Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The House of the Spirits, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Class, Politics, and Corruption
Women and the Patriarchy
Magic and the Supernatural
Love
Family
Writing and the Past
Summary
Analysis
“Barrabás came to us by sea,” Clara writes neatly in her notebook. She records all important matters—trivial matters, too—but she doesn’t know that the unnamed narrator will one day use the notebooks to “reclaim the past” and “overcome terrors.” It is Holy Thursday. The week of penitence and fasting has been long, and Father Restrepo, the parish priest, has been busy accusing innocent churchgoers of all sorts of sins. Clara’s father, Severo del Valle, is an atheist and a Mason, but he has political ambitions, and church is a great place to network. Clara’s mother, Nívea, has political aspirations as well, and she is hoping that if Severo is elected, she will finally be able to secure voting rights for women.
Clara’s notebook and the early admission that it will later be used to “reclaim the past” and “overcome terrors” introduces the importance of recording events and preserving the past. The narrator implies that the notebook will serve a healing purpose, and that it will be used in some way to cope with trauma. From Nívea’s political aspirations and her passion for securing voting rights for women, the reader can infer that the book takes place during a time when women had considerably fewer rights than they do in the present day.
Themes
Nívea has given birth to 15 children, 11 of which are still living. Clara, her youngest, is just 10 years old. It is hot and oppressive in the crowded church, and the del Valle family takes up three whole rows. Nívea looks to Rosa, her oldest living daughter. Rosa is breathtakingly beautiful, and she has a strange, mysterious quality, as if she is not entirely human. Nívea dreamed of Rosa even before she was born, and she has always known that her daughter is “not of this world.” Rosa was born completely white and smooth, with shiny green hair, and rumors spread that she was born an angel. There is something fishlike about her, like a mermaid, but Rosa is oblivious to her own beauty.
The hot and oppressive atmosphere in the church mirrors that of the sexist society in which the book takes place. From Nívea and her 15 pregnancies, it’s clear that women are expected to be wives and mothers. Meanwhile, Rosa’s mermaidlike appearance and her mysterious qualities make her appear magical and supernatural. She is more mythical than human, and this sets the stage for the supernatural elements in the book. Similarly, Nívea’s dream suggests that she, in a way, is able to see the future.
Themes
Rosa is engaged to Esteban Trueba, but he has been gone nearly two years, working in the northern mines. Rosa spends most of her time reading romance novels and embroidering the world’s largest tablecloth. The tablecloth is full of dogs, cats, and other unlikely animals of Rosa’s creation. Severo thinks the tablecloth a waste of time and that Rosa should be learning useful domestic skills instead. Nívea, however, lets Rosa embroider as much as she wants. Rosa is a “heavenly being,” and Nívea knows Rosa’s time on Earth is short. Nívea shifts in the church pew, and her corset snaps and begins jabbing her in the ribs. Many of her suffragette friends refuse to wear corsets, but Nívea can’t break the habit. Suddenly, Clara’s voice breaks the silence of the church. “Psst! Father Restrepo!” Clara says. “If that story about hell is a lie, we’re all fucked, aren’t we…?”
The fact that Esteban is working in the northern mines suggests that he is, at best, part of the middle or working class. If Esteban came from money, he likely wouldn’t be laboring. Severo’s desire for Rosa to learn useful domestic skills reflects the expectations of their patriarchal society, in which women like Rosa are expected to stay home and tend to domestic matters. Rosa’s description as a “heavenly being” and Nívea’s belief that Rosa’s time is short is a bit of foreshadowing that suggests Rosa will die young. Nívea’s reluctance to remove her corset again reflects society’s expectations. She doesn’t want to wear the corset but is compelled to, which suggests that even strong women are oppressed by the patriarchy. Clara’s outburst suggests that she is just as strong and willing to question authority as her mother.
Themes
The church is again silent. Severo stands up without speaking and begins to usher his family out of the church. “Possessed…She’s possessed by the devil!” Father Restrepo yells of Clara. Nívea is humiliated. Father Restrepo’s words hang in the air “with all the gravity of a diagnosis,” and the del Valle family will remember them for many years to come. Clara, however, simply writes of Father Restrepo’s words in her notebook and forgets them. Clara’s “mental powers” are nothing out of the ordinary for the del Valles, but they try to keep her powers hidden from others. Clara can move the saltshaker across the table with her mind, and she can make plates and goblets shake with only a thought. She has frequent prophecies, and can predict earthquakes and accidents.
