Wednesday, May 25, 2011
9: Little Alba
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Little Alba was earlier mentioned on p.(202), by Esteban, just after he is abandoned by Clara and Blanca. "I felt so alone after that! I didn't know that the loneliness would never leave me, and that the only person I would ever have close to me the rest of my life would be an eccentric, bohemian granddaughter with green hair like Rosa's." I'd been anticipating her character's entrance into the story. I found it ironic that the only person that Esteban could love and be loved back by was the daughter of the man he most despised. Also, I think part of the reason he was so close to her was because she had the same unnatural hair color as his first love Rosa the Beautiful. I think Alba's birth sort of brought the family together in an odd sort of way. She admired both her uncles and adored her grandparents, and although the family still had issues and well let's face it they are fully disfunctional, they now all have something in common, and that is their love and interest in Alba.
~Brittany Rowe
The birth of Alba was interesting. According to wives’ tales she not only was born with good luck, but she also was supposed to grow up to great happiness. Alba had green hair just like her great-aunt Rosa. I always wondered why Isabel Allende, and therefore the characters in The House of the Spirits, thought green hair was so amazing and beautiful. To me, it would just seem weird. Anyways, Alba’s birth was also a scarring moment. Poor little Miguel was hiding in Clara’s closet when Blanca had Alba and he saw the whole thing. For a little kid, it’s probably a lot easier to believe in the stork or cabbage patch than to witness the actual birth of a baby. I honestly doubt he was ever the same again.
Alba was a favorite to many people. Clara, Blanca, even Esteban was overjoyed about her. But there were some, just as in real life, who didn’t care about Alba. One in particular was Esteban García. His feelings towards Alba were described as follows; “He felt that he hated this little girl almost as much as he did old Trueba. She embodied everything he would never have, never be. He wanted to hurt her, destroy her, but he also wanted to continue smelling her, listening to her baby’s voice, and having her soft skin within reach of his hand” (286).
One part of Little Alba that I really didn’t like was Clara’s death. I know that even characters in books one day die, but I really liked Clara. She was eccentric and never dull, but she had enough wit about her to know when she needed to take charge. One thing that struck be as strange was how no one noticed Clara getting her affairs in order. It says on page 289 that Clara talked to Jaime about it and he started keeping an eye on her, but before that she was arranging her notebooks of life and she gave all her precious jewels to Blanca. If someone in poor health suddenly started getting everything around him/her in order and giving stuff away I would definitely worry. But not the Trueba clan. That is not until Jaime and another physician examined Clara and informed everyone of the near-future death. When Clara did die, it was one my least favorite parts of the book.
Alba seems like the perfect child. She loved everyone and she had love given back to her. Esteban couldn't get enough of Alba because he finally had someone that he could confide in and spend his time with. Its interesting how the young child Alba was the only one who realized that Clara was the person who kept the house lively and Allende tells us of how after Clara's death the house enters a state of deterioration and decline to maybe foreshadow tougher times for the Trueba family. Alba's run in with Esteban Garcia really elucidates the close similarities between Esteban Garcia and his grandfaterh Esteban Trueba. He is a man who is filled with rage and seeks people or objects to vent on. For example, when he is standing in Trueba's library "he [shudders] with hate and fear" (285). He even wanted to hurt Alba so he could put his anger towards Trueba out on someone close to him! The book reads "he wanted to do it, feel her writhing and kicking at his knees, squirming as she fought for air. He wanted to hear her moan and die in his arms" (286).
Yes, but while I always felt that Esteban wanted Clara to be what he wanted her to be, I see a different Esteban in his interactions with Alba. My heart softens a little for him here.
And the description of Esteban Garcia characterizes a very, very disturbed individual, and while he does share some traits with his grandfather, are they more alike or different? And again...what does Esteban Garcia represent in the story...why are we seeing him again?
This chapter is where the quote that stuck out to me most lies within. While Jaime was performing the abortion on Amanda he quotes, "For if this child had been his instead of Nicolas's, it would have been born healthy and intact, instead of exiting in bits and pieces in this sewer of a clinic. He would have cradled it and protected it instead of extracting it from its nest with a scoop" (241). The way Isabel Allende uses the sharp words to really get the point across stands out to me. She didn't "beat around the bush" or "sugar coat it." Also, it shows you the contrast between the two twins personalities. Nicolas was just looking out for the best interest of him, and also of Amanda in a way, but he should of stood up for the innocent baby instead. Jaime wanted to care for the child of the women he loved even though it was conceived by his own twin, his own flesh and blood. Jaime was obviously so caring and selfless, especially from what I picked up about the society in the time period. The words seriously just grabbed me, and I love the way the author was able to use words to really intensify the situation.
When Alba was born her grandmother Clara said, " There's no need to worry about this little girl. She will be lucky and she will be happy" (262). Every member of the family believed this fortune, and therefore they were never worried about her health or did they ever feel the need to prep Alba for life. I find this somewhat strange that they put their complete trust into Clara's readings. We see later on in the book that Alba's life was not all happy,and that she indeed had hardships in her life.
Taylor Quella
I feel like they say Alba was born lucky because she has the chance to be a combiniation of everyones individual gifts. By having them all teach her and having access to their things she can grow and learn well. Clara teaches her how to communicate with the spirits, Nicolas teaches her his alternative religion and about medicine, Jaime gives her access into his private library, and she is givin time to explore and play alone in the basement. Everyone loves Alba and Alba loves everyone as well, but Esteban is particularly intrigued with little Alba. She is the only one that he can truely express all his love for.
Mrs. Matysak you've made me now wonder if Esteban Garcia is as alike as Esteban Trueba and I don't think he is. Yes he follows in his footsteps by doing rather sinful things that he shouldn't but Trueba didn't have that evil intent as Garcia did. Their motives were different but this isn't to say that Trueba or Garcia are justified in their wrongdoings. But simply they were very different in the aspect of motive.
Mellisa Crisan
After the first sentence I was already confused, "Alba was born feet first, which is a sign of good luck"(262). I thought that was very back luck and didn't understand why they were so thrilled about it. Right away we learn that the umbilical cord was strangling her (not lucky), she is lied to about her father (not lucky), and then all the later events still to come. To me, being born that way is not very lucky at all. And I think Thomas is on to something there!
Your Welcome,
Travis
As Trav said, I also think being born feet first is not very lucky. Alba's mother and grandmother were willing to let Alba live her life leisurely based solely on her astrological signs and Clara's foresight, "they made no effort to prepare the child for life" (262). Even though "the stars had already conspired to endow her with so many gifts" (262), Alba was still educated because her grandfather deemed it necesarry.
Thomas
When Clara is talking with Alba in this chapter about family fools and crazy people within families, she said something that made me wonder ''Here the madness was divided up equally, and there was nothing left over for us to have our own lunatic'' (281). Each part of what makes someone human is split into different members of the family line. Whereas you have Clara's spiritual prowess, Jaime's charitability and chastity, Nicolas' child-like freedom and eccentric goals of which he inherited from Uncle Marcos, Esteban's immense and unyielding rage, Blanca's romanticism, and Alba's strong will and accommodating attitude to new ideologies and concepts. I found it interesting for Clara to have thought of this as an 'even distribution' since its normally considered odd for someone to be too far to one of these aspects of humanity, as we see with Esteban.
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