Pablo Neruda’s “I’m Explaining a Few Things” in Connection with Isabel Allende’s House of Spirits
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Through their separate mediums of writing, poetry and literature, both Neruda and Allende both achieve a common goal of criticizing the actions of certain militant forces, past or present, within there country of living. In Neruda’s “I’m explaining a Few Things”, the Civil Spanish war, sparked by the forceful and bloody overtake of the current, fair republican government by the Faschist general Fransisco Franco, is the topic of Neruda’s disgust and criticism. The “burning” and “devouring” manner of Franco’s revolt changed his political opinion concerning his fondness for the communistic ideals and history tells he realigned with the Republican Party. This same general theme persists in Allende’s House of Spirits as she criticizes the…show more content… Stones that the dry thistle would bite on and spit out.” Esteban Trueba’s eventual shift in character due to the violence seen by the military force of his beloved Conservative party in House of Spirits models after the shift in political alignment Neruda suffers after witnessing the blood shed of the innocent by the Faschists against the democratic Republicans. Both Neruda and Esteban realize that their current party is wrong in their doings, Neruda noting to “come and see the blood in the streets. Come and see the blood in the streets!” Colloquial statements and questions such as “You are going to ask”, “I’ll tell you the news”, and even the title of the poem “I’m explaining a few things” represent Nerudas very personal and emotional stance on the blood-filled civil war. Such personal statements as “Eh, Rafel? Fredrico, do you remember from under the ground…” and “come and see the blood in the streets” reiterate Neruda’s personal involvement and feelings revolving the civil war. It is clear he wrote this poem from a personal standpoint, writing of his own personal afflictions caused by the Franco revolt, and not from a observant and unbiased standpoint. The obvious personal disgust for the “Treacherous