Please post your blog contribution between 5 pm Friday, Feb. 18 and 5 pm Saturday, Feb. 19.
From any of the first 208 pages in HoS, pick an incident that exemplifies racial injustice. In 100 words, briefly describe it and analyze what it is about the incident that is unjust.
[7] Pgs. 59-65: Esteban Trueba “built brick houses for his workers, hired a teacher for the school, and raised the standard of living of everyone on his lands,” however, he didn’t treat the people of Tres Marías with respect or dignity. These people were subjected to racial injustice. Esteban paid the workers their wages in pink slips of paper that could be used to buy things from the general store instead of paying them a decent salary. Whenever it was suggested to him that he show the people the respect they deserved, Esteban’s response was, “…these poor people are completely ignorant and uneducated. They’re like children, they can’t handle responsibility. How could they know what’s best for them? My people have it fine now, what more do they need?” Esteban denied that his actions toward the people of Tres Marías were unjust; however, it is clear that he was taking advantage of them and using his power to show his superiority.
ReplyDelete[23] There are examples of racial injustice all throughout The House of Spirits. One example that stuck out for me is from Esteban Trueba in Chapter 2. He states, “What they don’t realize is that poor people are completely ignorant and uneducated. They’re like children, they can’t handle responsibility. How could they know what’s best for them? Without me they’d be lost – if you don’t believe me, just look what happens every time I turn my back. Everything goes to pieces and they start acting like a bunch of donkeys.” He talks about the peasants like they are unable to care for themselves. He states that they are like children and he is their authority figure. I find this interesting because he owes all of the wealth that he has to their hard work. Throughout the book, Esteban Trueba conveys his lack of compassion for the peasants through his statements and actions.
ReplyDelete[14] An incident in the first 208 pages of The House of the Spirits that exemplifies racial injustice is found on page 57. Esteban Trueba was the patrón of Tres Marías and because he was the man in charge and slowly getting richer each day, he believed he was superior to all of the peasants living on his land. He especially thought that he had control and superiority over women as he raped a poor peasant girl, Pancha García. Eventually, she became pregnant and gave birth to a boy whom she named Esteban García, after his father. Esteban Trueba refused to accept the child as his own because his mother was not in the same class as he, but of the low, inferior class. This example not only highlights social injustice, but is an example of racial injustice between men and women because Esteban Trueba took advantage of and raped a poor, young woman against her will and when she got pregnant, he no longer wanted anything to do with her.
ReplyDelete[18] When reading the first 208 pages of the House of Spirits, what stuck out to me about racial injustice was when Esteban was explaining his so called “differences” between him and the poor. When he became the patrón of Tres Marías, he took over assuming that the people couldn’t live without him in charge. They did live on their own without a patrón for fifteen years, but Esteban thought he had more power than them because he was bringing in the money. He felt that he was giving the poor a privilege for letting them work for him and to live at Tres Marías. Instead of giving them pay for their work, Esteban gave them coupons (or vouchers) for food and different privileges for living. Esteban also stated that if it wasn’t for him giving them a better living, schooling, and teaching them how to eat properly, they wouldn’t care for themselves. He then took advantage of the women in Tres Marías by raping them and using them until he got them pregnant. He wouldn’t allow the children have his name because of the social and racial differences. These examples were unjust because Esteban believed he was the superior person because he was bringing in the money and also for raping the women to meet his needs and pleasures.
ReplyDelete[15] In Chapter 2, when Esteban visits and rebuilds Tres Marias, he states that his political views are much greater than the other races views present in the town. He states, “An example for this continent of Indians and Negroes who spend their time making revolutions to overthrow one dictator and install another.” (70) He feels that he is the most powerful and the best, and no “Indian or Negro” could ever compete with his gains. In fact, the children from his many infidelities could never bear his name because he considered them inferior to his family name. Everyone in Tres Marias was substandard to Esteban; he considered it a privilege for people to live under his direction. His attitudes towards the people of Tres Marias represent racial injustice and discrimination.
