Please post your blog contribution as a comment to “Assignment 7” between 5 pm Friday, Feb. 18 and 5 pm Saturday, Feb. 18.
From any of the first 208 pages in HoS, pick an incident that exemplifies racial injustice. In 100 words, briefly describe it and analyze what is unjust about the incident.
As I was thinking back on examples of racial injustice in The House of Spirits, two things really stuck out in my mind. Indians in this novel are considered to be the lowest of the lower class, and Esteban Trueba takes advantages of this in two ways: First, he savagely rapes Indian girls all along the countryside, leaving a string of illegitimate children in his wake; Second, he employs generations of Indian families without so much as paying them in real money. In other words, he has a complete lack of respect for and total disregard of the rights of the Indians who slave for him every day of their lives. He also never raped a person who was of his own class or higher, only Indian girls. “Word of his cruelty spread throughout the region, provoking jealous admiration among the men of his class” (63). Esteban Trueba personifies racism and enabled racial injustice at Tres Marias for the majority of his time there.
ReplyDeleteAn incident of racial injustice occurred when Blanca told Pedro Tercero the story of the Socialist leader who brought all sorts of pamphlets on the haciendas and began organizing the tenants. The Sanchez brothers caught him, beat him to death, and hung him from a telephone pole for everyone to see. While trying to cover up the incident, they blamed the Indians for the incident, although people were skeptical to believe that the Indians would do such a thing. The Sanchez brothers then dug up the body and brought it out for full view. It was unfair to blame the Indians for such a terrible crime. Several times throughout The House of the Spirits, Indians are referred to in a negative manner, as if they are a low-class race who does not know how to speak properly or act in a decent manner.
ReplyDeleteOne type of racial injustice that is really seen in chapter 5 and is introduced in chapter 4 on page 138 is the forbidden love between Blanca and Pedro Tercero Garcia. This situation is racially unjust because Pedro has darker skin and is closer to being in the peasant community than Blanca. Blanca is from a richer family and has lighter skin. She was always very distant from her father because he tried to control her seeing Pedro Tercero Garcia. This incident today would still be considered racially unjust because most people’s views are that marriage should not be determined by the color of the skin or by the social class. Marriage for the most part is a free choice. There should be no discrimination because when you love some one you love them for how they treat you and how you feel when you’re with them. When a father tries to force his daughter out of love just because he doesn’t like the way a person looks, that takes the injustice to a new level.
ReplyDeleteSoon after Esteban Trueba had taken over Tres Marias, he had noticed a terrible need for a woman. One day, he went in search of Pancha Garcia, a fifteen-year-old peasant. He threw his arm around her and placed her on the saddle of his horse. He continued to take her back to the house and rape her. She did not resist, and once she began bleeding, Esteban knew she was a virgin. However, he never reconsidered his decision. Pancha became pregnant, and Esteban lost all interest in her. This is an example of racial injustice found in chapter two (p. 57-62). Esteban knew he could take full advantage of the peasants because they had no other choice but to work for him. Even after he realized the young girl was a virgin, he never stopped. Esteban saw his superiority over their race and took full advantage of it.
ReplyDeleteAn incident that exemplifies racial injustice is when Esteban Trueba goes around and rapes innocent women. The women are not of his class and are of Indian decent. He chooses girls that are less than half his age and who are helpless. People from the surrounding places do not do anything about the raping because of Esteban’s power within the community. He uses his power, both political and physical, to take advantage of women. When the women start having children, he refuses to pay for them, gives the woman a check and sends then on their way. This is an unfair thing that Esteban does to the women who he rapes and he does not take the consequences of his actions.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 6, Revenge, a French Count, Jean de Satigny arrived and befriended Esteban. Jean de Satigny asked for his daughter, Bianca’s hand in marriage. Esteban thought for sure Bianca would go along with it because she enjoyed his company. However, once her father approached Bianca about the marriage, she was furious and refused to marry de Satigny. This perplexed Esteban because de Satiny was considered quite the catch and was being sought by all the young ladies. Esteban insisted the Blanca would “change her mind”. I believe that the motives for Esteban wanting his daughter to marry de Satigny was because de Satigny, a light skinned Frenchman, brought a level of class and refinement that was highly sought after and Esteban wanted de Satigny as a part of his family for prestige.
