Nívea’s husband and Clara and Rosa’s father. Severo is an atheist and a mason, and he completely supports his suffragette wife and her fight for women’s rights. Like Nívea, Severo is an aspiring politician, and even though he is a member of the upper class, he joins the Liberal Party. He runs in the Congressional election, representing a southern province he has never been to, but he drops out of the race after Rosa is killed by poisoned brandy intended for him. The brandy, which is thought to be a gift from the southern voters, is a clear assassination attempt. Rumor spreads that the brandy was sent by the Conservative Party as revenge for Severo’s decision to join the Liberal Party despite his class, but this is never confirmed. When Severo drops out of the Congressional race, he hopes none of his descendants will ever enter politics, which he claims is “a trade for butchers and bandits.” Severo’s experience reflects the corrupt nature of politics and government within Allende’s novel, and it further underscores the resistance that liberalism and other left-wing ideologies are met with by the Conservative Party.
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Severo del Valle Character Timeline in The House of the Spirits
The timeline below shows where the character Severo del Valle 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
...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...
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...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...
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The church is again silent. Severo stands up without speaking and begins to usher his family out of the church. “Possessed…She’s...
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...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...
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Nana enters and tells Severo and Nívea that a group of men have arrived with the dead body of Nívea’s...
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Severo wants to get rid of the puppy, but Clara insists they keep him, so Barrabás...
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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...
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...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,...
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...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...
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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...
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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...
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Dr. Cuevas tells Severo that Rosa was murdered with rat poisoning, and Severo collapses to the floor. He renounces...
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...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...
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...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...
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Chapter 3: Clara the Clairvoyant
Clara is 10 years old when she decides to stop speaking. Severo and Nívea call Dr. Cuevas, but his failed treatments only manage to terrify Clara. Finally,...
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...foretell the future and intuit people’s intentions. She predicts earthquakes and unusual weather, and warns Severo when a business partner plans to swindle him. Severo, however, doesn’t listen, and he is...
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...Two days later, Doña Ester dies, but Esteban isn’t there because he has gone to Severo del Valle’s house to see if he has any more available daughters. That night, Férula...
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Severo explains to Esteban that his daughters are each married, nuns, or sick. Clara is the...
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...in his back, lumbers toward Clara. He falls dead at her feet, and Nívea and Severo are terrified at such a bad omen.
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Chapter 4: The Time of the Spirits
As Dr. Cuevas makes plans to perform another cesarean section on Clara, Severo and Nívea del Valle are killed in an accident. Esteban tells Férula that he doesn’t...
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When Severo and Nívea’s bodies begin to decompose, they are buried without Nívea’s head. People come from...
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Chapter 7: The Brothers
...pool their money and buy an old car, which they call “Covadonga” in honor of Severo and Nívea del Valle. One day, Jaime says that he thinks Blanca is pregnant, and...
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