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Cyclical narratives:

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Motif of cyclical natures.

"The stars had already conspired to endow her with gifts" (262)
"When Clara was alive and Alba was still a child, the big house on the corner was a cloistered world in which she grew up protected even from her own nightmares" (266)
"She had begun to take leave even of light, to enter slowly into darkness" (289)

Analysis:
Everything on earth functions on a cycle, whether it be nature, creation, or human beings. Therefore when analyzing The House of The Spirits through the perspective of a cyclical lens, we can understand the way life and death are similar, and everything can build off itself. For instance, during Alba's birth, when described with the stars, her entrance to earth is viewed as a universal blessing and principle where her entrance is bringing in light, heart, and fortune. Meanwhile as Clara begins to pass away she denies herself of this light of birth, instead accepting the darkness of death as something equally necessary in her cycle of life. When they were both alive they were coexisting, where Clara and Alba both were protected from nightmares as they both still had this light, yet as Clara got older and already saw her death coming, she knew she had to confront what was death. Death and life, darkness and light, nightmares and dreams; all these foils play into cycles and circular paths as they all exist within one another, just at different points. Therefore Alba's birth and existence foreshadows Clara's death and exit from life. Although this is simply change, the idea that the world, like a cycle, is constantly changing into something else. This is the circle of life.

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Cycles Motif:
“Alba was born feet first, which is a sign of good luck. Her grandmother Clara searched her back and found the tiny star-shaped mark that distinguishes those born to true happiness”(263)

“Clara died on Albas seventh birthday. The first omen of her death was perceptible only to her”(288)

“”Dying is like being born: just a change”(290)

“”I'm going to die, aren't I, darling?” she asked. “Yes, Grandmother, but it doesn't matter, because I'm here with you,” the child replied.”(290)

Analysis:
Chapter 9 begins with the birth of Alba and ends with the death of Clara. This emphasizes this motif of a cycle that is prominently seen throughout the entirety of the novel, whether it's through the element of characters or even the setting around them. These cycles capture symmetry and ties between the two characters, Alba and Clara, as both have the resemblance of being able to hold the other characters together. Alba essentially holds the family together, similarly to how Clara did when she was alive. This cycle is able to continue as Clara dies and Alba lives one, similar to passing the torch, something done to relinquish responsibility onto the other.

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Motif of cycles:
"Alba was born feet first, which was a sign of good luck" (262)
"Clara died on Alba's seventh birthday" (288)

Significance:
As seen in the above quotes, the beginning of chapter nine began with the birth of Alba, and concluded with the death of Clara. This directly correlates to the motif of life cycles in that while one ceases to exist, another individual can be born. As life itself moves in a cyclical nature, this is similarly portrayed in the story as a major character passes away while another blossoms. The birth of Alba and the death of Clara is significant to the story as it showcases how the two characters are intertwined with one another---being potentially connected through their blood or through magic. This also represents a shift or transition within the story itself, in that both a beginning and an end are seen within the same chapter. In this way, Alba may be portrayed as a character which represents a new beginning while simultaneously inheriting some of Clara's clairvoyant powers due to their connection. The transition in this story is shifting from focusing on Clara's life, to Blanca's life, and now finally to Alba's life. She will likely be the last woman which the story intends to focus on, meaning that Alba is beginning the end of the novel. As well, the word "alba" in Spanish means "sunrise", which again contributes to the idea that Alba is a representation of new beginnings, thus re-starting the cyclical nature of life after Clara's death (birth as the beginning, and death as the end). Clara dying on Alba's birthday is similarly symbolic of how the two characters are interconnected through magic and blood, which works to heighten the importance and unique characteristics of Alba. In this manner, Alba may be the living reflection of both her grandmother and mother.

The Circle of Life:

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Motif of Life Cycles
As Alba was brought into the world, Clara was taken away from it.

"Clara died on Alba's seventh birthday" (288)

"'Dying is like being born: just a change,' Clara had said" (290).

"Thus, instead of whimpering when the time came, she hoped Alba would be calm, because in her case death would not be a separation, but a way of being more united. Alba understood perfectly" (290).

There cannot be life without death. Although birth is life's beginning, death does not necessarily mean its end. Rather, death paves the pathway for new life to blossom - in this case, Clara's fate is intertwined with that of Alba, who lives on as her grandmother passes away. Both of these characters are in tune with their spiritualities, welcoming death as it appoaches Clara - the usual person would encounter death with fear and hesitation. Through the relationship shared between the grandmother and granddaughter's fate, Allende highlights the wonders of life's cycles, emphasizing that death is not something to be feared.

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"...and pieces of Covadonga, the prehistoric automobile that her uncles had taken apart and rebuilt into a racing car and that had ended its days as a heap of scrap iron" (269)

The same car Severo and Nivea died in was transformed by their grandchildren, Jaime and Nicolas. This is a motif of cycles because the broken pieces of the car represent death and its transformation into a new race car represent life. Interestingly, it would have been expected that the family set aside the remnants of the car to honor Severo and Nivea. But given that it was left in the basement, the family must have moved on from their deaths. This makes sense for Clara because she viewed death to be like birth in that they are both simply changes (290).

"In the midst of a Venusian flora and an impossible fauna of invented animals much like those Rosa had embroidered on her tablecloth and Blanca baked in her kiln, she pained all her wishes, memories, sorrows, and joys of her childhood." (270)

In this quote, one can see that Alba, Blanca, and Rosa shared the same characteristic of artistically expressing their life. Clara did this too, although through spiritual, mystical mediums. In this way, even though Rosa and Clara are dead, parts of their personality were still passed on to Blanca and Alba. Therefore, the dead still live on, through the living. This connects to the motif because it shows that after death comes life, just transformed.

"Esteban Trueba, who had always found it difficult to express his emotions and had had no access to tenderness ever since his relationship with Clara had deteriorated, transferred all his finest sentiments to Alba." (274)

Up until this point, Esteban had a tumultuous, toxic relationship with everyone in his family. One can say that his relationships with his wife, daughter, and sons were dead. However, with Alba, his familial love was reborn. Therefore, even with Esteban, the cycle of life and death applies. I think it's interesting how someone can be capable of love even after destroying so many other relationships, but it goes to show how the need to love and be loved cannot completely die.