Who, really, is Esteban Trebe?? // Ezra Kennedy

Honestly, I myself don’t know and I don’t think he does, either. At this point he seems so unsure about everything he’s done so far. All of the arrogance that sustained him once before is falling to his feet and he’s watching everything he held close being snatched away.

Throughout the book- - well, after Rosa died, Esteban represented everything that was inherently wrong with society in his time. Because of his political stature, he was able to take anything he wanted, or treat anyone anyway he wanted and no one would bat an eye. He represented authority and power, yes, but at its core it was corrupted. In the earlier half of the book, at the height of his life as a bachelor, just before he decided he needed to take a wife (to fulfil his own desires), anything he wanted he could steal. But the more Clara became engraved in his life the more he was shown that the power he had could only stretch so far.

The women in this book are shown to have more power than the men (over the men) in a way that is subtly scary, and I’m so sad that it wasn’t displayed in greater ways. The older Esteban gets the more clearly he sees how terribly he treated his family. I find it funny that he comes to this conclusion after seeing the final state of Trés Marias. He doubts whether this coup was the right way to go and doesn’t  really decide that it was until it directly affected him by killing Jaime.

This could be stretch, but I feel like just how Clara was supernaturally woven into the house, Esteban is woven into the society that he once stood so firmly for. Just as he starts to wither and decay, and rethink almost everything his life has been reduced to, the world around him comes crashing down.

What do you think, am I making sense??

I commented on Drew’s and Addison’s posts.

Comments

Jamie Peters said…
I think Esteban has come apart at the seams nearing the end of the book. However, you can see him slowly being stitched back together during his four page plea to Transito Soto. He starts with pointing out all that Alba had done wrong to get herself into the mess she was in, but ends up on his knees begging for help, because for him, Alba represents life and death.
Caroline Tucker said…
I did not think of Esteban as being woven into the political society but I see what you mean. Once Esteban decides to be drastic a good bit of people follow him even if it was not a good idea. He soon comes to realize this. I loved that he developed as a character to admit that he did wrong and to realize the consequences of his actions affect his family several generations later and affects his country as a whole. That is an important lesson to learn. Every decision that you or someone else makes can affect anyone around you or ninety years later.
Rachael Gregson said…
I too agree with this. Esteban changed so much during this novel I could never figure him out fully. He went from being someone I severely hated to someone I still hated but also pitied at the same time. He spent his entire life chasing the wrong things and finally fell flat on his face at the end. Powerful to powerless.
abbiehedden said…
When I first read the title of your post, I thought "Esteban is a jerk!" But upon reading your post (while I stand by my original statement) I realize that you're right. I originally thought that Esteban was the "realism" half of the magical realism in this book, but the more I thought about your theory the more it makes sense. He burned with the violent passion of the political society around him, and they both fall in flames. Love your post!