Clara’s mysterious “mental powers” seem to distress her family; however, Clara’s powers don’t seem to bother her at all. After all, she forgets about Father Restrepo’s words after she writes about him. Presumably, Clara’s family worries that she might be possessed (what else explains her powers?), and the priest’s words are the “diagnosis” that confirms this. The fact that Clara’s family keeps her powers hidden suggests they are ashamed and don’t want her secret to get out.
Themes
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Clara is Nana’s favorite. Nana is the servant who takes care of the children, and she waits on Clara hand and foot. Clara has asthma, and her lungs are always congested. Whenever she struggles to breathe, Nana wraps her in a strong, loving embrace, which Nana says is the only real cure for asthma. After church, Severo paces the house. Father Restrepo’s words could harm Severo and his aspirations in the Liberal Party, especially when Clara’s powers are considered. Severo thinks that only a fanatic could believe that a young girl is under satanic possession, but there are plenty of fanatics like Father Restrepo.
It is love, not medicine, that treats Clara’s asthma, which underscores the power of love to heal and soothe. Severo’s aspirations to be a Liberal politician suggest that he advocates for the equality and freedom of all people. This passage also suggests that Severo’s fear of Clara’s powers are rooted in the fears of others, not necessarily in his own. If the public finds out his daughter talks to ghosts and levitates, his political career will be over.
Themes
Nana enters and tells Severo and Nívea that a group of men have arrived with the dead body of Nívea’s brother Marcos. Nívea runs outside and throws herself on the coffin, weeping. She begs the men to open the coffin; she has already buried her brother once before, so she must confirm it is really him. Clara hasn’t seen her Uncle Marcos in two years, but he has stayed with the del Valles several times over the years. He always arrived with cases full of bizarre equipment and exotic animals preserved by taxidermy. Marcos slept during the day and spent the nighttime hours making odd movements, which he swore perfected his mind and improved digestion.
Marcos’s odd movements are likely yoga or Tai chi, which must certainly seem strange to the del Valles, who are South American. His bizarre equipment and exotic animals further add to the novel’s sense of the supernatural, and the fact that Nívea has already buried him once before makes Marcos appear magical or otherworldly. This passage implies that Marcos was once presumed dead and somehow defied it—but Nívea mourned him, nonetheless, which speaks to their closeness as family.
Themes
Years ago, during Marcos’s longest stay with the del Valles, he spends two weeks building an airplane, which he plans to fly over the mountains as soon as the weather allowed. On the day of Marcos’s flight, people from near and far gather to watch the nation’s first flight. Such a crowd won’t be seen again for another 50 years, when the country’s first Marxist candidate runs for president. A week passes without sign of Marcos’s plane. Nívea and the children pray for his safe return, but as time passes, Marcos is declared dead. The del Valles mourn—except for Clara, who keeps looking to the sky.
The very first airplane was flown by Wilbur and Orville Wright in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17, 1903, so the novel must take place sometime after this date. Marxism, in this case, is a political ideology that advocates social equality and justice through revolution and class warfare, and since the Marxist candidate gathers such a large crowd, it can be inferred that he has the support of many people. Meanwhile, Clara looks to the sky because her power, or intuition, tells her that Marcos isn’t dead.
Themes
One day weeks after the flight, Marcos arrives on the del Valles’ doorstep. He lost his plane and had to walk back, but Nívea’s prayers were answered. He stays for weeks, as usual, and thinks Clara’s special powers the perfect opportunity to hone his own clairvoyance. Marcos believes everyone—especially those in his family—have the same powers, and that they simply need to be developed. He buys a crystal ball and sets up shop to tell fortunes, kill the “evil eye,” and interpret dreams—all for five centavos. His business is a hit, and long lines of people gather outside the del Valles’ home. Marcos gazes into the crystal ball, and Clara whispers prophecies into his ear, which he then elaborates on for good measure.
Marcos’s belief that everyone has powers like Clara’s can be viewed as a reference to “powers” such as intuition or empathy, with which women are often associated. The “evil eye” is a curse often seen in Mediterranean culture that is usually cast upon someone without their knowledge, and it is further evidence of the supernatural. Clara kills the evil eye, which suggests she also has the power to reverse curses, and this again speaks to her strength and mysterious abilities.
