Nívea del Valle Character Analysis

Severo’s wife. Nívea is the mother of 15 children (four of whom have already died at the beginning the novel), including Clara and Rosa. Like Severo, Nívea has political aspirations. Nívea wants to fight for women’s rights from the inside, and she is referred to as “the country’s first feminist.” She stands on soapboxes and protests with her suffragette friends, but she can’t bring herself to take off her corset like the rest of them, which reflects the power of the patriarchy to control even the strongest women. Nívea is a loving mother, and Clara grows up hearing her outrageous stories of the past and their family history. Nívea and Severo are killed in a car accident when Clara is an adult, during which Nívea is decapitated and her head misplaced. Clara manages to find Nívea’s head—thanks to her supernatural powers—when even police bloodhounds fail. However, Esteban Trueba fears people will ask how Clara found Nívea’s head, so instead of having the head properly buried, he puts it in a hat box in the basement. Years later, when Clara dies, Esteban buries her with Nívea’s head. Nívea is the personification of female strength and power within the novel. She believes in women’s rights, and it is because of women like Nívea that future generations of women can vote and wear long pants. Nívea’s fight, however, isn’t easy, and many men (including her son-in-law, Esteban) condemn her. Esteban says Nívea is “sick in the head,” and claims what she really needs is a “strong hand” to keep her line.