House of Spirits by Isabel Allende and the movie share very few similarities in plot structure. Both works have very minimal levels of magical realism and fail to exhibit the true characteristics that are inherent in magical realism. The first glaring discrepancy between the book and the movie is how Clara and Esteban fall in love. In the text we see Esteban adamantly pursuing Clara where in the movie she proclaims her love for Esteban. There are similarities in the character of Esteban who is fond of rape in both the text and the film and continues to do so after marriage in both situations. The dynamic of Esteban and Clara are very different in between the film and text. Also, the role of the children is very different in the movie as Nicolas and Jaime fail to exist. Blanca is still conceived by Clara and does play a role in the movie, but the absence of Nicolas and Jaime takes away from the paradox that exists in the book between him and his children. The absence of the earthquake also detracted from the character of the magical realist element as the grandfather of Pedro, did not have the opportunity to use his magical healing powers to cure Estaban. The most glaring difference in the film is the absence of Barabas the dog of Uncle Marcos. By not including Barabas, the magical realism is seemingly non- existent in the film and the synergy between the beginning and end of the book is not present in the film. Barabas’s involvement in the book shows her attempt at fusion of time, a characteristic inherent in Magical Realism. The fight between Esteban and Clara also ends with a different result in the movie as opposed to the book, as they move to the parent’s house instead of the ranch. This appears to be very detrimental to the movie as it detracts from the symbolism and importance of the ranch.
House of Spirits by Isabel Allende and the movie share very few similarities in plot structure. Both works have very minimal levels of magical realism and fail to exhibit the true characteristics that are inherent in magical realism. The first glaring discrepancy between the book and the movie is how Clara and Esteban fall in love. In the text we see Esteban adamantly pursuing Clara where in the movie she proclaims her love for Esteban. There are similarities in the character of Esteban who is fond of rape in both the text and the film and continues to do so after marriage in both situations. The dynamic of Esteban and Clara are very different in between the film and text. Esteban is viewed in a more sympathetic light in the film than he is in the text. In the text he is clearly demonstrated as rude, arrogant, violent, and short-sighted whereas in the movie those qualities are less apparent. Also, the role of the children is not existent in the movie as Nicolas and Jaime fail to exist. This absence of the children seems to detract from the sliver of optimism towards the male gender. In the text, Jamie is representative of his mother through his sensitive mannerisms and refusal to be like his father. Blanca is still conceived by Clara and does play a role in the movie, but the absence of Nicolas and Jaime takes away from the paradox that exists in the book between him and his children. The absence of the earthquake also detracted from the character of the magical realist element as the grandfather of Pedro, did not have the opportunity to use his magical healing powers to cure Estaban. The most glaring difference in the film is the absence of Barabas the dog of Uncle Marcos. By not including Barabas, the magical realism is seemingly non- existent in the film and the synergy between the beginning and end of the book is not present in the film. Barabas’s involvement in the book shows her attempt at fusion of time, a characteristic inherent in Magical Realism. The fight between Esteban and Clara also ends with a different result in the movie as opposed to the book, as they move to the parent’s house instead of the ranch. This appears to be very detrimental to the movie as it detracts from the symbolism and importance of the ranch. Both works are not classifiable as Magical Realist works as they fail to meet the characteristics that are essential to the literary style.
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