Magical Realism In The House Of The Spirits

Magic and Politics Latin America is a unique land that has a culture all its own. Latin American literature is no different and includes many different literary styles, one of which that is prevalent is magical realism. This style of writing is used by Isabel Allende in her well-known novel The House of the Spirits. The novel covers several generations of the Trueba family, led by their patriarch Esteban Trueba. The family and their story present a great picture for what life may be like for an upper-class family in twentieth century Latin America. Allende presents the reader with many themes and details throughout the story that would locate it within the magical realism genre such as a matter of fact narrative, fantastic stories, a fair

Magical realism is a genre of literature that was incorporated by many authors involved in the Latin American Boom of the mid to late twentieth century when authors from this region began getting more recognition and having their work circulated throughout the world. (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008) This genre is a way of telling a story that seems realistic, but also includes magical components. Writing within this narrative usually includes a matter of fact narrative where the magical elements of the story are told in the same tone as the realistic elements. This is a way of incorporating surrealism into the stories, which blurs the line between the real and fantastic. These stories are probably best known for their seemingly impossible and magical details. One element of magical realism that was quite evident in the Latin American Boom was the critique of politics and its leaders. Many authors of this genre “lived in dictatorships where freedom of expression was limited… [and] magical realism offered a way of critiquing power structures in disguise.” (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008) Allende’s The House of the Spirits uses elements of surrealism alongside its strong political

The plot revolves around the Truebas, an upper-class family. Allende still includes many details of what living in lower classes is like to give the reader a view of both sides. There is a struggle between these two classes that results in the political upheaval of the country. The first evidence of conflict between the classes begins when Pedro Tercero Garcia starts preaching liberal ideals to the peasants at Tres Marias. He introduces them to ideas that would give more rights to the peasants, something Esteban disapproved of. Esteban eventually fires Pedro Tercero “because he had caught him spreading Communist ideas among the tenants.” (Allende, 1982, p. 189) Here, Pedro is punished for trying to help the lower class because it would have disturbed the bourgeois and upper-class way of life. Allende seems to be condemning conservative leaders while promoting freedom of speech. Allende constantly forces the reader to view the proletariat and lower classes through a different light. At one point in the story, Nicholas, Esteban’s son, is forced to confront his ignorance of the poverty that his lover Amanda is facing. He came to realize that “he knew nothing of that silent middle class that struggled between genteel poverty and the impossible desire of emulating the golden canaille to which he himself belonged.” (Allende, 1982,