Themes
Clara enjoyed Marcos’s stories more than any other del Valle. He kept several travel journals of his trips and experiences, as well as numerous books of stories and fairytales, and Clara read them in full. Now, Marcos has arrived again, this time dead of a mysterious African plague. Uncle Marcos’s death would be the most painful experience of Clara’s young life if not for the arrival of Barrabás with Marcos’s possessions. Barrabás is a rather large puppy, and Clara loves him immediately.
For Clara, who deeply loves her uncle, Barrabás is a consolation—like a living piece of Marcos. Clara’s love for the dog is symbolic of her love for Marcos, and Barrabás helps her to cope with the trauma of such a loss. Marcos’s travel journals and numerous books also reflect the importance of writing and recording the past: Marcos has experienced amazing things in his travels, and now his family can experience them too.
Themes
Severo wants to get rid of the puppy, but Clara insists they keep him, so Barrabás settles in and begins to grow. They don’t know his breed, although Clara is sure he is from China, and he has a tail the size of a golf club that can quickly clear tables and shelves. Barrabás won’t stop growing, and he is soon the size of a horse. Imagination and the del Valles’ ignorance as to where he came from adds to the dog’s “mythological characteristics.” Nana, however, grows tired of the dog and tries to poison him with cod-liver oil, but it only gives Barrabás a case of diarrhea, which Nana is forced to clean.
Barrabás’s “mythological qualities” adds to the book’s sense of the supernatural. His size and mysteriousness make him appear magical, and he, like Marcos, defies death when Nana tries to kill him. Severo seems to believe in patriarchal ideas—in that he believes women should learn useful domestic skills—but when it comes to Barrabás, Clara has the final word.
Themes
The narrator, Esteban Trueba, is 25 years old, and he is miserable being away from Rosa. He has been working and living in the mines for the past two years, trying to make enough money to start their lives together. He writes Rosa often, always typing his letters. He keeps a copy for himself, which he files along with the few letters he has received from Rosa. He never really thought much of love before meeting Rosa. Esteban was too afraid of rejection and ridicule to approach women, and he though love a pointless pursuit. But that all changed when he saw Rosa the Beautiful for the first time.
This is the first time Esteban Trueba is identified as the narrator, which means that he is the one to use Clara’s notebooks to reclaim the past and heal. The letters that Esteban saves are another way of preserving the past. The letters tell a story, and the few letters Rosa sends compared to Esteban’s imply that Rosa doesn’t love Esteban quite as much as he loves her. Again, the fact that Esteban must work in the mines to get enough money to marry Rosa suggests he is of a lower class.
Themes
The first time Esteban saw Rosa walking down the street with her siblings and Nana, he was mesmerized. The other men in the street were mesmerized, too, and Esteban followed Rosa home. From that day on, Esteban waited outside the del Valle residence, looking for an excuse to talk to Rosa. He enlisted Nana to take messages to her, and he bought poems and songs from a Spanish bookseller to express his feelings. When he first met Rosa, he was afraid to speak, but Rosa fell in love with him anyway. Then, through a bank loan, Esteban obtained the concession for the mine—he had to strike it rich for Rosa’s sake.
Esteban’s love for Rosa is clear. He obsessively waits outside her house and sends her poems—another form of writing and reclaiming the past that is seen throughout the novel. Here, Esteban appears intimidated, self-conscious, and afraid, which further reflects just how in love with Rosa he is. Again, Esteban’s need for a bank loan to obtain the claim for the mine suggests that he doesn’t have much money of his own, whereas the de Valles seem to be well-off given Severo’s political influence.
Themes
By the end of autumn, after the del Valles have mourned Marcos’s death, Severo’s plans in the Liberal Party begin to progress. He is running in the Congressional elections to represent a southern province, which he has never been to. The invitation to run in the election arrives on a Tuesday with a roasted pig—a gift from the southern voters—along with a decanter of the country’s best brandy. By Friday, the pig is gone, and Clara announces that an accidental death will soon plague their family.
Severo is a member of the Liberal Party, which means he supports and advocates for equal rights and social justice, but his representation of the southern province further oppresses the impoverished voters who live there. The voters are not represented by a peer who truly knows their needs, but by another wealthy politician from the capital. Meanwhile, Clara’s premonition suggests an upcoming tragedy and, worryingly, hearkens to her previous feeling that Rosa’s time is limited.
