There are many varying problematic binaries in The House of the Spirits, but a primary one is religion vs. science. Two of the daughters represent how science is constantly being mixed with religious concepts and their constant game of tug-of-war.

Rosa is just a bizarre but beautiful outcome of genetics yet she is constantly compared to an angel of sorts. The people are always looking for religion in things that have no religious implications at all. Clara, on the other hand, has mental powers that people can easily dismiss as the devil's work

I think one problematic binary in HOS is the conflicting opinions between children and adults. This is especially prevalent around Clara, because of her special abilities. In a sense, these abilities make her superior to her elders, and not just different. The irony, of course, is that children are definitely not ever seen as even being capable of having any sort of edge over their adult counterparts. Clara exercises this superiority through her clairvoyance, since the adults in the del Valle family rely on her to understand and prepare for the future. They are so dependent that they readily accept anything that she predicts, and even though it remains true, I believe that they would believe anything she would say. In this sense, the child figure is controlling the adult figure, an idea that is rarely true. Clara seems to be fully aware of this 'dominance', and believes she can exercise it where she wills, for example cussing in church. In fact, not only does she swear, but she also doubts the priest's authority.The idea of a child doubting, not just any adult but one with a great amount of abstract control, clearly outlines that there is an obvious conflict between who has the 'real' authority in the events having to do with Clara.

One problematic binary in The House of The Spirits is that of colonizer vs colonized. When Esteban trueba takes over as the Patron of Tres Marias, he rapes the peasant girls there who he is the "boss" of. Pedro segundo has a relationship with Esteban much like a relationship that a chief of an indian tribe would have with a conquistador. Pedro hates Esteban, but also carries a resentful feeling of admiration and respect for him. The peasantry of Tres Marias feel roughly the same way toward Esteban, and while Esteban continues to rape young peasant girls, and treat the workers poorly, it creates a mounting tension within Tres Marias. I am going out on a limb a little, but i think that this mounting tension at Tres Marias will climax in a large event, that greatly effects Esteban, and the peasants of Tres Marias.

Identify one problematic binary in the first three chapters of The House of The Spirits, and explain (in 1-2 paragraphs) how it creates "political" problems for either the protagonists or the reader.

I believe that in The House of The Spirits there is major binary problem of religion versus spirituality. Clara's father is forced to go to church even though he is an atheist because of his political ambitions. By doing this he also brings Clara, who is known for her supernatural capabilities, into a vulnerable position. When she directly challenges God's preacher she left a large gap open for her entire family to be criticized for months. She was directly accused of being possessed by the devil while her father's political ambitions were dented. The rest of the family also had to lay low for a while because during those times one persons' mistakes would be seen as the family's mistakes. While Clara's direct attack on the church affected her entire family, the church struck back by shaming them for an indefinite amount of time. The issue between the physical representatives of spirituality and religion, I feel, is magnified by the fact that they are able to conflict with each other with actual physical consequences.

There are many problematic binaries in the first three chapters of The House of The Spirits, one of which is the conflict between man and woman. This is seen between Esteban Trueba and Ferula, his sister. Ferula claims she is okay with taking care of her sick mother in the way that she does, but when there is nobody to see her generosity, she becomes resentful of her brother. Esteban goes out, works, travels, and comes home to visit his sister and his mother very rarely. Ferula's complaints are not at her brother, for his freedom, but at the sexist norms of the community. Ferula does not volunteer for the disgusting jobs because truly wants to help – she volunteers because that is what her society expects out of her because she is the woman and Esteban is the man.

Esteban is also in another sexist relationship, but this one is with Pancha Garcia. Esteban rapes her violently, and suffers no immediate consequence. In fact, the incedent only allows Esteban to manipulate Pancha furthur and she begins to become his full time kitchen and sex worker. She puts up no fight because she has been exposed to the culture her whole life, and expected such a thing to happen. Esteban shows no restraint, because he knows that in this community, he can get away with raping a fifteen year old girl.

Politics of problematic binaries

Identify one problematic binary in the first three chapters of The House of The Spirits, and explain (in 1-2 paragraphs) how it creates "political" problems for either the protagonists or the reader.