ReplyDeleteReading through the first 208 pages, I saw incident that exemplifies racial injustice. One of the examples was when Esteban was explaining the differences between him and the poor.He felt he had power over them. He felt that since took over when he became the patrón of Tres Marías, he believed that the people couldn’t live without him in charge and they were useless without him. He thought he was more pwoerful than them, because he was bringing in more wealth than them. It was a power trip for him. This was an example of an incident that exemplifies racial injustice
ReplyDelete[21] Pages 109-112.The passage about the plague of ants, I found very interesting especially as it was not obvious injustice but rather more of a psychological racial injustice. To summarize the events, Tres Marias became infested with ants, Esteban tried every way he knew how to try to rid the pests to no avail. With gasoline and quicklime, the ants returned more numerous than before, with commercial pesticides, the vegetables became poison but did not kill the ants. Esteban went out and contracted a white expert, who spent a week inspecting the situation and estimated that he could have the ants gone in a month. Before Esteban gave approval to the white man, Mr. Brown, Pedro Segundo Garcia suggested they try his father’s method of ant removal. When the darkened old man began to talk to the ants to show them the way off the property, Mr. Brown laughed hysterically until Pedro stopped him. The next day all the ants were gone and Mr. Brown demanded to know the secret.
ReplyDeleteNot only is this an interesting anecdote but the disrespect shown from Mr. Brown is racially unjust. Mr. Brown did not have the patient to listen to the methods of a local man who the country until he saw that they worked. Mr. Brown probably thought Pedro Garcia was stupid and foolish for believing that he could not only talk to the ants, but also convince them to leave. It is also unjust that Esteban went to a foreigner for advice on his property before he gave a chance to a local native. This just reinforces the concept that people think poorly of dark-skinned people, that they are stupid because they neglect scientific advances (in agriculture, for example). Even though this is not as blatant racial injustice as discrimination or hate crimes, it is injustice nonetheless and possibly worse than obvious injustice because it is on a psychological level.
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ReplyDelete[11] In the novel House of Spirits, there are many different forms of prejudice presented throughout the story. In Chapter 2, when Esteban returns to Tres Marias to work on the estate he rapes a young girl name Pancha. Pancha is a young virgin peasant girl. She is also a mestizo. A mestizo is a person of mixed racial ancestry, especially referring to people of mixed European and American Indian ancestry. Pancha is not the only mestizo that Esteban raped. He raped many mestizo peasant girls. There is not only a racial inequality here, but also inequality between classes. Esteban is of the privileged class. Esteban is of direct Spanish decent who looks down upon mixed races.
ReplyDeleteEsteban treats the workers at Tres Marias, poorly. He tries to turn Tres Marias into a money making estate. Esteban spent all his money making estate. It was the money he saved for his marriage. He rebuilt the estate with other peasants. However Esteban raped many young peasant girls. He would then use them he took them to his main house and made them take care of everything. He wants the peasants quality of life to become better. But, he didn't want their life to be any better than his, or even be equal to him. In the end Tres Marias is a very rich estate. On the other hand Esteban doesn't treat the workers right at all. All the children that he gained through the various raps, he refuses to acknowledge they are his biological children. He did this because he didn't want them to have the same name as him and he didn't want them to have any part in the estate that he owned.I feel this is an example of racial injustice because how he treated his fellow peasants. He raped young peasants girls and used them as house keepers. Also its racial injustice because he didn't want other peasants to be equal to him and he didn't treat them right.
ReplyDelete[5] While they were children, Blanca and Pedro Tercero would play together every summer, but this was only allowed because they were small children. Once these two began to hit puberty, they were forced to separate, and Nana even told Pedro Tercero that he needed to “learn to stay with [his] own class” (p. 155). Blanca and Pedro Tercero were no longer allowed to play together, which is an example of racial injustice because if they were of the same race and class, they would have been allowed to play with each other and Pedro Tercero probably would have also been allowed to court Blanca. Because of racial prejudice, these two characters were not able to have an open relationship with one another.
ReplyDelete[17] In my opinion one racial injustice in the beginning of “The House of the Spirits” deals with Ferula, Esteban’s sister. Ferula has to care for her mother, Dona Ester Trueba, because she is confined to her bed and has arthritis. Since Ferula is a woman it is her “duty” to stay home and take care of her mother while Esteban can leave and do what he wants because he is a man. This shows that there is definitely a gender inequality going on. If men are having financial troubles they can go out and find work and try bettering their financial situation but the only way a women can better her situation is by marrying someone with more money. In Ferula’s case though she has to be at home taking care of her mother up until Dona Ester Trueba’s death so she does not have the opportunity to go out and find a man. This is an injustice because it is not fair that not everyone has the same rights and privileges based on their gender.