Themes
On Saturday, Rosa comes down with a chill and takes to her bed. Dr. Cuevas, the local physician, comes to examine her and orders rest and sugared lemonade with a splash of liquor. Severo gives Nana permission to give Rosa some of the expensive brandy sent by the voters, and Rosa drinks the spiked lemonade and goes to sleep. The next morning, Nana wakes as usual to make breakfast before going to Sunday mass. She arranges a tray for Rosa and delivers it to her room, but she is struck by a terrible premonition outside Rosa’s door. Nana opens the door and walks in. She crosses the room, draws back the drapes, and discovers Rosa dead in her bed, looking more beautiful than ever.
Nana’s premonition suggests that she, too, has “powers,” or at least that she has a powerful sense of empathy and strong intuition. Nana knows that Clara predicted someone would die—and given Rosa’s recent fever, she is the most likely candidate. Nana seems to be the only one who goes to Sunday mass, which signals to Severo’s atheism as well as his political beliefs. Religion is often associated with right-wing politics, which Severo seems to oppose as a member of the Liberal Party.
Themes
Dr. Cuevas is called and declares that no ordinary fever killed Rosa. He begins to tear the house apart looking for anything out of the ordinary and stops at the brandy decanter, which he assesses with extreme suspicion. Dr. Cuevas tells Severo that there is enough poison in the brandy to kill an ox, but he must perform an autopsy to be sure. That evening, Severo sends the children to bed early and gives the servants the night off. Dr. Cuevas and his assistant arrive shortly after, and they help Severo lift Rosa’s body onto the marble slab in the kitchen where Nana prepares the daily meals.
The spiked brandy was clearly meant to kill Severo, and since Severo is running for Congress, this attempt on his life is likely motivated by politics. Dr. Cuevas doesn’t ask Severo and Nívea if they want an autopsy—he simply tells them he must perform one. The fact that Dr. Cuevas feels comfortable acting on his own accord, without consulting others, reflects the ideals of their patriarchal society. As a highly-educated man of influence in the community, Dr. Cuevas is able to do whatever he feels is necessary, regardless of others’ wishes.
Themes
As Dr. Cuevas lifts Rosa’s nightgown and reveals her beautiful mermaid-like body, Severo is overcome with grief and leaves the room. Dr. Cuevas, too, is struck with grief and sits crying, his head in his hands. Dr. Cuevas’s assistant, however, can’t take his eyes off Rosa’s body and begins to breathe heavily—a “pant” that will stay with him for many years to come each time he thinks of Rosa’s naked body. Despite Dr. Cuevas’s obvious grief, he goes to work with his assistant, exploring the most intimate parts of Rosa’s body.
Dr. Cuevas’s assistant is extremely inappropriate. Even in death, he seems to view Rosa as a sexual object, not a human being, which again reflects the sexist society in which the novel takes place. This passage also reflects the deep love others feel for Rosa, as even Dr. Cuevas is overcome with grief. Still, Rosa’s autopsy is the ultimate invasion of her privacy and body—a decision that Dr. Cuevas made on his own.
Themes
Dr. Cuevas knows without a doubt that Rosa’s poisoning was meant for Severo. When their work is done, Dr. Cuevas’s assistant can’t stand the thought of crudely sewing up Rosa’s body, and he suggests they work a little more carefully with her. Dr. Cuevas agrees, and they spend several hours neatly sewing Rosa up and filling in the gaps with mortician’s paste. Dr. Cuevas leaves the room, unable to take anymore, and the assistant wipes the blood from Rosa, covers her beautiful body with a nightgown, and fixes her hair.
Dr. Cuevas’s suggestion to take more time preparing Rosa for her family implies that they don’t give others the same treatment. Likely, servants, peasants, and those of the working class aren’t treated with close attention, which reflects the discrimination of the lower classes. Rosa, on the other hand, is given special treatment because she is wealthy and beautiful.
Themes
Dr. Cuevas tells Severo that Rosa was murdered with rat poisoning, and Severo collapses to the floor. He renounces his candidacy and resigns from the Liberal Party, hoping that none of his descendants ever become politicians. Politics, according to Severo, are nothing but “a trade for butchers and bandits.” That morning, the del Valle residence is draped in mourning, and Rosa’s white coffin is placed on the big dining room table. Relatives and friends begin to arrive at noon, and everyone is truly devastated, including the president of the Conservative Party.
