Isabel Allende's “Daughter of Fortune” and “The Judge's Wife”
Introduction
Isabel Allende was born in 1942 in Peru and was raised in Chile. Her writing truly represents the culture, tradition, landscapes and issues of Chile. Her writings talk about the world of spirits, political changes of Chile and role of women in society. In order to understand what she thinks of the world and how she perceived the roles of people living in it can best understood by going through her books. Owing to this fact, her two stories, the “Daughter of Fortune” and “The Judge's Wife” will be analyzed and discussed in this paper.
Discussion
Daughter of Fortune
Theme of Love
Love, deceit, secrets, passion, death and opportunities were important themes in this novel that describes much of what happened in the novel (Novella, pp. 61-63). The novel is about the boundless love that can get to anything, and this is an extreme case where Eliza falls for Joaquin Andieta which, migrated to California at the time of the gold rush (Swanson, pp. 57-67), for best life expectancy and to marry Eliza among other plans, Eliza not happy with that and not thinking twice, going to California in search of her boyfriend to marry and live the rest of life with him. She travels as she pleases, though she still searches for her lover. As Eliza matures, she comes to know herself—and she loses her obsession with Joaquín, whom she never really knew. Instead, she gains a sense of individuality and an understanding of true friendship and love. In her friend Tao, she finds the steadfast affection of a lover; in turn, in Eliza, Tao finds strength and love (Allende, pp. n.d.).
In announcing “I am free” and holding tightly to Tao's hand, Eliza has abandoned her grasp on a restrictive, barren past and is taking hold of the possibilities inherent in her and in her future. Eliza also aggressively reclaims her femininity, exploring the sight, feel, and smell of her naked body in lieu of an expected love scene with Tao. Eliza appreciates her body and her own identity, and she again adopts female dress—though without the imprisoning corset. Eliza has come to terms with herself as a woman, and she has seized freedom and love, concurrent possibilities in the undefined world of California (Swanson, pp. 57-67), but not in her socially restricted Chilean birthplace (Allende, pp. n.d.). In a disparate world characterized equally by crime and salvation, Allende's Eliza in Daughter of Fortune has integrated her femininity with her desire for liberty and love.
As some critics have complained, the book ends with uncertainty (Novella, pp. 61-63). Tao and Eliza do not significantly explore their relationship; there are only hints throughout the book to suggest that they do, indeed, come to any mutual understanding of their love for each other. Significantly, too, Allende never reveals whether or not Eliza actually finds Joaquín Andieta in the decapitated head of Joaquín Murieta. Eliza herself does not state that the two are the same person, but she also decides, perhaps, that it does not matter.
Orientalism
Orientalism, “is a way of thinking that is based on the ontological and epistemological distinction established between East and-most of the time - the West” (Lopez-Calvo, pp. 154-164). In Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende, one can follow a route that visibly oriental notes the conflict between races, where the Orientalist discourse not only reaches the “other” oriental, but also create different levels of “subaltern “or” other “struggling to conquer a voice or “agency” within the Western hegemony, represented primarily by England, France and the United States.
The first part of the novel dates from 1843 to 1848, and describes the mysterious origin of Eliza Sommers and setting the Sommers family in Valparaiso, Chile. Throughout the narrative referred to as civilization England and France as the cradle of aesthetics and good manners (Lopez-Calvo, pp. 154-164). Jeremy Sommers, Eliza's uncle, gives a very similar to what we find later on “yellow” or “celestial” referring to Chinese citizens. In this case the story says about Chiles that this is a country of thieves, anywhere in the world both in the office spends ensuring merchandise like here. Everything is stolen and what is saved from thieves, is flooded in winter, in summer burns or crush an earthquake (Allende, pp. n.d.). It clearly shows the Chileans as beings who need to be civilized.
The contempt of the West to the East begins to emerge more clearly in the passage describing the Opium War between China and Britain. The humiliating defeat suffered to rival China is similar to the humiliation caused by the violation of virginity of a maiden, where the loser was not only the emperor, but both the economy and the nation's morale plummeted (Allende, pp. 183). For example, for the teacher of Tao Chi'en the foreigner's arrogance became intolerable and they were totally ignorant of the basic rules of good education and unable to honor their ancestors in the right way. The revulsion caused is such that the teacher ends up committing suicide.
