Assignment: In six to eight pages, show how Isabel Allende uses the themes of magical realism
and love ( or the lack of it ) in her novel, The House of the Spirits, to unmask the power of strong
women in a patriarchal society. In addition to using evidence or passages from the book, please
be sure to research what others have written about The House of the Spirits, about Allende
herself, and / or about the genre of magical realism to incorporate relevant quotes in support of
your ideas and analysis.
Sample Thesis Statements you can use:
In her novel, The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende intricately weaves together the themes of
love, which exposes the vulnerability of the women, and magical realism, which symbolizes their
strength, to unmask their power as strong women in a patriarchal society.
To unmask the power of strong women in a patriarchal society, Isabel Allende uses the themes
of magical realism and love in her novel, The House of the Spirits, showing on the one hand
how love can be a liberating force, while on the other hand, love ( or the deprivation of it ) can
be the cause of great suffering, and magical realism can be the equalizer.
In The House of the Spirits, author Isabel Allende juxtaposes the themes of love and magical
realism, both of which the women in the novel use as tools in their power to rise above the
oppression, brutality, and injustice they face in a patriarchal society.
This essay is not a book review or a summary of the novel. Therefore, you must analyze
occurrences, events, personalities, and characters to understand and explain how and why the
author uses the two themes ( magical realism and love ) to shape the outcomes of those events.
Once again, support your analyses with quotes from the novel and from outside sources, as
mentioned above.
This essay MUST be written ONLY in the third-person voice.
Audience: Both academic and general readers who might read your essay and get a fair insight
into the role magical realism plays in Latin American culture.
Please attach a cover page that includes your name, the class name, your instructors name,
the date, the essay #, and your thesis statement. NOTHING ELSE! This page is not included in
the required page count of your essay.
