The House of the Spirits

Two different characters narrate The House of the Spirits: Alba adopts an omniscient, third-person voice (for the most part), while Esteban narrates parts of the story in the first person. Why do you think this is so? What does it lend to the story to have two characters not just retell it, but do so in such different narrative styles?

Teaching Suggestion: Alba’s retelling of the story is a more balanced one that pays attention to the contexts and feelings of all the different characters that inhabit it; Esteban’s focuses solely on his location within the story. With guidance, it might be helpful for students to identify this difference in their discussion and draw out the different role that each fulfills as a narrator—while Alba’s is to present the reader with the entire story (including all of its connections), Esteban’s displays his redemption arc, allowing readers to empathize with him along the way. This prompt relates to the theme of Storytelling and the Power of Narrative.