The House of the Spirits

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the below bulleted outlines. Cite details from the novel over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The House of the Spirits derives its title from the city house that the Trueba family inhabits.

• What does the “House of the Spirits” symbolize? (topic sentence)
• Which character is most representative of the “House of the Spirits”? How does this character’s journey parallel what happens to the house over the course of the book? Choose 2 important events that take place in or to the house and analyze them alongside that character’s journey.
• Use your concluding sentence or sentences to examine the importance that the character and their journey hold in the larger story, thus justifying the title of the book.

2. Romantic love forms an important aspect of the story in The House of the Spirits.

• How does the book explore the theme of forbidden love? (topic sentence)
• Who are the different characters in the book who indulge in forbidden love? How are they (or their experiences) connected? Examine 3 similarities between these relationships to support the topic sentence.
• Use your concluding sentence or sentences to explain how forbidden love connects to or supports one of the book’s major themes.

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by text details, and a conclusion.

1. In the Epilogue, Alba concludes that everything that takes place in the universe is connected in ways that are not immediately evident within a single lifespan. How does the book build up to this idea over the course of the story? What are some of the specific instances that showcase parallels and unexpected connections? Trace these instances across the text and explore how they feed into the larger theme of Patterns, Cycles, and the Interconnectedness of Life.

2. Esteban Trueba is the quintessential patriarch in both personal belief and political ideology. Despite being married to such a man, Clara displays notable autonomy as a woman and wife. What are the ways in which she asserts her own agency and individuality in her marriage? What is significant about the way in which she resists Esteban’s control? Illustrate your claims with examples from the text.

3. Magical elements are woven throughout the fabric of the novel. What do they contribute to the larger story? Highlight specific passages in the text and analyze how these different sections influence the tone of the story, create a vivid setting, and/or support the novel’s themes.