Hos Commentary

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Billy Foshay

IB English III

Mrs. Kober

3 November 2010

House of Spirits Commentary

In Isabelle Allende¶s The House Of Spirits, Blanca experiences a joyous

dreamlike reality as she walks toward the river in hopes of seeing her lover, Pedro

Tercero. In using vivid imagery along with similes and metaphors, Allende creates a

dreamy visualization to the reader, and portrays Blanca¶s happiness as she walks in peace

towards the river.

In order to create a realistic portrayal of a dream, Allende incorporates various

personifications that enhance the visualization of a dream. The personification of ³fields

shaking off their sleep´ begins to create the magical realm which Blanca passes through.

By applying human actions to the fields, Allende creates the magical and dreamlike mood

for the reader, to which the reader can relate to having a dream. The fictional action of

fields shaking as they wake up, works to create an unclear boundary toward dream and

reality that expresses Blanca¶s happiness. The word unknown is essential to see that

Blanca has never experienced a pleasure like this before. Allende again uses a

personification of Blanca¶s ³unknown pleasures´ being ³awakened´ to show Blanca¶s

complete transformation to happiness. Before coming to the river, Blanca was unhappy.

Now Allende shows Blanca¶s happiness through creating a switch between dream and

reality.



While the personification sets the basic mood of the passage, Allende further

intensifies the feelings between dream and reality through the use of similes and

metaphors. The ³first rays of sunlight cutting through the peaks like the thrusts of a

saber´ describes the early morning. This simile exemplifies the reality of Blanca¶s walk,

by comparing the first rays of sun in the morning to the thrusts of a saber. The first rays

show how the sun is just rising and how eager Blanca is to get to the river this early in the

morning. The diction of ³cutting´ connotes the first rays penetrating with the intensity of

a sword or saber allowing the reader to experience the reality this early morning scene.

Allende quickly switches back to the dream later in that sentence when the ³dew

[evaporates] into a fine white foam that blurred the edges of things and turned the

landscape into an enchanted dream´. Through the metaphor, the mood is switched in just

one sentence between dream and reality. The blurred edges create the mystical mood,

define the visualization of a dream. It is ³blurred´ and unclear what is dream and what is

reality to Blanca. The following sentences are short and choppy as ³Everything was still

quiet´. The shortness snaps the reader from the dream back into reality following the long

description of the dream. Allende turns a realistic scene of the sun rising into an

³enchanted dream´ to portray Blanca¶s open mind while walking to the river. Blanca

feels happiness overtake her to a point where she is contemplating whether it is reality or

only just a dream.

The most pivotal technique Allende uses to create the dreamy tone is a copious

use of vivid imagery. The imagery is essential to the crossing between dream and reality

because the reader can visualize what Blanca is seeing. Blanca¶s footsteps ³crushed the

fallen leaves and the dry branches, producing a light crunching sound´ as she walks



through the freshly paved path of leaves. Allende uses the auditory imagery of the

crunching leaves to incorporate real sounds and have the reader listening to each step of

Blanca. The fall scene created by Allende puts Blanca in a real setting far from the

dreaminess a few sentences before. To no surprise, the reader is brought back to the

dream through the imagery of ³shaggy meadows, the golden wheat fields, and the far-off

purple mountains´. The visual imagery of the perfect setting of gold and purple provides

an inference to a dream-like state due to the perfection. The landscape is unscathed from

society and shows in Blanca¶s mind everything about the setting is perfect. All of this

imagery is ³part of some ancient memory, something she had seen before exactly like this

in a previous life´ that Blanca is feeling during the moments she walks toward the river.

The previous life represents Blanca¶s dreams and that she has lived this moment in her

head and showing how her dreams are becoming a reality. Blanca sees and feels ³the

delicate rain of the night had soaked the earth and trees, and her clothing felt slightly

damp, her shoes cold´ when she approaches her destination. She feels the reality around

her of nature, of the dampness but still feels as if she is living a dream. The diction of

³delicate rain´ creates a soft and peaceful mood. The rain does not bother Blanca because

to her she feels as if she is dreaming and takes little notice to the reality of falling rain.

Blanca is able to smell the ³perfume of the drenched earth´. The word perfume connotes

a peaceful and desirable smell. Once again Allende uses imagery to create the peaceful

mood for the reader and to portray Blanca¶s happiness.

Allende¶s crafty use of personification, similes, metaphors, and imagery inflicts a

mood of peace and serenity throughout the passage. The reader is able to identify

Blanca¶s happiness as she strolls to the river through both real and dream-like vibes.

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