Violeta

“José Antonio talked to Miss Taylor about the danger to democracy posed by an authoritarian military leader of the kind that had plagued Latin America since the wars for independence.”

Josephine and José Antonio have numerous conversations around politics, and José Antonio’s assertion here is an important one. It displays how, despite their political affiliations, the Del Valle family, and José Antonio in particular, has an inherently progressive and democratic worldview. José Antonio displays such tendencies across the story, seen through how he seeks out Josephine for important advice regarding the family’s fate, or how he welcomes Violeta into his business and treats her fairly.

“That fairy tale that all humans are equal before the law and in the eyes of God is a lie, Camilo. I hope you don’t buy into it. Neither the law nor God treats everyone the same. That is especially obvious in this country.”

Violeta’s long life has led her to believe that people are not treated fairly anywhere. Numerous life experiences that she recounts over the course of the book explain this worldview, such as how someone like Julián does not end up getting as harsh a punishment as he deserves, or how someone like Torito meets the fate he ultimately does.

“My brothers, who were now adults, distanced themselves from the social scandal, found jobs, and began making their own way. If we’d ever had any kind of familial bond, it was broken the morning we found my father in the library.”

The Wall Street Crash is a turning point for the family, as it leads to Arsenio’s death and the estrangement of Violeta’s brothers, except José Antonio, from the rest of the family. This is one example of how the political intersects with the personal; it also points to a repeating pattern of estrangement between siblings in the Del Valle family, as Arsenio was estranged from his siblings. José Antonio and Violeta are the exception, which further highlights how unconventional and extraordinary they are as characters.

“It seemed to me a miserable existence, until Lucinda and Abel helped me see that it was simply a different way of life; they had their own language, religion, their own economy, they had no need for the material items we placed so much value on.”

Lucinda and Abel Rivas help Violeta see that the Indigenous communities are not better or worse off than Violeta and her family, but just live different lives. This is a recurring theme of Violeta’s life at Santa Clara; the exposure to lives and stories different from her own, lays a foundation of her being able to appreciate multiple perspectives and expand her worldview later in life. It heralds the theme of Life as a Teacher.

“It was clear to me from a young age that although I respected them, my mother and my aunts were stuck in the past, uninterested in the outside world or anything that might challenge their beliefs.”

Violeta’s conception of her mother and aunts shows that, despite the relative amount of freedom she is allowed as a woman, she and her family are still bound by their times. Although Violeta notices this in her mother and aunts, she herself exhibits this in her life, as she remains disinterested in and indifferent to politics and ideology until tragedy touches her personally.

“I also learned that Grandmother Nívea, my father’s mother, had been decapitated in a terrifying automobile accident and her head was lost in a field; there was an aunt who communed with spirits and a family dog that grew and grew until it was the size of a camel.”

Through old family stories recounted to Violeta, Allende references characters from her debut novel, The House of the Spirits. The Del Valles in both books are related, and the stories themselves contain multiple similarities, with the same national and historical events affecting each family significantly (such as the Valdivia earthquake or the military coup), and similar patterns of events repeating across families (a family member having to flee the country; a family member’s death caused by military brutality).

“Before I left, we explored each other in my cabin, in the stable, or hidden in the cornfield, sealing Fabian’s determination to tie me down for good […]. It also sparked in me a serene conviction that I would one day marry this man, because the most natural thing for a woman to do was become a wife and mother.”

Fabian awakens sexual desire in Violeta. At once, Allende displays how Violeta is inherently rebellious and strong-willed, and yet susceptible to social conditioning and expectations regarding her gender: She willingly indulges in sexual exploration with Fabian before marriage and professes no shame about it; however, she also ties this to the idea of marriage, imagining she must marry Fabian because wifehood and motherhood are “natural” to a woman.

“For months, I was unable to mourn her loss. I thought about her often with a hard lump in my chest, going over the years she had been in my life and blaming her for the perpetual despondency, for not having loved me enough and for having done so little to connect with me. I was angry over the opportunities we missed to be mother and daughter.”

Violeta does not have a close relationship with her mother, who is a relatively “weak” and docile figure, physically and psychologically. Violeta resents this after her mother’s passing, wishing her mother would have made more of an effort to be close with her. Once again, some of these patterns repeat with Violeta and Nieves, where despite her independence and strong will, Violeta remains under Julián’s thumb in many ways for a long time; this adversely affects her relationship with Nieves, too. However, Violeta does make more of an effort to reach out to and care for her daughter than Violeta’s own mother did; as a result, Violeta is able to reconcile with Nieves before the latter dies.

