Role of Female Power in Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits
Duong
Role of Female Power
Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits has five protagonists; four of those are women. This demonstrates that women are the essentially vibrant characters who are mainly responsible for advancing the plot. Their relationships with society, the male figures in their lives, and each other, are intricate and multifaceted, which instill the readers to reflect upon the roles of women and feminine influence in the book. Some critics even proclaimed that The House of the Spirits is a feminist novel. However, it is important to consider Allende's narrative of female power and autonomy in the lives of her characters, especially Clara and how she is immersed in the womanly world of magic and intuition. The way women are portrayed in The House of Spirits is one of the novel’s key themes, and Allende did an exceptional job in articulating the rights and power of women within a patriarchal society.
Ferula expressed her power when she took care of Esteban as a young boy. “Ferula had adored Esteban when he was a child. She slept with him, bathed him, took him out for strolls, did other people’s sewing from dawn to dusk to pay for his schooling, and wept with rage and helplessness the day Esteban took a job in a notary’s office because they could not make ends meet with what she earned” This marks the foundation of female power that Esteban has to endure. As Esteban’s life began to flourish and developed outside the family, Ferula became covetous and then eventually desperate as Esteban’s marriage to Clara draws nearer. Esteban’s marriage forced her into ambiguity and insecurity, since Esteban, her only comfort and support, will become even more distant. Here, her role as the protector, also her source of power, was threatened, so she resorted to taking care of the house, and initially attempting to eliminate Clara. Even though Esteban exiled Ferula out of his house, he cannot escape her abiding power, which grew to the extent where she rather live and perished in poverty than use Esteban’s support money, and Esteban is forever haunted by Ferula’s spirit.