ReplyDelete[9] Through the first several chapters of this book, there were many examples of racial injustice. The one incident that I chose came in Chapter 2. It was said that “even though they worked as equals with the men, the women did not receive this sum because, except for widows, they were not considered heads of family.” The women did the same work as the men, but did not receive the pink slip to go to the general store with, where they could purchase items for their household. I believe that this is an example of discrimination against women, which is a common theme throughout the histories of all different nations and countries. It is not fair for a woman to do the exact same work as a man, yet receive no compensation for their labor.
ReplyDelete[16] The first six chapters of the book discuss a great deal of racial injustice. On page 137 Esteban discusses how he doesn’t feel the poor should receive the same amount as he because he does all the work and the poor are lazy. He goes on to say how the poor do not try or make any effort besides reaching out their hands for charity. He treats the people of Tres Marias like they are helpless; stating that without him they would never survive. Esteban even discriminates toward his daughter by saying that he doesn’t interfere with her schooling because she was to get married and have a great life in society. He even goes on to say that cooking and religion are meant for the womanly things. Esteban doesn’t believe he is wrong about his view on the poor because he came from nothing and had to work hard for everything he has, but doesn’t realize that not everyone is able to come up from under. The only reason he has the land was because he inherited it; not everyone is lucky enough to have a piece of property given to them.
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ReplyDelete[24] A racial and gender injustice that I came across was in Chapter 2, as Esteban returns to Tres Marias in attempt to earn money so he does not have to return to the mines. Esteban has zero respect for women as we find out, he raped many young peasant girls, including Pancha who he allowed to move in with him as his housekeeper. When Pancha becomes pregnant Esteban not longer wants to be involved with her and makes her leave the main house. At Tres Marias, raping girls was not the only injustice being done; he also set up a new payment system. He pays them in vouchers that can be used at the store on the property, instead of paying them cash. In a sense, all the money is coming straight back to him since the vouchers are not good elsewhere. The people of Tres Marias are working for a place to stay and eat, other than that nothing will be gained since they have no money. It was a clever little set up Esteban had that allowed him to become even wealthier. All he had to do was supply the store which was much less expensive than paying everyone cash. These were just two of the racial injustices that occurred at Tres Marias with Esteban.
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ReplyDeleteThroughout the readings, I noticed that through racial injustice, there was often a very strong gender bias related to this. Chapter two stuck out to me as having the most racial injustices, relating to our previous readings and studies. Throughout the chapter it showed Esteban looking down upon mixed races, and dimissing them as lesser of people, and not of his equal. He controls them through physical assault and, by tyranny over the people by assuming that he out works the poor and because of this the race of people will never overcome their situation.
ReplyDelete[22] In the first half of The House of the Spirits, there are many examples of racial injustice. One example that stuck with me and was most disturbing, was that in Chapter 2. This is when Esteban rebuilds Tres Marias and tries to make the people more civilized. Esetban uses countless women for his own sexual pleasures. He thinks of these women as uneducated and just out right stupid. Because of his selfishness, he disregards the many children that these women bore, most of which are his. Esteban then controls the people of Tres Marias by physical means and educational means. He uses their hard work and incapability to communicate properly to build his hacienda into one of the largest in the area. He denies racial injustice on these people, but is obviously in denial due to his selfishness and large ego.
ReplyDelete[6] Through out the first 208 pages of The House of the Spirits an example of racial injustice that stood out to me the most was between Blanca and Pedro Tercero, and the ridicule they got as they got older. As children it was perfectly okay for them to spend all day together, play together, and be “in love.” After all they were just children and as they grew up they would learn the differences and realize they were no longer allowed to behave like this. This was not the case. The older they grew the more in love they became, and the more they were looked down upon for being “lovers.” It came to a point where they had to pretend that they no longer liked each other in daylight, but sneak out at night when everyone was sleeping to see each other. Page 147 shows this: “When Blanca dressed up as a young lady and sat on the terrace sipping lemonade with her family each afternoon, Pedro Tercero would watch her from afar, without coming closer. They began to hide when they wanted to play. They stopped walking hand and hand within sight of adults, and they ignored each other so as not to attract attention. Nana gave a sigh of relief.” These few sentences show the racial injustice thrown upon Blanca and Pedro Tercero as they grew into young adults. Nana all along never wanted them to be friends, and interact with each other even as young children, and now that she thinks they don’t, she is relieved. It is unthinkable that someone with such high class such as Blanca be in love with someone with such poor class such as Pedro Tercero, and this is noted by everyone.