“Behind my boyfriend’s back I read the books and magazines that Teresa gave me and talked about them only with Lucinda and Abel, who were almost as radical as their daughter. I felt a mute rebelliousness, a repressed rage, when I thought about marrying, having children, becoming a housewife, and living a banal life in my husband’s shadow.”

Josephine and the Rivases are responsible for laying the seeds of progressive and liberal ideas in Violeta’s mind when she is young. She doesn’t act on the ideas at the time, going on to marry Fabian; however, these ideas, in line with Violeta’s own strong character, remain gestating for years and contribute to the dissatisfaction she experiences in her relationships with both Fabian and Julián, in different ways. Eventually, these ideas translate into action in the later phases of Violeta’s life.

“My brother listened to me with disbelief plastered across his face, horrified as the substitute patriarch responsible for the family’s honor. But just as I had expected, instead of judging me or trying to convince me that the mistake could be made right, he simply asked, wiping his forehead with his shirtsleeve, how he could help.”

When José Antonio learns of Violeta’s affair with Julián, despite his horror, his first instinct is to ask how he can help her. This reaction is particularly telling of José Antonio’s humanity—despite his background and upbringing, he is unconventional in many ways, very unlike the other male characters in the story. José Antonio’s love for and loyalty to Violeta supersede any social norms he is expected to uphold; all he cares about is her well-being, and so he remains Violeta’s pillar of support throughout his life.

“Jews or Nazis, it was all the same to Julián, as long as they were paying.”

From the very beginning of their relationship, Violeta sees signs of Julián’s selfish and mercenary behavior—she knows of his private flights, where he services both Jewish people and Nazis. For Julián, no ideology is more important than that of money, and for the latter, he disregards all morals. Despite this, Violeta overlooks Julián’s nature and the things he is capable of, partly because of how oblivious she is by her passion for him and partly because of her own political indifference. Only upon learning of his involvement in events surrounding Juan Martin and Torito does she finally act.

“Nevertheless, legalizing our union, something I’d been obsessed with for years, now mattered much less […] I understood at a visceral level that it was not in my best interest to bind myself legally to Julián. I had more power and freedom as a single woman.”

Initially, Violeta asked Fabian for an annulment repeatedly, as she hoped to marry Julián. Over time, however, she realizes the benefits of remaining unmarried. A part of this is fueled by the financial benefit she experiences by leaving Julián out of her financial dealings. Financial independence is a significant factor in Violeta’s life, affording her the power to make numerous bold decisions that she likely would not have been able to otherwise.

“So much would have to happen before I was brought down to reality, Camilo. I chose not to see, hear, or speak up during the most critical years. I’d surely have continued on in the same way straight through the dictatorship if the iron fist of oppression hadn’t dealt me a direct blow.”

Violeta acknowledges to Camilo her political indifference during crucial years of the military dictatorship. Part of her indifference comes from her class privilege, where she can choose not to see; part may also stem from Julián’s involvement in such matters, and her unconscious desire to remain oblivious to the kinds of things he and people like him are capable of. She is unable to ignore reality any longer upon learning of Torito’s death, later on.

“I spent the better part of my life single and I didn’t owe fidelity to anyone, but women of my generation were denied the sexual freedom that men considered their right.”

Violeta acknowledges that her voluntarily single status was less a product of a lack of desire and more to do with social acceptance and convention. This is a time in her life when she has cut off romantic ties with Julián and has already made many bold and unconventional decisions. Despite this, society and its constructs still had a sway over Violeta, though in retrospect she unpacks the hypocrisy and duality in these societal standards.

“The prefabricated homes became more than just a good business proposal as I understood what they might mean to these families. Everywhere I looked I saw the typical murals of workers and doves in that horrible Soviet realism style, and on the walls of the homes hung photos of the president alongside images of Father Juan Quiroga, both patron saints. I began to see the arrogant man in the Italian suit from a new perspective.”

Through Juan Martin’s effort to expose Violeta to a different perspective, she begins to see another side of the Socialist regime in power. Violeta’s willingness to go with Juan Martin on an excursion is a testament to her ability to engage with perspectives different from her own, and to adapt her perspective accordingly. This also points to the theme of Life as a Teacher.

