A servant employed by the del Valle and Trueba families to care for their children. Nana takes care of Clara and Rosa when they are children, and she also takes care of Clara’s children as well. Nana dies alone in her bed the night of the big earthquake, and in the chaos, she is hastily buried in a community grave without any of the children she cared for in attendance. When Clara returns from Tres Marías, she arranges for Nana’s body to be moved to the del Valle tomb, which is where Nana always wanted to be buried. Nana is a major part of the lives of the del Valles and Truebas, though her neglect in death shows how class divisions can cause people to devalue even those they love.
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Nana Character Timeline in The House of the Spirits
The timeline below shows where the character Nana appears in The House of the Spirits. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Rosa the Beautiful
Clara is Nana’s favorite. Nana is the servant who takes care of the children, and she waits on...
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Nana enters and tells Severo and Nívea that a group of men have arrived with the...
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...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...
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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...
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...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...
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...and they help Severo lift Rosa’s body onto the marble slab in the kitchen where Nana prepares the daily meals.
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...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...
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...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...
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Chapter 3: Clara the Clairvoyant
...to swindle him. Severo, however, doesn’t listen, and he is relieved of half his money. Nana believes that Clara’s powers will resolve when she begins to menstruate, but that milestone comes...
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Chapter 4: The Time of the Spirits
...Esteban stores the head in the basement next to Marcos’s trunks and the Barrabás rug. Nana moves in to help Férula with Nicolás and Jaime, but the only thing the two...
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Férula doesn’t like the Mora sisters, either, and she fights incessantly with Nana; however, both Férula and Nana agree not to fight in front of Clara. Férula comes...
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...poor. Férula’s absence is deeply felt in the big house on the corner, especially by Nana, since Clara still doesn’t tend to any domestic matters. Clara begins to walk in her...
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...children and fell asleep naked under the table. Blanca loves him, too, and even though Nana hates when she spends time with him, Clara insists that Nana leave them alone. Blanca...
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Chapter 5: The Lovers
...María and goes to a convent school during the year like all the other girls. Nana gets Blanca ready for school each morning and warns her not to be misled by...
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...and when she can’t find him, Blanca goes back to the main house and cries. Nana instantly knows the reason behind Blanca’s tears and is overjoyed. “It’s about time!” Nana yells....
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...front of others as to not draw suspicion to this new phase in their relationship. Nana is relieved that Blanca doesn’t seem interested in Pedro Tercero anymore, but Clara begins to...
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The big house on the corner survived the earthquake without major damage, except for Nana, who died in her bed the same night. In the chaos, she is not given...
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...go to the big house on the corner, and find it in complete disarray since Nana’s death, so they decide to dismiss the servants and close the house. They cover the...
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Clara arranges for Nana to be transferred to the del Valle family tomb, which is where Nana always wanted...
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