ReplyDeleteOne exampleof racial injustice I found in The House of the Spirits is how Esteban Trueba treated the peasants of Tres Marias. They did not recieve equal pay, instead they were payed in vouchers to be used in the store Esteban Trueba owned. The people of Tres Marias worked hard but Esteban still did not treat them as equals.
ReplyDelete[2] In chapter two, when the day of the election is being discussed on page 70, Trueba makes some racist remarks. He mentions that their country will never be like the rest of the continent filled with 'Negroes' and of 'Indians' who just spend their time overthrowing one dictator for another and are keen on revolutions. I assume that he thinks they are barbaric and unknowledgeable and will remain peasents. Trueba, also mentions that 'gringos' walk away with the raw materials of these people previously mentioned because theyre too busy killing each other.
ReplyDeleteOn page 66, he comments on how many peasent women come to his door asking for his surname or some support for their bastard children. He had mentioned he even lost count of how many children he had because he has been with most of the young women in the local haciendas. He states that if he wants children, he will find a women of his class to settle down with, but for now none of these bastard children will have his surname. This denotes how strong he feels about social class and race-- these women he just takes anywhere he pleases are not good enough and he doesn't have time for it.
[20] An example of injustice in the House of the Spirits is that Esteban would educate those who worked at Tres Marias but only enough from being completely incapable of working. He provided the least amount of education for them to keep them from understanding of unions and revolution. He did this specifically with Pedro Tercero, who is of Indian decent and poor, in Chapter 4, who he thought was becoming too smart and informed. He found this out when Pedro Tercero sang the song with his guitar one day about the chickens and fox. Esteban did all that he could, like making Pedro Tercero to do more work around the hacienda, to keep him from attending high school in town.
ReplyDelete{19}There are many examples in the House of the Spirits that decribe racial injustice.
ReplyDeleteThe entire way Esteban lived and made his fortune by using other people was racially unjust. Esteban mistreated the workers on his farm in order to have cheap labor.
The fact that his forebid his daughter, Blanca, relationship with Pedro because of his breeding was unjust. Ironically Esteban was a man who found true love with his wife, Clara, but was not able to wish the same for his daughter.
At the time though these unjustices were acceptable and not thought of as bad behavior or misconduct. Esteban never noticed how the world was changing around him, as to often happens when one gets older.
Racial inequality is a major theme in this book. I think this is most prominently shown in Blanca and Pedro’s relationship. Blanca was from the high-class Spanish bred family, and Pedro was from the peasant, servant class and was a mixed race. Esteban is outraged at the idea of his daughter being with someone who is so “filthy and ragged.” This, in a way, humors me, because he also has a “love” for mixed race women. He would ride his horse to the huts of his female servants, then he would rape them. In Pancha’s situation, he initially even allowed her to work in the house, however, that did not last long and he soon viewed her as just another dirty servant.
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ReplyDeleteThe book House of the Spirits is a book full of racial prejudices and example of racial inequality. The example that I came across was a situation where Esteban commits a disturbing act. Through his rebuilding of the city of Tres Marias he had was to control the people that live there. He thought them to be inferior to himself, and would use the women of the town for whatever he needs. He would use them for sex and or housing, and then when they would become pregnant he would throw them to the side. He would also just rape women because he could. He also controlled the education of the people, causing their communication skills to be bad. Since they were not very smart they were forced to work for Esteban.
Remember that "injustice" is the absence of justice. Justice is a relationship of power. It exists when there is a balance of power between one person or persons who commit evil actions upon others so that punishment and/or compensation occurs. E.T. rapes the peasant girls on Tres Marias. Those are evil actions. What makes them incidents of racial injustice is E.T.'s knowledge that because the girls are mestizo peasants they have no sheriff or law to turn to. Their race provides E.T. with unequal privilege and power. The rapes are evil. They demonstrate racial injustice because the victims' race denies them recourse to power or authority that can punish E.T. and compensate the women.
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