The real conflict of the races is illustrated in the third part of the novel, where the Argonauts from around the world have come in search of “yellow dust” and instead found a real battlefield. Mexico had just lost the territories of Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and California half, and it is here where “the Robin Hood of California” (Allende, pp. 364) to prevent the Americans erased from “a stroke history former Indians, Mexicans and Californios “(Allende, pp. 365).
In a third social level, there are the “yellow” or “celestial” Chinese, because the English were considered to be the messengers of civilization in a land where people were ugly, corrupt and noisy and who used to eat snakes and wild cats. Not realizing that it was the Chinese who had made use of writing many thousands of years before them. In spite of this repulsion, as the narrator of the play, the Chinese learned to respect and fear the English (Lopez-Calvo, pp. 154-164).
“The judge's wife”
“The judge's wife” by Isabel Allende tells the story of Casilda, a young weak and delicate sensuality with Vidal defeats, the most ruthless criminal and searched the village. Casilda is a young woman who comes to the village to marry Judge Hidalgo, who is an elderly man and known to be ruthless when dispensing justice (Allende, pp. 81-93). Judge Hidalgo Casilda husband who lives tired of the impunity of Vidal decides to ambush to catch it, which results in a complete failure. Judge Hidalgo Vidal tired of chasing decides to take a vacation with his family in a faraway place (Allende, pp. 81-93). Vidal after learning trip of the judge and his family decided to reach for revenge. Judge Hidalgo realizing persecution tries to save his family, but unfortunately dies in the attempt, leaving his family helpless and waiting for Vidal. Casilda to be helpless Vidal decides to confront, using the most powerful weapons a woman has, her sensuality (Binova and Critelli, pp. 57-70).
In the story “The judge's wife” by Isabel Allende tells the story of two completely different beings as a result of circumstances end up supplementing their lives. For one Casilda a woman described as a weak and insignificant woman draws strength from a sensuality and eroticism itself never explored (Binova and Critelli, pp. 57-70). At the other end Vidal vile and wicked man who ends up with these charms of women, because for the first time in his life experienced the feeling of being loved. The most interesting thing in the story is the feeling of gratitude that emerges between the two characters, and that in some way ends Casilda Vidal grateful for teaching itself discover the passion and eroticism hidden in it and secondly Vidal's appreciation to Casilda for having loved (Binova and Critelli, pp. 57-70).
The destination is a way of seeing the world and say that our life is already written and even whatever we do this will be fulfilled. If we all believe in fate, we would like an end of Nicolas Vidal. At birth it was said that he would die because of a woman, and therefore spent the whole life trying not to fall in love and hiding his “destiny.” Perhaps it is better to live life without restraints, to think our fate is written by our own hands and we are the sole authors of it.
Gender Stereotypes
The male characters of the story maintained the theme of gender stereotypes. Nicolàs Vidal is at the beginning presumed to be the villain. He epitomizes the concept of machismo. He is a merciless rapist, torturer and murderer. It quickly becomes evident that Nicolàs will become the hero by looking at the meaning of his name. Nicolàs means “victory of the people.” Nicolàs, true to his name, triumphs in the end: he is able to save Casilda, the judge's wife, from a life of boredom and repression in the control of her machismic spouse Judge Hidalgo; he wins the affection of Casilda, stealing her love away from her recently dead husband and Nicolàs' sworn enemy. Nicolàs' last name, Vidal, is also the name of many saints and martyrs and means “of vital life.” Nicolàs is definitely a vital man. He never tires and prides himself for his bravery (Allende, pp. 81-93). His mother, Juana la Triste (Juana the sad), may have chosen this name randomly, but Allende did not pick this name randomly for her villain turned hero. There is no excuse for Nicolàs' behavior as Allende would imply by giving a name of such meaning to a rapacious man, Allende is maintaining stereotypical gender roles by implying that he is of great character despite his mistreatment of all people.