The attempt on Severo’s life reflects the corrupt nature of politics. Severo’s comment that politics are “a trade for butchers and bandits” suggests that politics are corrupt in general—even the Liberal Party and the left, which supposedly fights for the people. The mention of the Conservative Party president implies that he is suspected of involvement in Rosa’s murder.
Themes
Everyone says goodbye to Rosa, except for Clara, who refuses to even enter the dining room. She goes to the garden and curls up with Barrabás, and over the ensuing days grows increasingly distant from everyone, even Nana. Severo tries to keep the gossip concerning Rosa’s cause of death at bay; Dr. Cuevas tells everyone that Rosa died of pneumonia. Political assassinations are unheard of in their country, and most crimes of passion are committed face to face. Even with Severo’s attempts to stop a scandal, the opposition newspapers soon publish that Rosa was murdered by the oligarchy and the conservatives, who were looking to kill Severo for joining the liberals despite his high social standing. Such accusations are never confirmed—the only thing anyone knows for sure is that the brandy did not come from the southern voters.
Severo is very concerned with scandals of any kind, which suggests that he fears the judgement of others and what that might mean for his social status. Scandals—like Rosa’s death or Clara’s supernatural powers—threaten the del Valles’ standing in society, which he goes to great lengths to protect. The oligarchy is the handful of wealthy men who have ultimate political power over the rest of the country, and they often act in their own best interest. As a wealthy man, the oligarchy believes Severo should side with them. Instead, Severo advocates for the lower classes, which threatens the oligarchy’s power over those individuals.
Themes
In the meantime, Esteban is sure that he will have enough money to marry Rosa in six months, and he is happy thinking about the future. When the telegram from Esteban’s sister, Férula, arrives with news of Rosa’s death, Esteban must read it three times before it sinks in. It has never occurred to him that Rosa might be mortal. Without Rosa, Esteban’s life has no meaning, and he immediately returns to the del Valles’ residence.
Esteban’s surprise that Rosa is a mortal being again speaks to her magical qualities and the novel’s sense of the supernatural. This passage also reflects Esteban’s immense love for Rosa, as he must read the letter three times before he finally begins to accept her death.
Themes
Esteban arrives at the del Valles’ just as the carriage comes to take Rosa to the cemetery for the funeral. Esteban, Severo, and Rosa’s brothers follow to the cemetery. Women and children do not attend funerals, as such events are “considered a male province.” Esteban, unable to take his eyes off Rosa’s gravestone, spends the night in the cemetery, talking to her and mourning her death. He decides he will never love, or even laugh, again. “But never is a long time,” Esteban says. “I’ve learned that much in my long life.
Esteban’s interruption suggests that he will love and laugh again, even though he is clearly devasted by Rosa’s death. The fact that only men are allowed to attend funerals again reflects the oppression of women in a patriarchal society. Nívea deserves to bury and mourn her daughter in the same way Severo and Esteban do, as do Clara and Nana, but their needs are ignored.
Themes
The night of Rosa’s death, Clara could not sleep. She was feeling lonely and guilty, and Clara worried that Rosa died because she said she would. The house was dark, so Clara headed to the kitchen, thinking Nana would comfort her. Clara felt a wave of apprehension, pushed a box to the kitchen window, and peered in. She saw Dr. Cuevas and an assistant she did not know covered in blood and standing over Rosa’s naked body. Clara was horrified but couldn’t look away. She stayed there all night until Dr. Cuevas finished his work and left. Clara watched as the assistant kissed Rosa on the lips, breasts, and between the legs before wiping the blood from her body. Clara stood in the window until dawn, feeling silence fill her soul. She will not speak again for nine years, until she declares she is going to be married.
Clara’s apprehension when she reaches the window again speaks to her special powers, as she seems to know that something isn’t right. Witnessing Rosa’s autopsy alone is likely traumatic for Clara—a 10-year-old girl—but she is also forced to witness the sexual assault of her sister’s dead body. The assistant’s despicable behavior and his complete disrespect for Rosa’s body and the person she was is further evidence of their sexist society. Dr. Cuevas’s assistant again sees Rosa as nothing but a sexual object, and he takes from her what he wants.
Themes
