith’s essay lies in her analysis of how the book is constructed. Her comments are very insightful whereby she goes into greater detail of the linear vs. circular styles of writing history. She points out the story begins in the same way it ends; from a woman’s voice that represents all of the women across the generations of this story. This constant circulation of voices and perspectives creates a timeless sense that underlying all that is going on is a sense that it’s a continuum and there are circulating links among all the voices, alive or dead. Whenever Alba’s narrative is present, its style and feel are very different. It is plodding, defensive, writing by omission and self-congratulatory, self-righteous and linear. With Esteban, there is always a right or wrong, a black or white, and a beginning and an end to his stories.
The paradox of Esteban and Alba can be seen through their writing styles and characteristics. Esteban’s ideology, “What you need here is a strong government, with a strong man. It would be lovely if we were all created equal, but the fact is we’re not. It couldn’t be more obvious” (Allende 64), is simply stated. He is direct, straightforward, and often malignant, violent, and possessive. He sees the mistreatment and inequality of society, yet he embraces it. He tries to control Clara, both mind and body, as he abuses her physically and mentally. I agree with Smith’s statement that “Esteban believes that men like him should control not only politics, but the people themselves, and that history (including his) should be written from the point of view of the elite.” Meanwhile, Clara is a foil for Esteban. Rather than going in chronological order, Alba, on the other hand, uses Clara’s notebooks, which are “divided according to events and not in chronological order, just as she arranged them before she left” (Allende 433). She entertwines the past, present, and future and becomes part of a greater legacy than just her sole individual.
The ultimate example of this circulatory narration is the beginning and end of the novel. The opening paragraph,
“Barrabas came to us by sea, the child Clara wrote in her delicate calligraphy. She was already in the habit of writing down important matters, and afterward, when she was mute, she also recorded trivialities, never suspecting that fifty years later I would use her notebooks to reclaim the past and overcome terrors of my own” (Allende 1)
is similar to the ending paragraph, but inversed. Typically, Alba refers to herself in third person throughout the novel except for at the end. Therefore, when this portion is rewritten at the end, the “I” is assumed to be Alba, but at the beginning, the “I” is not specified. Smith claims that Alba is supposedly a fictional version of Isabel Allende herself. I agree as seen through this passage. In fact, Smith states that “Alba Trueba from Allende’s The House of the Spirits is a poignant example of this subversive female narration”, similar to how Allende is one of the revolutionary female Latin writers of her time.
In addition, this circular way of thinking led me to another thought. Alba’s circular method of presenting the story whereby people and events come and go, return and disappear or are told from different female perspectives. To me, parallels the image I have of the house itself where not just people but spirits tend to come and go, return and disappear, over and over again to reinforce this sense of cycles at work that the past is linked to the future, that the dead speak with the living and so on. This story is told predominantly through women’s points of view and pioneers the idea of writing as female resistance and creates other literary “firsts”, including the first Latin female writer breakthrough in Latin America reality/fantasy literature.
3) Claim: Now, I want to further my argument by declaring that, just as Alba’s objective/subjective, woman-centered writing overcomes Esteban’s domineering style, so is The House of the Spirits an example of women’s history overtaking traditional, or men’s, history.
Response: I disagree. Here Smith is saying how not only men and women differ in terms of how they are treated and narrate, but the way they interpret history are inversion of one another. She contends that in addition to recover her ancestry’s story, Alba will only be able to do so through empowering herself through their female documentation. I do not agree with this assertion that a woman can only help a woman understand history. A male’s version of history is not always patriarchal and authoritarian.
There are some merits to positioning everything in this book as a female versus male view of the world, but I believe it is too simplistic and does a disservice to the novel itself. This novel is far more complex and operates on far more levels than simply comparing the two genders. It is true that Esteban’s character is basically one-dimensional whereas the female characters are much more multi-dimensional. However, it is quite another thing to say that this novel represents a female’s way of writing history that is better than a man’s way of writing history.
This theory that there exists a male and a female version of history is absurd. Every one has their own version of history, but it is based on individuality, not on one’s gender. Of course, Esteban’s narrative is simplistic, shallow, and limited but its due to his character rather than he simply being male. I believe it is not right to extrapolate Esteban’s historical view to the point where we’re saying it’s a “male” historical view. It is one man’s view, not all man’s view.
Citations:
Smith, Kathryn M. "Telling (T)he(i)r Story: The Rise of Female Narration and Women’s History in Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits."FLORIDA ATLANTIC COMPARATIVE STUDIES JOURNAL 11 (2008-2009): 79-92. Print.
Smith, Kathryn M. "Telling (T)he(i)r Story: The Rise of Female Narration and Women’s History in Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits."FLORIDA ATLANTIC COMPARATIVE STUDIES JOURNAL 11 (2008-2009): 79-92. Print.
