Tired of ads?
Join today and never see them again.
Advertisement - Guide continues below
The Supernatural
Since The House of the Spirits is classified as a work of magical realism, it makes sense that spiritual and supernatural phenomena figure prominently in the novel. You've got your run-of-the-mill ghosts, séances, and dream interpretations, along with tiptoeing mummies, premonitions, mystifyingly accurate folk remedies, floating grandmothers, and even communication with aliens. And just in case you thought that the supernatural element was merely a colorful addition to the story, consider the narrator's claim that this novel would never have been written were it not for the intervention of her grandmother's friendly ghost.
Clara's assertion to her daughter that there's no need to fear the dead, only the living, is reflective of the novel's portrayal of the spiritual world as a benign source of strength, inspiration, and companionship to the characters. The world of the living, on the other hand, is the source of the violent and destructive forces in the lives of the characters.
The novel postulates openness to spirituality and the supernatural as distinctively Latin American, as opposed to European or North American. The people who express incredulity towards the magical elements of the novel are "gringos" and foreigners.
Join today and never see them again.
Please Wait...