Lust is defined as "a passionate desire for something" although often associated with sex; lust can also be directed toward power and control. Isabel Allende's novel The House of the Spirits takes place in Latin America and follows the complex lives of three generations of the Trueba family. Often considered an allegory of mid-century Chile in the years before the military coup, the novel was originally written in Spanish and published in 1982. The novel distinguishes itself from the magical realism genre because it depicts a realistic narrative incorporating magical elements and mystics. The theme of lust prevails in the novel, embodied in many different forms, most commonly with the goal of gaining power and control. Throughout, Allende describes the sexual manifestation of lust as a catalyst for destruction. Two narrators dominate the novel, Esteban Trubea and Alba, his niece. Lust consumes Esteban's character, affecting everyone around him, but since only Esteban survives the entire novel, it is his character that most fully conveys the effects and consequences of living a life filled with lust, allowing Allende uses lust as an allegory for the oppressive nature of upper-class Chilean society. Allende comments on the desire of the upper classes to seek political control through the character of Esteban, a self-made man who becomes rich and powerful, eventually leading the conservative party during the military coup of 1973. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayAllende emphasizes the power Rosa has over Esteban; the novel begins with a young upper-class woman, Rosa, with whom Esteban falls in love at first sight. He vows to win her over: "I still remember the exact moment Rose the Beautiful entered my life like a distracted angel who stole my soul as she passed." Rosa is the object of Esteban's desires; his attraction seems to be entirely physical: he falls in love with her before speaking to her. Even her name, "Rosa the Beautiful", implies that her beauty is all that defines her. But more than that Esteban says that Rosa "... stole my soul." The soul is defined as "the spiritual or immaterial part of a human being or animal, considered immortal". So when Esteban says he “stole my soul,” he acknowledges the loss of his immortal essence, so his lust helps lead him to destruction. Rosa, through her beauty, has gained the power to destroy him beyond his mortality. Esteban's lust for Rosa is not limited to sexual desire, he sees Rosa as an asset to his status. In the jealous competition for his hand in marriage, Rosa becomes a prize in Esteban's quest for power and recognition. Allende describes this through the idea that winning his hand is almost a game that all men play. Rosa enters a shop and «within a few minutes a whole circle of men had formed with their noses pressed against the window». The competition increases the intensity and determination of Esteban's will to win. Rosa is treated like an object and dehumanized by the men with her "nose pressed against the window", which alludes to people looking at a caged animal. Rosa is presented as unattainable due to the physical and class barriers between her and any potential suitors. In the scene in the shop Allende comments on the fact that many characters in the novel are driven by lust to the point of destruction. Lust is not love and is sustained only by the desire for control and ultimately gives up. Esteban's lustshe is repeatedly left unsatisfied, her love unrequited, leading to a life of pain and anguish. Esteban struggles to control his anger, which is most often driven by his unfulfilled primitive desires. Allende uses animal imagery to help develop themes throughout the novel. 'Suddenly his horse played tricks on him, becoming a formidable female, a tough, wild mountain meat.' Esteban blames the horse for his strange desires, highlighting his inability to recognize the power his lust has over him. By letting him blame his feelings on a horse, Allende is highlighting Esteban's lack of understanding of what drives him. Esteban's desires grow to the point that he begins to see his horse as a sexual object. Throughout history, horses have been animals easily controlled and dominated by humans, mistreated and constantly worked at the mercy of their owner. The horse, an animal that man can control but Esteban cannot, represents the weakness brought by his lust, leaving him desperate and clouding his judgment. The adjective "formidable" describes something that inspires fear because it is large and powerful. Esteban's desires are portrayed as formidable but Allende shows them as perverse; although he is constantly seeking power, he desires to be dominated; he seeks a physical relationship opposite to the one he has with Clara, his wife, who rejected him. Allende is saying that the desire for absolute power and control turns a man into a deranged, sexually tormented beast. Often the animals in the novel are caged, Barrab's, the family dog, arrives in a cage, like all the zoo animals that Alba visits and which leave her with a constant fear of confinement, foreshadowing the end of the novel. Clara releases all the caged birds, images that connect the idea of ​​freedom and imprisonment within Chilean society. Allende also draws a parallel between Esteban and Barrabas, who cannot resist a bitch in heat. The ability to resist impulses and control emotions and desires when the situation requires it is what distinguishes man from the animal but Esteban often follows the desires of his body and ignores his rational mind. Allende comments on the devastation that can be caused by lust and its transformative qualities that can turn a powerful man into a weak creature. Allende exposes Esteban's primitive desires and lack of control; in the midst of his turmoil and anguish over Clara, Esteban is 'Pleading with her with his eye and making holes in the bathroom wall.' Esteban's lust is not purely sexual, he wants Clara's love and attention, but he also wants to control her, he wants her to behave the way he wants, to be attentive and loving towards him. He is driven by these needs and his insecurity. Esteban is helpless and desperate until he regains control. Allende isolates him by revealing his weak desire for affection; emphasizes Clara's power over him, that even her silence drives him crazy. Esteban punches a hole in the bathroom wall because he thinks that as a husband he has the right to have everything he wants even if it doesn't allow his wife privacy or respect. The hole in the wall ties into the recurring theme of men ogling and objectifying women, first introduced early on when men flock to ogle Rosa in the shop, without her knowing. Allende comments on how women were trapped in Chilean society, their absolute lack of privacy or right to refuse their husbands' wishes. During Clara's most intimate moments, Esteban observes her, feeling that he has managed to gain dominance over her. But Esteban's lust for power, driven by his physical and emotional desires projected onto.