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Chapter 7
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The House of Ulloa, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Revolution and Aristocracy
Intentions vs. Consequences
The Political and the Personal
Marriage and Parenthood
Summary
Analysis
Julián wakes the next morning and shaves the few hairs he has. He is preparing to ride off to nearby Cebre and eventually to Santiago, where his mother (Old Mother Rosario) lives. She works as a servant for the de la Lage family, who are Don Pedro’s relatives. Julián believes he has a plan to solve the current sinful situation he lives in, with Don Pedro being unmarried with a son. As he walks through the manor, he is surprised to see that Don Pedro has also shaved. Don Pedro says he is eager to go to Cebre himself. Julián is surprised but happy—his plan is to get the marquis away from the manor and try to encourage him to take a wife.
Julián’s lack of facial hair hints at his youth and inexperience. The fact that his mother is a servant suggests that Julián has risen up from the circumstances of his birth. This perhaps explains why Julián is so cautious about maintaining a good reputation—because he had to work to achieve one in the first place. Julián’s plan to get Don Pedro out of the manor reflects how the manor has an almost supernatural power to corrupt those inside it. The manor represents the decay—moral, social, and political—of the Spanish aristocracy.
Active
Themes
As Julián prepares to leave with Don Pedro, Primitivo informs them that the only horse doesn’t have shoes and that even the donkeys have managed to injure themselves. Julián suspects that Primitivo might be trying to force them to stay. But Don Pedro suggests that he and Julián can just walk. Before leaving, Don Pedro goes to see Sabel in the kitchen and asks where Perucho is. He kisses Perucho and tells Sabel to watch over him.
Although the lack of horses or even a donkey is probably due to Primitivo’s trickery, it also shows how low Don Pedro’s status is. Don Pedro’s affection for Perucho in this passage shows how he is a complicated character. He wants Perucho to love him but also sometimes treats him cruelly and wants to avoid the responsibilities of fatherhood altogether.
Active
Themes
Julián and Don Pedro set off walking. The ground is uneven and starts becoming more difficult. Julián notices a wooden cross by the ground and asks if that means a man died there. Don Pedro confirms this and speculates that it was probably an argument between drunk men. Suddenly, Don Pedro hears a rustle of leaves. They see a gun emerge from the brush. Julián is paralyzed with fear, but eventually the stranger lowers the gun barrel. He emerges and reveals himself to be Primitivo. Primitivo announces that he’s decided to come with them to Cebre.
Active
Themes
Don Pedro asks for Primitivo’s gun, claiming to see a quail. He fires the gun once randomly, noting to himself that it contained buckshot, not a bullet. Don Pedro suspects the Primitivo considered shooting him to stop him from getting away, believing buckshot would make the act look less flagrant than a bullet. Don Pedro tells Primitivo not to reload his gun, and they continue walking to Cebre.
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