Feminism In The House Of The Spirits By Isabel Allende

In the selected readings, “Your Life as a Girl,” “Beyond Bean Counting,” and “Bringing Feminism a la Casa,” the various authors depict the complexities that are a part of inclusive feminism that incorporates issues across racial, economic, and sexual boundaries. The first reading, through second-person narration, begins the investigation into feelings of inferiority and distinction from male peers that girls feel from a young age. The following readings utilize perspective from marginalized groups to define a broader definition of feminism. The use of anecdotes from the respective authors reveals the aspects of feminism that require more than generalization and textbook definitions to go beyond cultural differences.

From the first lines of The House of the Spirits, Allende uses the technique of a feminized magical realism to pull the reader into a political-historical novel. Alba Trueba from Allende’s The House of the Spirits is an effective example of this revolutionary female narration. Her story, which includes her female relatives’ viewpoints and excludes Trueba’s version, is a direct block to Trueba’s egotistic, stiff, and not exactly true version of events. Her woman-centered narration is, further, a symbol of the triumph of women’s expression and their revision of patriarchal and authoritarian history. Alba watches the military erase history and devastate the country, but she in turn uses her power of writing to resist. Alba and her female, therefore,

Clara married Esteban Trueba, a man who was harsh, quick to react. During the patriarchal society, women were a man’s possession. They had few rights and were exploited and sometimes rejected by men (Metzger). Clara doesn’t put up with disrespect from any man and when her husband, Esteban, hits her during a fight, Clara never speak a word to him again (Allende 223). With this act of cruelty on his part it allowed Clara to escape to her own world of solitude, a spiritual world where Esteban cannot follow her. This world is without rules, without structure, no subordinate to men, no patriarchy, no boundaries (Metzger). These is a gift Clara can give to her daughter, Blanca.

In her essay “The Myth of the Latin Woman: I Just Met a Girl Named Maria”, Judith Ortiz Cofer analyzes the harmful outcomes that often result from stereotypes. Cofer states that mixed culture signals maintained stereotypes and they are promoted by the media. Today, stereotypes are displayed throughout the media. Stereotype is a generalized standard for a particular group or type of people or thing. Mostly groups of people are stereotyped ever since several decades ago. Over the years, stereotypes have grown to consist of categories such as race, gender, and ages. Her statement stands corrected until this day as the media continues to show stereotypes. In recent years the media has been promoting racial stereotypes just as Cofer’s statement in her essay.

Angelica Meza Professor Nguyen English 1301 11-13-17 Angelicas Commentary Stereotypes follow certain ethnic groups throughout their lives. Judith Ortiz Cofer is a Latina who has been stereotyped and she depicts this in her essay, "The myth of the Latin woman: I just met a girl named Maria. " Cofer portrays how hurtful stereotypes can be. Readers can realize Cofer's message through the many rhetorical appeals she uses.

It also shows them interacting at the university, the three legged table, organizations, and in other situations showing women to be important parts of society just as important as men. Isabel Allende even presents them fighting for more right such as the right to vote, which Nívea her friends, and Carla are shown openly taking action to receive this right. They also speak to other women trying to encourage them to take action. Even though these actions do not seem to amount to much, it shows women openly interacting with each other, presenting them as more than tools to advance the male character plots but, as separate characters with their own

All of the women in the novel share one thing that all of them are independent and they don’t let the men take control over them. That life is more important than class and social status. In going against the patriarchy of the society and defying the men in their lives shows that there is a really strong bond between the women in the novel. Clara is a good example to show how independent and strong the women in the story are. She’s always mistreated by her husband Esteban.

Joseph Conrad’s varying depiction of women in his novel Heart of Darkness provides feminist literary theory with ample opportunity to explore the overlying societal dictation of women’s gender roles and expectations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. The majority of feminist theorists claim that Conrad perpetuates patriarchal ideology, yet there are a few that argue the novel is gendered feminine. Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar claim “Conrad’s Heart of Darkness…penetrates more ironically and thus more inquiringly into the dark core of otherness that had so disturbed the patriarchal, the imperialist, and the psychoanalytic imaginations…Conrad designs for Marlow a pilgrimage whose

In the book Isabel Allende experiments with various literary devices. The many different narrative voices used in this book allow the reader to understand the book from dissimilar perspectives. As the story unfolds, one can see the symbolism that occurs in many of the events. The story revolves around the different generations of the Del Valle family. Symbolism is used as a literary device in this book to apply ideas and images to explain something in particular. Symbolism provides meaning to the writing beyond what is actually being described. The plot and action that take place in this story can be thought of as one level, while the symbolism of certain things in the writing of this story act on another level to enhance the story.

Feminist theory began in the late 18th century, the main goal was to diminish sexism in society and create equality for men and women. Throughout the years, women have succeeded in gaining equal rights. Unfortunately, there are still issues today. For instance, women are paid 78% of what men are paid. One novel that portrays the argument of Feminism is House of Spirits by Isabel Allende. To begin with, Men are characterized as violent and destructive beings while women are forgiving and possess magic. All the women in the book have names that mean light. Finally, the men in the book have all the power while women remain submissive.

Feminist criticism scrutinizes the ways in which literature reinforces or undermines the economic, politic, social and psychological oppression of women. One of the tools used

Feminist theory analyzes the gender inequality that women have faced throughout the years due to a patriarchal society. Women were expected to fit the traditional female and conform to the gender norms that society has constructed. According to A Brief Introduction to Critical Theory, “Feminism embodies a way of reading that investigates the text’s investment in or reaction to the patriarchal power structures that have dominated Western culture” (227). Patriarchal power has oppressed women economically, socially, and politically. Women were associated more with domesticity than with politics and financial situations. They were not provided the same educational opportunities as men. These issues have been addressed by people, such as Mary

Feminism, in theory, binds women from all over the world. They come together to protect their rights as equal human beings. For such a long time, men have dominated over women, looking down upon them and perceiving them as lesser beings. Feminism has allowed women from all cultures and races, to come together to fight for their rights. However, nothing is ever as simple as one may hope. Feminism constitutes women from all over the world, making it difficult from time to time to understand and empathize with each other due to different cultures, races and religions. Teresa de Lauretis (2014) says that “the identity as a woman of color is one not given but acquired, attained, and developed out of the specific historical experience”.

A novel is long narrative written by a novelist that describes fictional characters and events, usually in the form of a sequential story. The later, an Italian word used to describe short stories, supplied the present generic English term in the 18th century. The first significant European novelist is Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, the first part of which, the first part of which was published in 1605. The term novel refers back to the production of short stories that remained part of a European oral culture of storytelling in to the 19th century. Fairy tales, jokes, little funny stories designed to make a point in a conversation, the exemplum a priest would insert in a sermon belong in to this tradition.

First, magical feminism can manifest and exist within the accustomed matters that the female characters can associate and link their spirituality with. Magical feminism in Allende’s novel appears in many forms physically and spiritually. One common representation of magical feminism throughout the novel is its compelling connection with physical objects that exist around the female characters. Consequently, it manifests their minds, perceptions, and thoughts that make them dwell in a rather surreal world than the physical reality their bodies reside in. Moreover, the readers can see that magical feminism is initiated from a source, or specifically, familial tradition and inheritance from the beginning of the novel that gradually permeates and