ReplyDeleteThe story of Esteban Trueba is a horrific and disgusting part to this book. I have a personal issue with tragic events that take place such as the ones done by Esteban Trueba. The story of the peasant Pancha Garcia, who was only a teenager is awful. Esteban Trueba rapes a girl only the age of 15 because he could and the peasants had no place to say no. After the raping Garcia becomes pregnant with Esteban Trueba's kid. The Racial injustice, and the advantage taking done by Esteban Trueba is pathetic and violates rights as well as moral issues.
ReplyDeleteIn chapter two, The Three Marias, a couple injustices are noticed. First of all, Esteban uncovers his sexual appetite. Throughout the chapter, he rapes many women; however, he only goes after the younger ladies. He fathers many children, but doesn't do anyting to support them. Additionally, he only allows one child to even bear his name. That child was the son of one of his favorite mistresses, Pancha Garcia. His raping numerous women is inappropriate, yet I bet not completely uncommon. He took advantage of women, because they couldn't fight back neither physically nor through their social status. Throughout his love affair with Pancha, Esteban is drawn to the peasants, which is my next point. Although he wanted to increase the quality of life for the peasants, he didn't want the peasants to become more well-off than him. I believe Esteban's thirst for power and money was due to his mother. He didn't want to follow the same path as her, because she married someone of a lower social status and lost most of her money. As a result, Esteban always had to work to support his mother and sister; he was determined to find an easier life.
ReplyDeleteI felt the Frenchman (Monsieur de Satigny) displayed several traits that portrayed racial injustice. He showed up in flaunting his fancy clothes, having business cards, and playing sports all day while the workers on the Hacienda worked to build it back up from the earthquake. He was obviously there to make a business proposition and he mesmerized everyone there, and because of this he had a advantage. He abused that by introducing Esteban Trueba to Chinchilla farming. He continued to hang around, then asking for Blanca’s hand in marriage, while obviously plotting a scheme (pg 192). He was looking for “easygoing” businessmen. These people were recovering from a devastating natural disaster and he say a financial opportunity, using his charm and flaunting his style and financial security to reel in the poor and needy.
ReplyDeleteThe incident I chose that exemplifies racial injustice occurred in Chapter 2 when Esteban goes to Tres Marías to reclaim his ownership and rebuild the hacienda. During the estate being fixed he hires many men and women to work for him. He does not pay them with money instead he gives them paper vouchers that they can use to purchase items in a general store that is owned by him. Esteban ruled Tres Marías with an iron fist; he made his tenants work very hard and was violent and cruel toward them. He did not respect his tenants and did not believe that they could ever be his equal. In his opinion the peasants were just a bunch of lazy, good for nothing children and he's was the only one with any work ethic or intelligence. He also treats the women of the estate and neighboring estate as his property; he used them for his personal pleasure against their will and fathered many illegitimate children that he refused to provide for. His reasoning behind his refusal was that only children that would count for anything and that would be able to carry his name would come from a woman of his own social class and not one beneath him. Esteban is unjust in his treatment of the peasant he views them as beneath him and treats the like slaves. The peasants have no rights, no dignity, and no equality under the rule of the patron.
ReplyDeleteOne incident that I discovered in the House of the Spirits that exemplifies racial injustice is when Esteban Trueba was able to rape the young women at Tres Marias down by the river. Since Trueba was the patron he was able to have complete control and the women were in no place to fight his advances. There was also even more racial injustice that resulted from the rapes and that was the birth of an illegitimate child, Esteban Garcia. Trueba, in the first 208 ages, never even acknowledges his own son because of who and what the mother is and the darker color of his skin. Trueba was able to call time and time again to penetrate the young women, even if they wanted to keep their virginity and innocence. In the book, it even refers to Trueba’s urges and how he would just grab women by the waist, while they were working and just ride off with them so he could have some pleasure. This is completely unjust because, just like now days, it’s wrong to make people have intercourse, for and reason, and especially just for the rappers desires and satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteThe incident that I chose happened in chapter 8. The Count hired some Indians to work for him. He dressed them up in crazy outfits and had them do choses that they weren't used to. He basically made them feel awkward. He also had them pose for erotic pictures. For all we know, these men were being forced to commit these sexual acts. He chose Indians for a reason. Maybe because he knew they would do what he wanted, we don't know, but I believe that this incident has racial injustice written all over it.
