Allende on Feminism: A Unique Viewpoint Anonymous College

Liberal feminism, the typical feminist perspective of both genders having equal opportunities, has more to it than just that. There are several other aspects and beliefs of liberal feminism that are not known to the general public. Allende offers her view of feminism through her novel The House of the Spirits. While Allende holds a general liberal feminist viewpoint, such as the concept of silence and the separation of sexes, it is not consistent throughout the novel, such as her conservative beliefs regarding women’s suffrage.

Allende portrays Clara and Alba as women with the feminist behavior of silence. For example, when Clara was pregnant with Blanca, she says “[she’s] going to levitate… rise to a level that would allow her to leave behind the discomfort and heaviness of pregnancy and… [Enter] one of her long periods of silence” (Allende 113). Allende uses silence as a metaphor for alternative space. While literally, “silence is the best way to get real attention,” “great ideas also come from a world of deep silence” (Walker 1, 2). For Clara, this silence is a “last refuge” (Allende 113). She creates a mental space of silence that Esteban cannot enter, just as illustrated by Alice Walker, a feminist fiction author. In...