Eva Luna

“These were the only major events of the years Consuelo served in the house of Professor Jones. For her, the difference between dictatorship and democracy was occasionally being able to attend a Carlos Gardel movie—formerly forbidden to women.”

The political changes occurring in Eva Luna have little effect on marginalized groups. This quote highlights that for working-class women like Consuelo, the benefits from the toppling of El Benefactor’s dictatorship are comically miniscule. It also speaks to Power and the Inevitability of Corruption, as the difference between dictatorship and democracy is barely discernible.

“Words are free, she used to say, and she appropriated them; they were all hers. She sowed in my mind the idea that reality is not only what we see on the surface; it has a magical dimension as well and, if we so desire, it is legitimate to enhance it and color it to make our journey through life less trying.”

Consuelo’s philosophy on storytelling shapes Eva’s life. This quote corresponds to the theme of Reality and the Power of Storytelling, suggesting that words can draw out hidden aspects of reality and create a better version of the world. From her mother, Eva learns to use words as a weapon against life’s injustices.

“While in South America embalmed bodies were accumulating in the house of Professor Jones and a copulation inspired by a serpent’s bite engendered a little girl whose mother would call her Eva so she would love life, also in Europe reality took on abnormal dimensions. The war sank the world into confusion and fear.”

Here, Allende highlights that reality can be as strange as fiction by contrasting the fantastical images from Consuelo’s life with the reality of WWII. The comparison makes the point that these moments of fantasy and love are not inherently less reasonable than a brutal war. This moment sets the stage for the abstract reality of Eva Luna.