ReplyDeleteIn Chapter 8, titled “The Count,” Blanca slowly discovers Jean is involved in illegal activities. Blanca discovers what is going on in his photography studio one night. Jean subjects and photographs the Indians in degrading ways. Jean’s room is covered with photos of Indians in distressing erotic sciences. Blanca recognizes the Indian servants. Jean photographs them naked and dressed in costumes. The actions of Jean are an example of racial injustice. The Indians cannot speak out against the actions because of who they are. Jean has power over the Indians because he is not Indian. Blanca recognizes such subjection and not wanting her unborn child exposed to the horrible activities, leaves.
ReplyDeleteG. Gonzalez
Within the first 208 pages of “The House of the Spirits”, the main racial injustice that I noticed spurred from Esteban Trueba. It began in the chapter entitled “The Tres Marias”, when Esteban returned to the hacienda and began his rule. He stormed into the town (pg. 51) and immediately began bossing the natives around. While he saw this as beneficial to the inhabitants of Tres Marias, which it may well have been, he never once attempted to get their consent in the matter. What’s worse is that the natives, who have always been exposed to this sort of treatment, didn’t put up a fight. This is evident in later chapters when Pedro Tercero attempts to rally these people to make changes and they essentially respond by saying that this is how things are and how they always will be. Esteban continually describes them as “dark skinned” with features of an “Indian” which makes it obvious that their appearance is a part of what designates them as lesser. Where this description is evident is another part of the injustice dealt by Esteban at Tres Marias. It is when he becomes the patron that he discovers his lust for young girls, of whom Pancha is the prime example, and he takes advantage of them and rapes them without any hesitation or resistance. The people of Tres Marias know what is going on, but do not confront Esteban because of their lower status. This is evident in the last part of the first 208 pages when Esteban deals with the “dark little boy” who shows up at his door, and, unbeknownst to him, is actually his grandson.
ReplyDeleteAn incident that exemplifies racial injustice that caught my eye in “The House of the Spirits” is how Indians were considered as lower class individuals to Esteban in chapter two “The Three Marias” a character that exemplifies this is Esteban Trueba a well known “Patron” who viewed young Indians girls as “a hygienic method for relieving the tensions of the day and obtaining a good night’s sleep.” Trueba was a selfish man who did not care about Indian women or the Indian families because he would work them as hard as he could and pay them little or no money. With Indian women Trueba’s “concupiscence intensified” there was no “girl passed from puberty to adulthood that he did not subject to the woods, the riverbank, of the wrought-iron bed.” However, when there was no more women left for him to subject in “Tres Marias, he began to chase after those from the neighboring haciendas, taking them in the wink of an eye, anywhere he could find a place in the fields, usually at dusk.” He did not care because he was not afraid of anyone. “World of his cruelty spread throughout.” Indians started to hide their daughters, because they “could not confront him.” He was known to be “stronger, and had impunity.” Esteban Trueba is one of the people in “The House of Spirits” who represents racial injustice for the people of “Tres Marias.”
ReplyDeleteA racial injustice that bothered me the most was how Esteban Trueba thought he was so superior and powerful that he thinks raping an innocent virgin will make him more powerful. Throughout the book so far he is a true example of racial injustice because when Blanca was born, he talked about Indians in a bad way. When Blanca came out ugly and couldn't talk right, he compared her to an Indian. We find out that he rapes and fathers many children, but because his of his social status, he thinks he can walk all over these poor women and do nothing but take advantage of them.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading about the love shared between Blanca and Pedro starting in Chapter four and expanding in chapter five. The situation is considered racial because Pedro has darker skin and Blanca’s skin is tan only from the sun. Pedro also is considered a peasant and Blanca has a richer family. In the beginning her dad or nana wanted to stop them but the mom said they are just being children. However, there crush turned into love and last several years. Her dad didn’t really approve of it because what was going on during that time. It wasn’t socially acceptable for her to date Pedro because of his skin color so her dad didn’t like it. I felt like I somewhat had something in common with her because I am Caucasian and my boyfriend is black. My family accepts him now, but from where I am from (a small town) it is hard for society to accept for a white female to date a black male.
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