Isabel Allende Depicts Cultural Themes of Chilean Lifestyle
Isabel Allende Depicts Cultural Themes of Chilean Lifestyle
In The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende, old Pedro Garcia plays the part of a strange, wise old man. Throughout the novel he performs and teaches many peculiar works and lessons. His actions, some of which involve magical realism, all relate to important aspects of a Chilean lifestyle. In The House of the Spirits, Allende uses the character of old Pedro Garcia to illustrate the important aspects of Chilean lifestyle through his familiarity with the land, his supernatural healing abilities, and through his artistry and dexterity.
Old Pedro Garcia’s knowledge and familiarity with the land parallels with the Chilean people. For example, Esteban Trueba skeptically calls Garcia to Tres Maria to rid the hacienda of the ant problem. After Garcia had “[told] them to go, [because] they’re a nuisance here,” (112) “there were no ants in the kitchen, none in the pantry, the granary, the stable, the chicken coops, the pastures.” (112) Garcia’s mastery of the land and its creatures instantly purged the hacienda of the infestation. In addition, Garcia also “liked to sit in the doorway of his little house and feel the sun go down, [where] he could sense the subtle change in temperature, the sounds in the courtyard…and the silence of the hens,” (188) exemplifying his unity with the land and nature.
Old Pedro Garcia also reflects Chilean society in that they both hold medicine with a high regard. For example, after the earthquake at Tres Marias, when not even Dr. Cuevas would have tried to set Esteban Trueba’s bones, Garcia “restored the body so perfectly that the doctors who examined Trueba afterward could not believe such a thing was possible.” (161)
Garcia’s knowledge of arts and crafts, another part of Chilean culture, is prevalent as well. This was reflected in his belief that “the hands ought to be used.” (173) For example, one day when Blanca is complaining of a vicious migraine, “he called her and without warning dropped a ball of clay into her lap,” and he began to teach her “how to shape clay into pieces of kitchen crockery.” (173)
In a novel that has so many evil and negative motifs, a character like old Pedro Garcia prompts the reader to remember the positive aspects of Chile and its culture. Through his proficient knowledge in...