Two Identical Generations in the book 'The House of the Spirits' by Isabel Allende.

Authors Avatar

Lauren Hoff

April 8, 2004

IB 11 World Literatures

Dr. Kilduff

2 Identical Generations

        In the book The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, the theme of family is very strong through out the novel. The story goes through four generations of women in the Trueba and del Valle families. Often times in families the upbringing of children is very common. In the case of two women in the novel, their upbringings are almost identical. Clara, the youngest daughter of the del Valle family, who marries into the Trueba family, and her grand daughter, Alba. Both of them, as children, are very similar. Both Clara and Alba seem to be the glue that hold together each of their families. Clara also teaches Alba to use her clairvoyance to her advantage, a characteristic that Clara also possesses. Ironically, at the end of the novel, Clara dies, at a time when Alba is most capable of taking over Clara’s duties. Although Clara and Alba are different individuals, they are quite the same in many aspects.

Join now!

        Clara possesses the power of being clairvoyant. She can see the future and also can move things with her mind. When Alba is young, Clara notices the same traits in her. Clara teachers her and nourishes Alba’s powers. When Clara was young, Nana, her grandmother, did the same for Clara as she is doing for Alba. Clara’s family, her father especially, didn’t want Clara using her powers. Clara uses her powers for the better, to help protect her family and the people around her. Also, Clara writes down everything in a journal, a journal that Alba reads. She is passing ...

This is a preview of the whole essay