Examples Of Feminism In The House Of The Spirits

Feminism in HOS “Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong, it’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength”(G.D. Anderson). The novel House of the Spirits has a very feminist view. In this fictional world the novel goes through the lives of a family throughout the generations and the experiences of those in the family told by the narrator Alba. The novel is set in Chilli during a war and shows the volent struggles of change. Feminism isnt really a thing yet but the women in this book and especially in the family display true characteristics of feminism and equality in general. The way women are portrayed in this novel is a very important representation to see because it isn't in more traditional novels.

We can see her power as a woman throughout the novel as she accomplishes things the men wouldn't be able to. Her supernatural powers also start from when she was a little girl and make her very beneficial to the people around her. Her powers allow her to move things with her mind, see the future, and communicate with spirits. These powers are very important for the story but also very important because some of the relationships she formed were because of these powers. With these powers she predicts that she will marry Esteban Trueba. Clara sees this in her future and accepts that it's her fate. Esteban Trueba loves his wife Clara to the point she has power over him. An example of his strong love is when the narrator says “his love for her had grown to the point where it had become an obsession”(Allende, 127). Even though his love for his wife is extreme there are times when he treats her with cruelty. There is a moment when this cruelty is physical and he knocks out her teeth. She stops talking to him which makes him miserable but shows how independent she can be. Clara’s powers also help her form bonds with the women around her like the Mora sisters who give an important warning to Esteban later in the novel. Along with those relationships she also has a huge impact on the community since she believes in equality and social justice, even giving away as much as possible before death. When Clara dies

Her lover Miguel also has very strong views on social justice and inspires her to fight for it. He loves Alba a lot and this relationship is very important. She sat in at the university with him but had to leave due to the fact she started menstruating. She felt humiliated and was in extreme pain but she still did her best for the cause. On her way out she was escorted by Esteban Garcia. Esteban Garcia was a very cruel man who had forced physical interactions with Alba in the past. Later in the story Alba is kidnapped and Esteban Garcia purposely treats her with more attention than the other prisoners. “Alaba understood that he was not trying to learn Miguel's true whereabouts but to avenge himself for injuries that had been inflicted on him from birth”(Allende, 411). He physically and sexually abuses her and she starts to wish for death. He was the result of sexual assault from Estaban Trueba on Pancha Garcia. This shows a chain of violence against women that kept coming around. The relationship to the women from her university helps her stay positive and in the end I think it's one of the most important things that helped her through that entire experience. Her relationship to Clara also helps her make it when Alba stops eating to try and die. Clara had appeared to her as a spirit which was very meaningful as they were very close when Clara was still alive. Her relationship