Isabel Allende is now viewed by many literary critics as one of the most distinguished feminist writers in the twentieth century. Among her most famous novels, we can mark out the following ones:”Daughter of Fortune”, “House of Sepia”, “Paula” and many others. She is also renowned for her short stories, for instance “An Act of Vengeance”. It is included in the collection “Short Stories by Latin American Women: The Magic and the Real”. The main peculiarity of this novella is that it is mostly based on paradoxes or contradictions. They are reflected in the feelings of the main character and in the plot development.
Prior to analyzing the work, itself, it is of the crucial importance for us to discuss its title because it sets the tone of the story. To some extent, the author wants to mislead the reader, knowing that traditional concept of vengeance always implies violence, aimed against the offender. People are inclined to follow the principle “eye for eye and tooth for tooth”. Allende shows that there is an entirely different scenario. The main character Dulce Rosa chooses to commit suicide thus revenging on her husband Don Tadeo. At first glance, such story line may seem odd to say the least, but later, Allendes idea of vengeance becomes clear to us.
It is difficult to single out predominate element in this story, because the writer brilliantly combines imagery, subtle details, setting, and imagery. Nevertheless, the most remarkable feature is the development of the plot, which abounds in paradoxes and sudden twists.
First, it should be taken in account that the protagonist Dulce Rosa is forced to marry the murderer of her father. At the very beginning, she cannot feel anything towards this man but disgust and hatred. She wants to revenge herself upon him and kill this man. Allende describes her feelings in the following way, “She rejected them all, for her only mission on Earth was vengeance” (Allende, 5). Certainly, in this case, we can speak of vengeance in the traditional sense of this word, but the plot takes an unexpected turn.
Dulce Rosa begins to feel some sort of affection for this man and eventually it transforms into love. It may seem that such scenario is almost unbelievable and far-fetched, though world literature has always focused on this conflict between duty and personal feeling, especially when a female character falls in love with the man, who murdered her relative, for instance Shakespeare’s Ophelia.
The protagonist attempts to resolve this inner conflict between her attachment to Don Tadeo and her code of honor, which will never allow her to live with this man, let alone love him. The author wants the reader to look through protagonists eyes, though it is not first-person narrative. Allende does not want to show her attitude to the moral dilemma. The third person narrator is not omniscient, because we cannot predict plot development from the description. More likely, the author chooses such form of story telling in order give false clues to the reader.
As regards the stylistic peculiarities of this novel, we should speak first about metaphorical use of words. For example, while describing Dulce Rosas feelings and her longing to avenge him, the author says that the protagonist was “savoring his (Don Tadeos) punishment in advance” (Allende, 7). To a certain extent, this metaphor is the reference to the proverb “Revenge is a dish best served cold”. It turns out that at the end the protagonist really finds the best way to take vengeance on her offender and lover. Her suicide should not be viewed only as a revenge but also as a womens riot against male dominance.
While discussing the setting of the story, we should first point out that the action takes at the end of the nineteenth century in Costa Rica during the Civil War; though Allende does not specify the timelines. The setting is not neutral, because it influences the inner world and moral values of the main characters, it may be even called spiritual. For example, Don Tadeo, who is accustomed to violence and murder, is strongly affected by social environment. The author gives a very concise description of this man, “Ever since he had begun to shave he had had a weapon in his hands” (Allende, 2). This man leaves in war; it has become his major occupation, whereas Dulci is a carefree girl, admired by her father. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the life of a human being means very little to Don Tadea while his future wife knows nothing of violence, she is enjoying love to the full. However, we can say the same about Dulce Rosa is also affected by the society; she has a very specific code of honor that sets certain restrictions on her. The protagonists father does kill her only because he is firmly convinced that his daughter would “punish his executor” (Allende, 4). To fall in love with the murderer of her father would be a disgrace for Dulce.
Among other peculiarities of the story, we can also say that the author chooses to play with the reader, especially by making unexpected twists in the plot of the story, which is almost unpredictable. Furthermore, one cannot forget the symbolism of the story. The suicide of the main character can be interpreted from several perspectives. On the one hand, it may represent womens protest or rebellion against the suppression of man. Such interpretation may be appropriate if we discuss this novel only from feminist perspective.
Nevertheless, the authors ideas should not be limited only to feminist philosophy, because the suicide of the main character also embodies the age-old collision of duty and love. This conflict has always been a subject of thorough literary analysis; its origins can be traced to ancient Greek tragedy. It should be born in mind that the moral code of the then Latin American woman could never validate the heroines feelings to Don Tadeo. Furthermore, Isabel Allende wants to prove that human life is always full of paradoxes, and almost improbable turns. The writer sets stress on the fact that life is dynamic, and even hatred can grow into love and vice versa.
Thus, having analyzed the story “An Act of Vengeance” by Isabel Allendi, we can draw the following conclusion: first, she explores the conflict between duty and obligation. Secondly, she proves that life is full of paradoxes and we should never be one hundred percent sure about the future. Finally, her work is a bright example of feminist literature, representing the suppression of woman and their rebellion, which can take many forms, including suicide.
Bibliography
Celia Correas de Zapata, Isabel (FRW) Allende. “Short Stories by Latin American Women: The Magic and the Real” Modern Library, 2003.