146 Allende, Isabel
military, a reality symbolized by the passing of the
Poet, whose death represents the fall of freedom.
In the end, however, Trueba’s death offers
renewed hope, a return to the supportive intertwin-
ing of life and death. Clara appears at his bedside,
and as he dies, relinquishing his anger, her spirit
glows brighter. It is with Trueba’s death that Alba
realizes she must forgive her father’s son, Esteban
García, who raped her and whose child she may now
be carrying.
Death, then, seen through Clara’s eyes, is a
comfort to the living and offers spiritual healing.
For those wielding the weapons of destruction, it is
punishment, a bitter finality without salvation. But,
as the epilogue implies, the darkness of war cannot
snuff out the light of hope.
Anne Massey
HerOism in The House of the Spirits
The term heroism describes individuals who inspire
others through physical, moral, or intellectual for-
titude. In classical Greek and Roman literature,
heroes not only possessed such strengths but also
had a tragic flaw, some insurmountable internal
element to remind them of their humanity and
distinguish them from the omnipotent gods. The
characters of The House of the Spirits are heroic in
both the general and classical senses.
Events in the opening chapter presage the
heroic theme. Despite community disapproval,
Clara speaks out against church oppression. Uncle
Marcos’s behavior is reminiscent of Christ’s life.
Marcos takes off in his flying contraption amid
praise and the sprinkling of holy water, is forgotten
after three days, and appears to die twice. Moreover,
both he and Clara seem able to change fate. Esteban
Trueba, Clara’s husband, sees himself as his family’s
hero, lifting them out of poverty and rebuilding the
family estate in what he declares to be a Herculean
undertaking.
Other characters demonstrate heroic traits.
Clara’s mother is a suffragette. Férula, Trueba’s
mother, caters to the poor and is described as sub-
limely heroic. The prostitute Tránsito Soto decides
to overcome her fate as a streetwalker. The count de
Satigny chivalrously rescues Blanca, who is pregnant
with the child of her father’s enemy. Pedro Tercero
García is a hero of the socialist movement. Jaime,
Clara’s son, gives away his clothes to the poor, while
his brother, Nicolás, studies alternative medicine,
eventually helping more people than his physi-
cian brother. Finally, Alba, Trueba’s granddaughter,
opposes the military coup and is tortured for her
efforts.
However, among these characters, only Alba
seems immune from the challenge of a tragic flaw.
Clara’s clairvoyance is both a blessing and a shame.
Marcos’s apparent double death is a case of mistaken
identity rather than a resurrection and negates his
godlike image. Esteban suffers from hubris, the
Greek notion of excessive pride, which eventually
destroys his work at Tres Marías and his relation-
ships with those he loves the most. Nívea, Clara’s
mother, is hypocritical, enjoying the comforts of the
tearoom after charitable visits to the poor. Nívea also
enjoys modern conveniences, such as cars that fly at
a suicidal pace. Eventually, Nívea and her husband
are killed in a car crash, dying from their attraction
to modernity and wealth. Férula, despite her good-
will, lives in fear of her sexual fantasies, while Trán-
sito Soto, rather than escaping prostitution, turns
the sex trade into a booming enterprise. Sex is also
the count’s downfall. He loses everything when his
wife discovers his pornographic photographs reveal-
ing his sexual obsession with his servants.
Destruction arises out of other obsessions. Jai-
me’s charity is described as madness, a madness
culminating in his death by a firing squad because
of his socialist beliefs. More dramatic than Jaime’s
death is his agreeing to perform an abortion on his
brother’s girlfriend. He agrees out of his obsessive
but unrequited love for the woman, even though
the act contradicts his beliefs. In a separate series of
events, Nicolás leaves home to find peace in Eastern
spiritual practices, but he eventually sells his religion
at the ironically named Institute for Union with
Nothingness.
The socialist fight is clearly a heroic effort, but
Pedro Tercero García, despite his efforts, is plagued
by human flaws. His love for Blanca outweighs his
desire for justice. He allows her to hide him in the
labyrinth of her home, even as he feels imprisoned
there. Eventually, he allows his enemy, Trueba, to