“I thought it couldn’t possibly be true, because, until then, our country had been a shining example of peaceful democracy on a continent ravaged by tyrants, dictatorships, and coups. I thought it was merely Communist propaganda. And yet I knew there must’ve been a very good reason for my son to flee disguised as a woman.”

Violeta’s political indifference and obliviousness increasingly melt away as she witnesses her son’s experiences. She sees the reality of the tyranny rampant in not just her country, but the neighboring South American nations as well. Commentary on South American politics and the dangers of fascism and military dictatorships is a common theme in Allende’s work.

“This absurd dialogue in code confirmed the degree of repression we were living with, just as Juan Martín had forewarned. If Julián didn’t feel safe, no one was safe.”

When Violeta attempts to contact Julián for help with Juan Martin, even Julián is unable to speak freely on the phone. Seeing that Julián, who is in cahoots with the government and can move freely within the country during the lockdown, has to be careful highlights for Violeta the extreme repressiveness of the military regime.

“He relived the euphoric days of his university years: the left-wing government, the awakening of society, the illusion of power in the hands of the people. I say ‘illusion,’ because in reality it was never that way, Camilo, not then and not now.”

Violeta describes how Juan Martin relives his revolutionary days after he moves to Argentina, before the military coup; she also asserts that the power the Socialists believed they had was illusory, and that real power has always remained in the same hands, explaining military coups and dictatorships that plagued South America in that time.

“At each crossroads or fork we must decide which direction to take. These decisions may determine the course of the rest of our lives. That’s what happened to me the day I recovered Torito’s cross. […] Until then I’d lived comfortably without questioning the world I’d been born into.”

Violeta reflects on Torito’s death presenting a crossroads in life. She could have sunk into grief and despair following Torito’s death but chose instead to reevaluate the ideologies and worldview she had grown up with. This highlights the theme of Life as a Teacher and Violeta’s ability to continually learn from experience, as well as the theme of The Political Is Personal, as Violeta is mobilized into action after personal tragedy strikes.

“They beat you until you were unconscious, and would have submitted you to another round if you hadn’t been a Del Valle and a student at San Ignacio. Even there, in the dungeons of the police station, the social hierarchy was firmly intact, Camilo.”

Violeta’s grandson, Camilo, gets arrested for spraying anti-government graffiti, and is beaten in jail; however, even here, he escapes the worse fate that would have awaited his partners in crime, boys from a less aristocratic background than his. Violeta acknowledges the privilege of the Del Valle name and the protection it gives them despite their anti-government actions. This is the same privilege that allows her to remain politically indifferent most of her life.

“The world, our country, and our lives changed dramatically at the end of the eighties. We watched as the Berliners, in a single night, used hammers to tear down the wall that had divided Germany for twenty-eight years. A short while later the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union ended, and for too brief a time some of us breathed easy with the hope of peace. But there is always a war somewhere.”

Violeta rejoices in the changing sociopolitical situation in her country that affords her and others more freedom. However, by reflecting that there is always a war somewhere, she acknowledges that there are always sociopolitical issues causing conflict in different places, and that there is always room for progress. This points to Violeta’s characteristic desire to continually keep learning and working to improve lives, the latter especially manifesting later in her life.

“The Norwegians are admirable, Camilo. They were poor until they found oil in the north and a fortune fell into their laps. Instead of mismanaging it, as happened in so many other places, they used it to extend prosperity to their entire population.”

Violeta marvels at the Norwegian society, commending its ability to use and distribute its money fairly among all its citizens. Violeta’s attitude toward the Norwegians is a long way from the way her family, and others of her class, operated at the beginning of her life—Arsenio’s reaction to the Spanish flu pandemic was to arm and protect himself, anticipating the poverty and desperation among the masses. Violeta, over her lifetime, has accrued enough experiences and perspective to understand and condemn the disparity that she sees perpetuated by capitalistic and right-wing systems.

“To think that when we came to this idyllic farm with my mother and aunts we dubbed it Exile, with a capital ‘E.’ It wasn’t our exile, it was our salvation.”

Violeta reflects on how her time at Santa Clara was nothing close to the exile that her aunts and mother termed it, as it turned out to be the most enriching time of her life. The title of Part 1, “Exile,” with a capital “E,” is thus ironic—despite the physical exile, Violeta gains a home base and an education that serves her for a lifetime.