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- Esteban and Clara
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April
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Even the dog Barrabas was an important character in The House of the Spirits. Barrabas's death was the first 'bad omen' that fortold the novels future misfortunes, "The only ones left in the parlor were Clara, with the animal on her lap, her parents, who were locked in terrified embrace at the thought of such an evil omen..." (pg 91). Barrabas's death in a way even signified the transition of Clara from childhood into adulthood. Transito Soto, just a hooker when Esteban first met her, transformed throughout the story. Between Estebans visits to the Christopher Columbus, Transito changed and became more influentual to both Esteban and the novel. In the end, because of her influence, Transito rescued Alba and repayed Esteban for the money he had lent her as a teen. In my opinion she was one of the most important secondary characters, because without her influence Alba would not have been rescued in order to write her story. Ferula's importance in the novel, other than being Claras personal friend and maid, was that she fortold (most) of Estebans misfortunes (i.e. his shrinking). Not only that, but I believe the moment Esteban banished Ferula from the house was the moment that started the decline of happiness in his marrige. Nana was the one who took care of the children after Ferula was gone and she kept the house together. After her death (and the earthquake) the house was completely deserted and left abandoned. In my opinion the house on the corner represented the state of mind the family was in at certain periods throughout the novel, and because Nana kept the house orderly and under control she also kept the family that way. Then the Mora Sisters, or mainly just Luisa Mora. The mora sisters opened Clara up to her spiritual side, however Lusia was the one who I thought held the most importance in the story. Luisa predicted and forwarned Esteban and Alba about the horrible future events that would occur, however because no one listened to her the warnings were less important and effective. "I came to tell you to be careful, child...Death is at your heels..." (pg 365). Together the main characters and the secondary characters of The House of the Spirits interwined together and made the story more interesting and mysterious than what it would have been if the secondary characters had held no importance.
ReplyDeleteThe secondary characters in this book are very important to the plot overall. Barrabas is introduced to us in the very first sentence in the book. He is an unusual animal because he is very large and him and Clara seem to have a deep understanding of each other. Everywhere Clara went Barrabas would be right there. After Barrabas dies Esteban thinks it is a good idea to make a rug out of him but Clara fainted, making Barrabas disappear into the basement. Transito Soto is introduced when Esteban goes on his wild adventures while being at Tres Marias. She is mentioned only a few times, but helps Esteban in the end of the book find Alba. Ferula is Esteban's sister and comes into the book in the beginning when it talks about Esteban's mother and how sickly she is. While Esteban goes out to Tres Marias, Ferula stays home to take care of their mother. After Esteban and Clara by the big house Ferula moves and becomes obsessed with being around Clara. This makes Esteban jealous causing him to eventually kick her out. After that she becomes very ill and does not live well. Nana is someone who held the entire family together. She takes care of Clara and Alba and tries her best to keep peace in the family. The Mora sisters are friends with Clara and also share her supernatural gifts. They can sometimes predict things that are going to happen in the future.
ReplyDeleteIn this novel, i believe that the secondary characters are practically just as important as the main characters. Barrabus, for example, was the main confidant of Clara in her mute stages. And it was his death on her wedding day that told of the horribleness of that union. Ferula is also another very prominent secondary character. She is the one that holds the house together at Tres Marias when Clara is in her dream-like state. She ran the household, took care of the kids, and became close to Clara in the process. Transito soto didn't really hold a big part until the end of the novel where she used her connections to free Alba. Nana was probably the biggest secondary character because she had been there from the start. She was the one who raised Clara and Rosa and their siblings and she's the one who took care of Clara again later in life. But, the Mora sisters were probably the most powerful secondary characters. They were Clara's inner circle of friends and they fortold the misfortunes of the family. Overall, in The House of the Spirits, the secondary characters play a very important role in teh way the novel turns out.
ReplyDeleteThe secondary characters of this book are nearly just as important as the main characters, in helping shape the story as a whole. Barrabas and Clara held a tight bond throughout the dog's life, and his death at Clara's wedding was an event of major importance which foretold the struggles Clara and Esteban still had yet to face. Transito Soto also plays an important part, not only does she become one of the few recipients of Esteban's rare acts of generosity, but she also aids him later on in the book with his frantic search for Alba. In Ferula's case, shes basically the foil to Esteban. While he's out making a name for himself, Ferula has to stay home and care for their dying mother on her own. She holds an important role because I believe she shares a lot of the same desires out of life as her brother, but because of the social expectations, only Esteban can have them because he's a man. This eventually leads to her hate she displays towards Esteban when on pg. 132 she says, "I set my curse on you Esteban! You will always be alone. Your body and soul will shrivel up and you'll die like a dog!" This seems to follow him and hold true for quite some time. Nana, however seems to be a lower class woman who has no children and works for the del Valles, but thought of as family. I guess her importance towards the book would be that she contributes to the theme of women and class throughout the book. As for the Mora Sisters, the first thing that popped into my head were the three witches on Hercules. haha. They are basically there to tell the unfortunate fate of the family and everything that would happen to them in between. The secondary characters are vital to the meaning of the novel.
ReplyDeleteTransito Soto becomes an important part of the book. She stays true to her word and repays Esteban by helping him find his precious granddaughter Alba.
ReplyDeleteThe Mora Sisters also are important. They add to the magical feel throughout the book. Luisa Mora warns Alba to be careful that death is at her heels (p.365) although Esteban thinks she is crazy she ends up being right.
Ferula becomes very fond of Clara and becomes like a sister to her until she is sent away by her jealous brother. "Ferula was right, I've been left all alone and my body and soul are shriveling up. All thats left for me is to die like a dog" (p.306) Through the curse she puts on her brother Ferula remains a part of the magical aspects of the book.
The secondary characters play a major role in this novel. First with Barrabas, he was an omen for Clara and Estaban's marriage. I also think that Esteban turning him into a rug didn't help out the situation either. Before Barrabas there was Rosa. Estebans suffering from her death characterized him for the rest of the novel. He would always have a bitterness and if not for her death he would have never been with Clara. Thinking to even before Rosa, there was Uncle Marcos. He was one of the main influences on Clara's spiritual path. Later in the novel, his influence is still present, with his magical stories shared with everyone and Nicolas' adventurous schemes. Next to Ferula. If not for her, Esteban would have been burdened with his mother to care for. She also played a role in the relationship of Esteban and Clara. His jealousy drove them apart and left the family torn. Pancha Garcia was the cause of much grief later on in the trueba family. Her grandson, Esteban's grandson, ended up being a trador and the cause of Alba's tourture. There are many other characters that played an imortant part in piecing the story together. To explain all of their roles would take almost longer than reading the book itself.
ReplyDelete