2nd. Semester Book Report
Nick WaiteEnglish-3
1-23-07
2nd. Semester book report
In an effort of true literary art, Isabel Allende weaves many stories together, covering a span of 4 generations in her novel, The House of Spirits. This first novel by Allende presents an array of sub-plots and deep characterization of a myriad of passionate people. These people are strongly affected by love, politics, family, class consciousness and tragedy. Within each individual tale, the feeling of magic realism infuses the whole book. This gives the reader a feeling that speaking with, seeing the dead and prophesizing future events is an everyday occurrence.
The book is set in an imaginary country with South American elements. It could very well be Allende's native Chile, but references to the exact location are never made. Both of the main characters spend the majority of their lives thriving in the small town of Tres Marias, just outside a large city. Early on, Tres Marias is in ruins as all the peasants have left to work in mines in the North. However, the character Esteban Trueba spends all his money to rebuild the estate by exploiting the remaining peasants. Although time period is never given, references indicate that it begins in early 1900's and ends around the 1960's or 1970's.
An evident theme in the book is the struggle between social classes. Half of the characters come from aristocracy, and the other half, are peasants or socialists. The struggle mirrors what actually took place in most of South America in the last hundred years. By presenting the side of the peasants and socialists, Allende shows the evil side and oppression that the conservative upper class forced on them. A secondary theme is the importance of family, as most of the characters come from basically two families: the Truebas and the Garcias. Great importance is placed on family name, but not genetics, as illegitimate children were never socially recognized by the Truebas (upper class).
Allende is a true master of characterization. One becomes so involved in the struggles of each character that one is easily swayed by her bias. Clara Del Valle, the character on whom the book is based, is the mother and grandmother throughout the story. She's clairvoyant and often announces future events to her family, but never tries to change the events, only letting them happen. As a child, after her sister was accidentally poisoned with alcohol, she remained mute for 9 years after watching the autopsy. After this silent period, she marries Esteban Trueba, the man betrothed to her sister (as she had seen a while before). Esteban develops an obsession for Clara on their honeymoon, which continues throughout their lives, even though she rejects him time after time. Together they conceived a daughter and two sons. Their grandchild Alba is probably the second most important character in the novel. Her birth is the focus that reunites the family (after they had quarreled for many years). Through her and her family's involvement in politics, we see many parallels to the evens in Chile.
The quality of storytelling in this book is so rich that the reader wants to keep turning the pages. One gets so involved in the tales that even the horrible things that happen don't discourage you from reading on. This book is a wonderful way to learn of at least one point of view of what life in those times was like. I would highly recommend this read to anyone, especially those who enjoy reading historical fiction mixed with ideas of life after death.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Essay by Nick
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Written on 2007-01-24 at 07:46
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