The House of the Spirits

Ronie-Richele Garcia-Johnson (Essay Date 1 March 1991)

SOURCE: Garcia-Johnson, Ronie-Richele. "The Struggle for Space: Feminism and Freedom in The House of the Spirits." Revista Hispanica Moderna 47, no. 1 (June 1994): 184-93.

In the following essay, originally delivered as a thesis presentation on March 1, 1991, Garcia-Johnson examines the subtle feminist assertion in The House of the Spirits, noting that the women in the novel gain empowerment by first controlling their bodies and their living spaces.

Ayúdame a subir, Lucrecia, por estas paredes, veré mi dolor; si no hundiré con alaridos la casa de mi padre.

Melibea, La Celestina, Auto XIX

The temporal setting of the action in The House of the Spirits¹ spans fifty years²—from the early twenties to about 1974. Historically, and fictionally, within the novel, these were the years in which the women's movement began to gather strength, and...