The Supernatural as a Means of Protagonist Empowerment in Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel and the House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
The Supernatural as a Means of Protagonist Empowerment in Like Water for Chocolate by
Laura Esquivel and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
IB A1 English HL
World Literature Comparative Essay
Word Count: 1496
Keri-Anne Murray
Candidate #: 003072-058
World Literature Comparative Essay
1
In Like Water for Chocolate and The House of the Spirits, respective authors Laura Esquivel and Isabel Allende use a connection with the supernatural to empower the protagonists in three ways. Firstly, the central characters in each story possess unique otherworldly abilities, which enable them to distance themselves from their oppressors. Secondly, the supernatural is active in providing spiritual healing of those in dire situations. Finally, supernatural events are responsible for the eventual suppression of the main antagonist of each novel, and the subsequent liberation of the protagonists. Supernatural empowerment is also used to convey the authors’ perspectives on Latin American culture, which will be explored in relation to each form of supernatural empowerment discussed.
In both novels, the oppressors of the central characters desire to control them completely, however, the protagonists have unique abilities which come to their aid. In The House of the
Spirits, author Allende uses Esteban Trueba’s desire and expectation to possess his wife Clara entirely, to portray the view that in Latin American culture, there is an implication of female inferiority and submissiveness in relationships. Allende, however, expresses a negative view of this societal expectation, by giving Clara supernatural abilities which sustain her, allowing her to detach herself from him and be independent. The reader learns that Esteban desires “far more than her body; he wanted control over that undefined and luminous material that lay within her…” (Allende 111). The use of magical realism in this description of Clara’s
“undefined and luminous” aspect
Laura Esquivel and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
IB A1 English HL
World Literature Comparative Essay
Word Count: 1496
Keri-Anne Murray
Candidate #: 003072-058
World Literature Comparative Essay
1
In Like Water for Chocolate and The House of the Spirits, respective authors Laura Esquivel and Isabel Allende use a connection with the supernatural to empower the protagonists in three ways. Firstly, the central characters in each story possess unique otherworldly abilities, which enable them to distance themselves from their oppressors. Secondly, the supernatural is active in providing spiritual healing of those in dire situations. Finally, supernatural events are responsible for the eventual suppression of the main antagonist of each novel, and the subsequent liberation of the protagonists. Supernatural empowerment is also used to convey the authors’ perspectives on Latin American culture, which will be explored in relation to each form of supernatural empowerment discussed.
In both novels, the oppressors of the central characters desire to control them completely, however, the protagonists have unique abilities which come to their aid. In The House of the
Spirits, author Allende uses Esteban Trueba’s desire and expectation to possess his wife Clara entirely, to portray the view that in Latin American culture, there is an implication of female inferiority and submissiveness in relationships. Allende, however, expresses a negative view of this societal expectation, by giving Clara supernatural abilities which sustain her, allowing her to detach herself from him and be independent. The reader learns that Esteban desires “far more than her body; he wanted control over that undefined and luminous material that lay within her…” (Allende 111). The use of magical realism in this description of Clara’s
“undefined and luminous” aspect