The House of Spirits
There are connections to the past with the present lives of the des Valle and Trueba family tree that involve death or cruelty. With violence saturated throughout the novel, a storyline of melancholy and love is evident among those families. Isabel Allende addresses the issues of rape, verbal use and domination of an individual as cyclical forms of violent behaviors.
When young, Esteban Truebas aggressive temper and desire to fulfill his concupiscence intensified to the point where he sexually raped all women “available in Tres Maris” (63). However, Allende portrayed rape as a reoccurring theme when Pancha Ancha, the first of Esteban Truebas victims becomes the grandmother of a child: Esteban Garcia. Esteban Garcia grows up cognizant of the truth about his bloodline and seeks vengeance. Esteban Truebas actions come back to haunt him later. Alba, Esteban Truebas most beloved granddaughter, is captured and sexually abused by Esteban Garcia. “At that moment she understood that he had been waiting for her since..when she was just a child” (404). Allende shows through Esteban Garcia that revenge can be done through the same reason why one is seeking revenge. Esteban Garcias revenge against Esteban Truebas granddaughter was a parallel to the rape of Esteban Garcias grandmother.
When Esteban Truebas own daughter, Blanca Trueba, is at the age to wed, a “Jean de Satigny began to visit them” (194). Esteban Trueba is satisfied with Satignys social status obliges to Satignys desire to marry Blanca. Determined to have a prominent, new family member, Esteban tries to persuade Blanca. However, Blanca is infatuated and in love with Pedro Tercero. Esteban Trueba is oblivious to this romance and Allende portrays Esteban progressively getting agitated and frustrated with Blanca until his anger cant be contained. After finding out that Blanca was furtively meeting up with a mystery guy, Esteban demands to find out the truth. “Tell me who it is or Ill kill you!” (199). Allende uses Esteban Truebas anger as an instigator for his verbal death threats. Blanca unwillingly sacrifices her wishes to marry the man of her