Okay forgive me for being a day late. My routine forgot that yesterday was Monday.
The most striking part of The House of the Spirits (well, which part wasn't striking?) in my opinion was Rosa's autopsy. You see it described from two points of view; at first from Esteban's narrative, which he has gleaned from Clara's writings, and from Clara herself. While Esteban's account is admittedly unsettling, it gives a realistic backdrop to compare to Clara's traumatic retelling. Esteban details Dr. Cueves' despair over Rosa's demise, crying as he had to cut into her to determine her cause of death. The assistant, albeit troubling, was not shown to act in any particular way besides being in awe of Rosa's unique beauty. Esteban, having not witnessed the autopsy firsthand, would not have been able to see the assistant's motives beyond what was known by the family. Clara's account, on the other hand, is seen through the eyes of a child fixated on the ethereal and mystical. She sees the doctor as a vampire, ravaging her sister's body. Clara also sees the assistant's perverted actions against her sister, in a way admiring Rosa's beauty and at the same time disrespecting it. How ironic in that the worship of beauty led to the destroying of it!
Abbie Hedden
PS Josh and Jamie
The most striking part of The House of the Spirits (well, which part wasn't striking?) in my opinion was Rosa's autopsy. You see it described from two points of view; at first from Esteban's narrative, which he has gleaned from Clara's writings, and from Clara herself. While Esteban's account is admittedly unsettling, it gives a realistic backdrop to compare to Clara's traumatic retelling. Esteban details Dr. Cueves' despair over Rosa's demise, crying as he had to cut into her to determine her cause of death. The assistant, albeit troubling, was not shown to act in any particular way besides being in awe of Rosa's unique beauty. Esteban, having not witnessed the autopsy firsthand, would not have been able to see the assistant's motives beyond what was known by the family. Clara's account, on the other hand, is seen through the eyes of a child fixated on the ethereal and mystical. She sees the doctor as a vampire, ravaging her sister's body. Clara also sees the assistant's perverted actions against her sister, in a way admiring Rosa's beauty and at the same time disrespecting it. How ironic in that the worship of beauty led to the destroying of it!
Abbie Hedden
PS Josh and Jamie
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