Irony In The House Of The Spirits

All different social classes have their own positive and negative effects. Whether it be the lower, middle, or upper class, money and power depict the major issues. Originating from a lower and middle class, requires many to make financial sacrifices and numerous times have an unpleasant view on those attaining more money. Obtaining a higher class standing is the epitome of having power and overall ensures little financial problems. In reality, money and power affects the lower and upper class equally. In the novel The House of the Spirits while describing the class struggles between Esteban Trueba and Pedro Tercero, Allende uses symbolism and irony to prove the negative effects of class struggles on one’s happiness and perspective.
Esteban

Trueba is a man with a large amount of political power all of which affects his source of happiness. Many view him as a respectful husband and father who enjoys life based on his flourishing financial situation. As a powerful politician, economic declines do not affect Mr. Trueba as Allende illustrates,
“He noticed that, despite the fact that he was constantly hatching new schemes, his finances seemed to have been dwindling since Clara’s death; still, this caused him no undue alarm since he supposed that it was part of the natural order of things…” (Allende 308)
Although Esteban Trueba’s capital does not affect him to a large extent, his political position has a significant role in the issues he acquires.

He commits himself fully to the Conservative party while omitting his family’s concerns. Despite this, Esteban maintains a good public image as The House of the Spirits shows, “He was fanatical, violent, and antiquated, but he represented better than anybody else the values of family, tradition, private property, law and order” (Allende 307-308). Allende’s use of situational irony shows an impeccable politician who represents the traditional husband and father when in reality his life is hectic. As a matter of fact, Esteban’s household does not follow a set of rules and has the minimal family interaction. Unlike the traditional family, Esteban finds his source of happiness only through his work due to the lack of compassion he receives within his

family.
On the other hand, Pedro Tercero Garcia originates from a lower class, therefore, obtains a distinct outlook on his current situation.

As son of the poor peasant, Pedro Segundo, he is able to view the corrupt side of those in a higher social class. As a result, he now obtains Socialist views, “Disillusioned with political organizations, he had distilled his thoughts down to three or four basic ideas, on which he built his whole philosophy” (Allende 309). Pedro Tercero is now recognized for his revolutionary songs where he submits his ideas on the corruption of political authority. He goes on to sing while using animals in order to transcend the reality of the higher class, “From the chickens and the foxes he had gone on to sing of life, friendship, love, and also revolution” (Allende 309). The use of symbolism within this passage represents Pedro’s view on people similar to Esteban Trueba. Originally, chickens are a main food source for foxes and are easily intimidated. In this case, Pedro Tercero uses chickens to represent the peasants while using foxes to symbolize those with power. This allows everyone to see how peasants live in constant fear of those who have a high political position. Those with power intimidate and use the lower class in order to gain personal profits. Pedro Tercero’s lower class requires him to live a difficult life while he focuses on the corruption of positions that affect him and his

family.
The different social classes in which Esteban Trueba and Pedro Tercero emerge from, both obtain negative effects. Esteban Trueba comes from a family who has a great amount of money and obtains a high position within the Conservative party. Despite all this, Esteban struggles obtaining a source of happiness. He has lost his family’s connections as many oppose his political views. Therefore, Mr. Trueba resorts to his politics as a form on relief since he does not find that at home. On the other hand, Pedro Tercero has a hard time obtaining happiness due to his perspective on the fraudulent higher class. He devotes himself to making a change in the government, leaving little time for him to enjoy his personal life. Overall, originating from a higher class makes it difficult to find happiness in important matters while a lower class struggles to get justice and end corruption that has a negative effect on their lives.