In Spanish, Hidalgo means “noble.” Noblemen in Latin America, much like those in Victorian England, were generally portrayed as hypocrites. They preached morals and virtue but rarely applied any of what they preached to themselves. As a judge, Hidalgo holds a higher position than anyone else in town, and so is, in effect, the nobility of this town. By all accounts, Judge Hidalgo is determined to carry out the law. This determination to uphold the law is painted as a negative. Rather than lauding the judge for accepting the difficulty of this job and recognizing the need for a judge to be consistent, it seems that the judge is indeed the villain. He is a vain and pompous man who cares more for his high position in the town than in carrying out justice; however, an important part of justice is remaining true to the laws in the land (Allende, pp. 81-93). No one knew what the judge truly felt about those he tried and convicted because they only see him carry out the letter of the law. But to make Nicolàs the hero, the judge must become the villain. The judge softens some in the carrying out of his duties after his marriage; this new attitude does not extend to Nicolàs Vidal. Desperate to catch Nicolàs, Judge Hidalgo decides to “put aside scruples” (187) so that justice can be served and proceeds to lock Juana la Triste in a small cage in the Plaza de Armas with no food and limited water. Forgetting how villainous Nicolàs is, the judge assumes Nicolàs will come to rescue his mother, and then the judge and his soldiers will capture Nicolàs. This decision turns the judge from gentleman to villain. Allende does not distinguish the difference between a decent man driven to immoral acts out of desperation for justice and a wicked man with no true redeeming characteristics. There is no excuse for the judge's torture of Juana, but he is still a better man than Nicolàs. The judge cannot go through with his torture of Juana. At the pleadings of his wife and cries of his children he relents and set Juana free. Nicolàs would never be so merciful. He would have allowed his mother to die without a second thought. The judge, despite what Allende means the reader to believe, is the better man.
Conclusion
The writing style of Allende is said to be “magic realism”, which captures the magic from the realities of routine life. She told her magical stories by depicting the landscape of Chile, its tropical weather and the religious beliefs they hold (Buehrer, pp. 103-7). She believes that it is the duty of an author to speak and raise voice for those who cannot convey their stories on their own (Rodden, pp. 113-23). She is from the place where power and literature were considered to be the domain of men and she stood as a role model. The heroines of her novels were inspiring and daring pioneers who conquered their problems despite of suffering. The two discussed novels also based on the similar themes in which the women overcome their difficulties in their own styles.
Work cited
Allende, I. “The Judge's Wife.” The Stories of Eva Luna. Trans. Margaret Sayers Peden. New York: Scribner, 1991. 181-93.
Allende, I. Daughter of Fortune. Trans. Margaret Sayers Peden. New York: Harper Collins, 1999.
Amago, S. “Isabel Allende and the Postmodern Literary Tradition: A Reconsideration of Los Cuentos de Eva Luna.” Latin American Literary Review 28.56 (2000): 43-60.
Binova, J.M. and Critelli, J.W. “Women's Erotic Rape Fantasies: An Evaluation of Theory and Research.” The Journal of Sex Research45.1 (2008): 57-70.
Buehrer, D. “From Magical Realism to Fairy Tale: Isabel Allende's The Stories of Eva Luna.” Philological Papers 44.42 (1997): 103-7.
Feal, Rosemary G., and Yvette E. Miller, eds. Isabel Allende Today: An Anthology of Essays. Pittsburgh, Pa.: Latin American Literary Review, (2002).
Lopez-Calvo, I. (Ed). “The Orientalist Route in Isabel Allende's Daughter of Fortune.” Alternative Orientalisms in Latin America and Beyond. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, (2007). 154-164.
Novella, C. “Review of Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende.” Américas 51, no. 5 (1999): 61-63.
Rodden, J. “'The Responsibility to Tell You:' An Interview With Isabel Allende.” Kenyon Review 13.1 (1991): 113-23.
Swanson, P. “California Dreaming: Mixture, Muddle and Meaning in Isabel Allende's North American Narratives.” Journal of Iberian and Latin American Studies9.1 (2003):57-67.
