Francis Scott Fitzgerald, a famous American author, once said: “Family quarrels are bitter things. They do not take place according to any rules. like pain or wounds, they are rather cracks in the skin that do not heal” (1927). The Trueba family in Isabel Allende's The House of the Spirits reflects this through incessant bickering, which eventually separates most of the family members. Remaining relationships are severed by death. Even if the breakdown of physical family relationships is inevitable, some contacts can continue on a spiritual level. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay The bond between Alba and Esteban Trueba ends due to his disappearance. As they had a pleasant relationship in life, Alba "[sits] beside him to wait with him, and death [does not] wait, taking him by surprise as he [lies down] sleeping peacefully" (430). From then on, Alba no longer thinks about him, but about more important things, like the history of her family. She only considers him for the role he plays in the story that Clara tells in her notebooks. However, she attempts to represent it objectively. Unlike Clara, Esteban does not have the ability to communicate with the living after his death. This leaves Alba with nothing but memories and her grandfather's belongings. Even though neither wants this separation, the inevitability of life takes its course. The relationship between Senator Trueba and Nicols ends due to a disagreement that becomes disproportionate. For example, Esteban, ashamed of his child, proclaims: "If you don't die of a snake bite or a foreign plague, I hope you make a man, because I am fed up with all your eccentricities » (271). Esteban doesn't care about his own son's fate as long as Nicols doesn't cause him further embarrassment. This self-centered disposition leads to the alienation of various members of his family, notably Nicols. A bitter resentment begins to grow between the two of them. The last time Esteban sees him, he "[grabs] Nicols by the collar, [pushes] him onto a plane and [ships] him overseas with instructions not to return for the rest of his life" ( 299). Esteban despises his son to the point that he never wants to see him again because of the shame Nicols brings to his family. Instead of trying to reconcile his ties with his family, the senator chooses to sever all ties with him. All relationships that end due to quarrels involve Esteban in one way or another, mainly due to his narrow-mindedness and rejection of other people's ideas. Even though she is deceased, Clara has the ability to communicate with the living after her death. For example, when Alba is in the doghouse, “her grandmother Clara, to whom she had so many times called to help her die, [appears] with the new idea that the main thing is not to die. , since death came anyway, but to survive, which would be a miracle” (414). Clara's spirit speaks to Alba to give her the hope she needs to continue living. This message also shows the reason why Clara keeps her essence among the living; she wants to survive after her own death. Additionally, Esteban feels Clara's presence several times after her death. At the time of her own disappearance, “she does not leave him for a single second” (431). As her anger and temper diminish with age, Clara's mind increasingly attempts to reconcile her relationship with Esteban. They start spending a lot more time with each other and eventually become even closer than they had been in life. Clara wishes that.