Politics-+Class+division+and+struggle

POLITICS- CLASS DIVISION AND STRUGGLE

The political events in the country described in ‘The House of Spirits’ are quite similar to those that occurred in Chile during the early 20th century. This was a period which witnessed the growth of two opposing classes – the upper class, or the landed aristocracy, and the peasants. The del Valle and the Trueba families represent the land-owning upper class, or the //criollos// (members of the Mexican community born and raised in South America but of Spanish ancestry), who control land, housing, and infrastructure, while the Garcias represent the tenants who till this land. This unequal distribution of prosperity between the two classes culminates in upheaval, in terms of both the rigid class structure, and political ideology.


 * Chapters 1-3 **

o Emotion plays a critical role in bringing out the distinction between the upper and lower classes of society. For example, Esteban, who at this point is a miner associated with the middle-lower strata of society, cannot help but shout and scandalise relatives on hearing of Rosa’s death. His irrational behaviour is contrasted with the mask of composure worn by the men of the del Valle family, who ‘dressed in black’ ‘as befits the norms of sadness..in the dignity of grief’ (C1, p34). o Ironically so, emotion also helps to bridge the gap between the two classes. This is quite evident when the loneliness and grief of Rosa’s death moves Severo to ask Nana, the maidservant, to have a drink with him (C1, p28). This newborn proximity between employer and employee breaks down the rigid boundaries of social constraint that prevent inter-class mingling.
 * Emotion and Class distinction **

Structure further highlights this divide in status. The house of the del Valles itself is structured in a way that it progresses from the camellias and miniature orange trees marking the family’s domain, to the service rooms and kitchens where ‘the house lost its aristocratic bearing’ (C1, p38).
 * Structure and Class distinction**

The structure of the novel further widens the rift in political ideology. It is narrated from two primary perspectives – that of Esteban Trueba, who is a Conservative in favour of maintaining the status quo, and that of Alba, who holds strong socialist views. By making class struggle a key theme in the novel, Isabel Allende in a way supports the cause of the peasants; the conservatives (like Esteban Trueba) would refuse to accept class struggle as a problem.
 * Structure and political ideology**

The landlords belonging to the upper class in the story are portrayed as wealthy and influential diplomats with political backgrounds, as opposed to the tenants. Yet, among the upper class itself is a divide in political ideology. o Severo del Valle is a member of the liberalist party, which supports the theory of equal rights for all. o Esteban Trueba, on the other hand, is a Conservative, who ridicules the ideas of equality and voting rights as ‘primitive’ (C2, p66). He refuses to acknowledge the presence of a class struggle, for he believes that ‘all men are not created equal’ (C2, p64), and therefore a distinction is inevitable. Trueba’s political and economic ideology is clearly one of profit and capitalism. He resents the communist views of Pedro Segundo Garcia and the priest at the Tres Marias, and refuses to give his peasants the ‘respect and dignity’ they appealed for (C2, p63). His staunch belief in the feudal system of aristocratic dictatorship lends his character a mono-dimensional outlook in the story.
 * Rift in political ideology – Liberalism versus Conservatism**

Despite Esteban’s single-mindedness, his character lends itself to a paradox o Esteban is quite condescending as a landlord, and wishes to improve the conditions of his peasants by educating them; yet, he fears their gaining any ‘additional learning’ (C2, p59) unsuited to their position which could be used to usurp his power. o Esteban opposes the peasant’s right to vote; and yet, the Conservatives use voting as a means to gain power, by coercing tenants into voting for them. o In his speech, Esteban speaks of the country being a ‘genuine republic’ with ‘civic pride’ (C2, p70), while in reality the nation was nothing but a dictatorship run by the landed aristocracy. Further, Esteban has no faith in the peasants’ sense of responsibility, and claims to be their ‘father’ (C2, p64); yet, all his biological children are bastards, for he refuses to accept them as his progeny because they are mothered by women who do not belong to his social class. In terms of space, Esteban seems to prefer the vast countryside to the narrow confines of the capital, and the fertility of land at the Tres Marias to the old age and decay of his home (C3, p84-85). Yet, in terms of ideology, Esteban is hopelessly narrow minded and orthodox; o He continues to abide by the colonial system even at a time when the stability of the feudal aristocracy (the upper class) is threatened by the growth of a parallel Marxist ideology. o He also continues to believe in the superiority of males at a time when women seem to be gaining access to education and high posts.
 * The paradox in Esteban Trueba’s political ideology**