Topic > Liberal feminism in the house of the spirits

Liberal feminism, the typical feminist perspective that both sexes have equal opportunities, has much more than this. There are many other aspects and beliefs of liberal feminism that are not known to the general public. Allende offers her vision of feminism through her novel The House of the Spirits. Although Allende has an overall liberal feminist viewpoint, such as the concept of silence and the separation of the sexes, it is not consistent throughout the novel, such as her conservative beliefs regarding women's suffrage. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAllende portrays Clara and Alba as women with the feminist behavior of silence. For example, when Clara was pregnant with Blanca, she says “[levitate]…rise to a level that would allow her to leave behind the discomfort and heaviness of pregnancy and…[Entere] one of her long periods of silence" (Allende 113). Allende uses silence as a metaphor for alternative space. While literally “silence is the best way to get real attention,” “great ideas also come from a world of profound silence” (Walker 1, 2). For Clara, this silence is a “last refuge” (Allende 113). It creates a mental space of silence that Esteban cannot enter, just as illustrated by Alice Walker, a feminist fiction author. In addition to Walker's assertion that silence is the best way to gain attention and generate big ideas, Meredith Hall, a feminist professor at the University of New Hampshire, says that "inciting the silent treatment... inflicts shame helpless" (Room 1). Esteban finally giving in to Clara's silence shows that Allende supports Walker and Hall's claims. Furthermore, Alba constitutes another example of the silent treatment. During Alba's imprisonment, “his ideas had become so confused…he decided to forget everything he knew” (Allende 408). The disorganization of Alba's ideas has led her to forget everything and remain silent, which generates great ideas. Furthering Hall's claim, Allende shows that through silence, Alba temporarily defeats Esteban Garcia with his silent treatment. This shows that Walker and Hall's views on feminism support Allende's view of the silence aspect of feminism. Subsequently, Allende emphasizes his belief in the separation of the sexes through the division of relationships. Although Esteban initially wanted to possess Clara and "lock her up", when he runs for Senate, the distance between him and Clara increases due to his workload. While Clara needed space for her spiritual celebrations with her eccentric friends, Esteban needed space for his political party to function. The house became a divided house as “an invisible boundary was created between the parts of the house occupied by Esteban Trueba and those occupied by his wife” (Allende 225). Furthermore, feminist authors Ann Ferguson and Rosemary Hennessy believe that “a separation between the family is necessary to…stop the oppression brought by capitalism” (Ferguson 2). Both Allende and Ferguson believe that husband and wife must be separated in order for the wife to gain independence. Allende further demonstrates this by highlighting the changes that occurred in the family after the separation. For example, while “the facade of the house has not undergone any changes,” the house belonged to Clara (Allende 225). Even the back garden, which was once an emulation of a “French garden,” became “a tangled jungle in which every type of plant and flower had proliferated and where Clara's birds continued to make a constant racket, together to many”..