In The Stories Of Eva Luna By Isabel Allende - 1776 Words

In the unique position of being both related to the Marxist president whose reign preceded that of Augusto Pinochet, and a woman in an increasingly gender-sensitive society, Isabel Allende witnessed much of the tragedy that befell Latin America in the late 1900’s. Allende made it her task to combine elements of the magical and absurd with her own struggles, and those of society under oppressive rule and stereotypes. She ultimately acted as an influential supporter of women’s empowerment, and she harnessed this desire for equality and strength through her own literary work. In her 1989 collection of short stories entitled The Stories of Eva Luna, she takes a peculiar, yet transcendent stance on the reality of women’s lives within the†¦show more content†¦However, by way of the crippling two words that she whispers to him, the power that was thought to lie in the figure of the Colonel comes to lie entirely in the more prudent Belisa. Similarly, in the stor y, â€Å"If You Touched My Heart,† Amadeo Peralta has complete control of Hortesina, locking her up in a cell for his aesthetic pleasure and, â€Å"because he felt like it.† (66) But by the end of the story, the same exchange of power plays out, with Peralta now in a cell and Hortesina observing, healthy and well, from the outside. The same external, intergender powerplay is found in many of the stories in this collection. Additionally, a theme of agony and despair penetrates these stories, and characters find themselves in situations they have little control over. In â€Å"The Gold of Tomas Vargas,† Antonia Sierra is a young woman married to Tomas Vargas, a miser in matters of family and a quarreling spender in matters of personal interest. By the time she was 40, she, â€Å"had hardly a tooth left in her head, her once audacious body had been ruined by work, births and miscarriages† (51). Furthermore, when it is discovered that Concha Diaz is the child of Tomas, Antonia’sShow MoreRelatedIsabel Allende, The Goddaughter Of Salvador Allende1061 Words   |  5 PagesGoddard Comp II ENC 1102-10108 November, 15 2017 Title Isabel Allende was born on August 2, 1942, in Lima, Peru, to Tomà ¡s and Francisca Allende. Isabel Allende is the goddaughter of Salvador Allende, the first socialist president of Chile who was her father s cousin. Allende’s father was a diplomat and deserted the family when Allende was just two years. Allende, her siblings, and mother then moved in with her grandfather in Chile. Allende remembers herself as a rebellious child during those yearsRead MoreEssay on Eva Luna and A Dolls House: The Nature Of Power1527 Words   |  7 Pages Discuss the nature of power explored in the texts, Eva Luna, and A Doll’s House In the two texts Eva Luna, and A Doll’s House, by Isabel Allende and Henrik Ibsen respectively, there are various people who have power over others. However this power comes in a number of forms, different characters use it for different purposes, and the ways the characters achieve it also differs. These different natures of power allow some people to succeed where others fail, and it is those who succeed that, inRead MoreMagical Realism2274 Words   |  10 PagesTwo of the most widely recognized major contributors to Latin American Literature are Gabriel Garcà ­a Mà ¡rquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude and Isabel Allende’s Eva Luna. Both are written in the genre of magical realism, a literary form that describes fantasy and imaginary events in such a way that it becomes believable and real to the reader. Specifically, these books describe the geopolitical turmoil of Latin America during the early twentieth century and the mid twentieth century; respectivel yRead MoreEva Luna and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Essay771 Words   |  4 PagesStorytellers usually put comedy into their stories to keep their audience engaged, and to make the characters feel real and multi-dimensional to their audience. Diedrich Knickerbocker does this in â€Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hallow† by explaining Ichabod’s travel through the woods after hearing the legend of the headless horseman. Knickerbocker describes some noises that Ichabod hears when traveling in the forest that turn out to be just the wind or leaves. â€Å"As Ichabod approached this fearful tree,Read MoreThe Theory, History, and Development of Magical Realism Essay examples3188 Words   |  13 Pages Carpentier uses â€Å"magical realism† as an art of writing long before it becomes fashionable. He depicts the contradictions between political reality and religious or mythical beliefs. The Lost Steps (1953) is a story told twice. The novel describes the search, the adventures, and the revival of the protagonist’s creative powers, and the remarkable decision he makes in a village that seems to be truly outside history. The Chase (1956) and Explosion in a CathedralRead MoreHistory of the Development of the Short Story.3660 Words   |  15 PagesThe Short Story. Basic Literary Elements of The Short Story. 1.1.History of The Development of The Short Story. 1.1.1.Early Forms.Origins. The short story refers to a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, usually in narrative format. This format or medium tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas (in the 20th and 21st century sense) and novels or books. Short story definitions based upon length differ somewhat even among professional writers