Lust is defined as "a passionate desire for something" although often associated with sex; lust can also be directed toward power and control. Isabel Allende's novel The House of Spirits is set in Latin America and follows the complex lives of three generations of the Trueba family. Often considered an allegory for mid-century Chile in the years before the military coup, the novel was originally written in Spanish and published in 1982. The novel is distinct from the genre of magical realism because it depicts a realistic narrative while incorporating magical and mystical elements. The theme of lust is prevalent in the novel, embodied in many different forms, most often with the aim of achieving power and control. Throughout, Allende depicts the sexual manifestation of lust as a catalyst for destruction. Two narrators dominate the novel, Esteban Trubea and Alba, his granddaughter. Lust consumes Esteban's character, affecting everyone around him, but as only Esteban survives the entire novel, it is his character who most fully conveys the effects and consequences of a life filled with lust, allowing Allende to use lust as an allegory for lust. the oppressive nature of upper-class Chilean society. Allende comments on the desire of the upper classes to seek political control through the character of Esteban, a self-made man who becomes rich and powerful, eventually leading the conservative party in the military coup of 1973. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay. Allende emphasizes the power Rosa has over Esteban; the novel begins with a young woman from high society, Rosa, with whom Esteban falls in love at first sight. He vows to win her hand: "I still remember the exact moment when Rosa the Beautiful entered my life like a distracted angel who stole my soul as she passed." Rosa is the object of Esteban's desires; his attraction seems to be entirely physical: he falls in love with her before speaking to her. Even her name, “Rosa the Beautiful,” implies that her beauty is all that defines her. But even more, Esteban says that Rosa “…stole my soul.” The soul is defined as “the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, considered immortal”. Thus, when Esteban says that she "stole my soul", he recognizes the loss of her immortal essence, thus his lust contributes to its destruction. Rosa, thanks to her beauty, acquired the power to destroy him beyond his mortality. Esteban's lust for Rosa is not limited to sexual desire, he sees Rosa as an asset to his status. In the jealous competition for her hand in marriage, Rosa becomes a prize in Esteban's quest for power and recognition. Allende describes this through the idea that winning one's hand is almost a game that all men play. Rosa enters a store and “in a few minutes, a whole circle of men has formed, their noses pressed against the window.” Competition increases the intensity and determination of Esteban's desire to win. Rosa is treated as an object and dehumanized by the men with their “noses pressed to the window,” which alludes to people looking at a caged animal. Rosa is presented as unattainable due to the physical and class barriers between her and potential suitors. In the shop scene, Allende comments on the fact that so many of the novel's characters are driven by lust to the point of destruction. Lust is not love and is only supported by a desire for control and ultimately abandonment. Esteban's desire remains repeatedlyunfulfilled, his love unrequited, leading him to a life of pain and anguish. Esteban struggles to control his rages, which are most often motivated by his unsatisfied primitive desires. Allende uses animal imagery to help him develop themes throughout the novel. "His horse played nasty tricks on him, suddenly becoming a fearsome female, a tough, wild mountain flesh. Esteban blames the horse for his strange desires, revealing his inability to recognize the power his lust has over him. leaving him to blame his feelings on a horse, Allende highlights Esteban's lack of understanding of what motivates him. Esteban's desires develop to the point that he begins to view his horse as a sexual object throughout. History, horses have been animals easily controlled and dominated by humans, abused and constantly worked at the mercy of their owner The horse, an animal that man can control but Esteban cannot, represents the. weakness that his desire brings him, leaving him hopeless and clouding his judgment The adjective "formidable" describes something that inspires fear because of its greatness and power Esteban's desires are described as formidable but Allende them. shows as perverted; although he is constantly seeking power, he desires to be dominated; he is looking for a physical relationship opposite to the one he has with Clara, his wife, who rejected him. Allende says the desire for absolute power and control turns a man into a deranged, sexually tormented beast. Often the animals in the novel are in cages, Barrab's, the family dog, arrives in a cage, like all the animals in the zoo that Alba visits, which leaves her with a constant fear of confinement, foreshadowing the end of the novel. . Clara freeing all the caged birds, an imagery that connects the idea of ​​freedom and confinement within Chilean society. Allende also draws a parallel between Esteban and Barrabas, who cannot resist a female dog in heat. The ability to resist impulses and control emotions and desires when the situation demands it is what distinguishes human from animal, but Esteban often follows the desires of his body and ignores his rational mind. Allende comments on the devastation that lust can cause and its transformative qualities that can turn a powerful man into a weak creature. Allende exposes Esteban's primitive desires and lack of control, in the midst of his turmoil and anguish for Clara, Esteban is 'begging her with his eye and drilling holes in the bathroom wall. Esteban's desire is not purely sexual, he wants Clara's love and attention, but he also wants to control her, he wants her to behave as he desires, to be attentive and loving. towards him. He is motivated by these needs and his insecurity. Esteban is helpless and hopeless until he regains control. Allende isolates him revealing his weak desire for affection; she emphasizes Clara's power over him, that even her silence drives him crazy. Esteban breaks through the bathroom wall because he thinks that as a husband he has the right to have whatever he wants, even if it doesn't allow his wife to have any privacy or respect. The hole in the wall connects to the recurring theme of men observing and objectifying women, first introduced at the beginning when men flock to watch Rosa in the store, without her knowledge. Allende comments on how women were trapped in Chilean society, their absolute lack of privacy or their right to reject their husbands' desires. During Clara's most intimate moments, Esteban watches her, feeling that he has managed to gain the upper hand over her. But Esteban's lust for power, driven by his physical desires.