House Symbolism in The House of the Spirits

Symbolism of the House in *The House of the Spirits***

The symbolism of the novel *The House of the Spirits* opens with an epigraph and a dedication. The epigraph, by Neruda (the poet), alludes to the life and death of man, attempting to break this barrier and create an atmosphere, a world in which living and dead authors coexist. Some critics connect a key anti-fatalistic element with the positive tone that closes the novel, focusing on a woman's mouth—Alba decides to break the cycle of hatred, forgive, and have her baby, who is perhaps Esteban Garcia's child. The reader is presented with four generations of women: Nivea, Clara, Blanca, and Alba, whose loves and hates are woven into the historical context of a country—Chile—although the country's name is never explicitly mentioned.

Chilean Literature and Exile

Regarding Chile: Allende was likely familiar with the literature of exile, which repeatedly returns to the referent of Chile. Examples include *I Dreamt the Snow Was Burning* (1975) by Antonio Skármeta, and works by Carlos Droguett, known for his strict and uncompromising denunciation, and Poli Délano, who similarly kept his focus on Chile. The protagonist of Délano's *As If I Were Going to Die* (1977) reviews his life while locked in the toilet of a cinema on the night of Pinochet's military coup.

The House as a Symbol of the Nation

The use of the house as a symbol of the nation is not original to Allende. For example, she may have read authors who treated the subject, such as Donoso, with *The Obscene Bird of Night*, covering 50 years of Chilean history, and Eduardo Barrios, with *Brother Ass*, among others. The spatial impact of these novels, and the old houses in the twentieth century threatened by urban speculation and the rise of the popular classes, likely influenced Allende. Large houses became nostalgic refuges for those who had to leave for exile. From this space (*topos*), the house is present as a constant in nineteenth-century patriarchal literature: the estates with their mythical-symbolic values, reflecting the nation's identity.

On the other hand, the house, as a self-referential and enclosed space, lends itself to a reading of reality through the lens of magic—after all, one of the basic elements of narration. The house built by Esteban Trueba for his beloved Clara in Chapter III of the novel, which she and her daughter Blanca reshape in the seventh chapter, will require a final reconstruction by the patriarch in the epilogue. The house is mirrored in the family estate, Las Tres Marías, which the protagonist takes over in Chapter II, rising from centuries-old ruins and rebuilt after an earthquake (Chapter XIII). The construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of spaces is a fictional element that contributes to strengthening the circular structure of the story.

The House's Structure and Gender Dynamics

Some critics have argued that the structure of the house has its own symbolism, dialogue, and gender balance in the novel, which is *feminocentric*, but where all men and women are relevant. Men leave their imprint on the house, while Esteban—who occupies the front, conceived as a symbol of power, wealth, and class, with its English garden, library, and harmony—is deconstructed by Clara, who adds rooms to the back according to her needs. This represents the rational balance of the male versus the female creativity and flair that, from within, corrodes the foundations of patriarchal society. The rooms Clara annexes to the house, and the adaptations and uses of these spaces by Blanca and Alba, lead to greater freedom for themselves and the achievement of their ideals.