Eva Luna: Analysis of Major Characters
"Eva Luna: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the intricate lives and relationships of diverse characters in Isabel Allende's novel "Eva Luna." The protagonist, Eva Luna, is a resilient young woman who, after enduring numerous hardships as an orphaned servant, discovers solace in storytelling. Her narratives not only offer her an escape from reality but also empower her to critique oppressive systems through her work as a television scriptwriter. Rolf Carlé, an Austrian filmmaker, becomes a significant figure in Eva's life, as their love helps him confront and overcome the traumas of his past.
Eva’s mother, Consuelo, bequeaths her the gift of imagination, while Elvira, a nurturing cook, inspires her to stand up for herself against authority. Other characters like Melesio and Huberto represent the struggles and complexities of identity and resistance, each contributing to Eva's development and the broader themes of the narrative. Through these vivid portrayals, the analysis highlights the interplay between personal dreams and societal challenges, inviting readers to reflect on the transformative power of love and storytelling in the face of adversity.
Eva Luna: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Isabel Allende
First published: 1987 (English translation, 1988)
Genre: Novel
Locale: An unnamed South American country
Plot: Magical realism
Time: The middle and late twentieth century
Eva Luna (EH-vah LEW-nah), the narrator. The child of a servant, after her mother's death she is put out to work. Exploited and abused by her various employers and by the godmother who appropriates her earnings, Eva finds her refuge among the lowly and the outcasts. From her mother, Eva Luna learned to invent stories. These not only enable her to escape from the harshness of real life but also eventually to make her way in the world. At first, she simply tells stories to entertain people, but after learning to read and write, Eva becomes a scriptwriter for a successful television series. Eva uses her program to attack her country's oppressive government. In a guerrilla camp, Eva meets Rolf Carlé, who appears to be the man of her dreams. After defeating her old fear of love, she attains her fulfillment as a woman.
Rolf Carlé (kahr-LAY), an Austrian. The youngest child of a schoolmaster who went to war shortly after his birth, Rolf survives the Russian occupation only to discover that in fact his worst enemy is his father, who has returned to torment his family. After the schoolmaster is murdered by his students, Rolf realizes that he is as guilty as they are and becomes ill. Sent to South America to live with distant relatives in a European settlement called La Colonia, Rolf becomes part of a happy household. Rolf leaves to pursue work as a filmmaker. In the course of making a documentary, Rolf meets Eva Luna and falls in love. Back in La Colonia with her, Rolf discovers that their joy in each other has driven away the ghosts that haunted him for so long.
Consuelo (kohn-SWEH-loh), Eva Luna's mother. A child of unknown parentage reared by missionaries and nuns, she is a quiet, unassuming person who spends most of her brief life as the servant of one eccentric master. It is unclear whether her single sexual encounter is prompted more by her own curiosity or by pity for a man who supposedly is dying. Consuelo's bequest to Eva Luna is the gift of creating imaginary worlds through storytelling.
Elvira (ehl-VEE-rah), the cook who becomes a second mother to Eva. At heart a revolutionary, Elvira encourages Eva to stand up to her employers. Because her worst fear is of ending up in a pauper's grave, Elvira keeps her coffin handy and frequently sleeps in it.
Melesio (mehl-leh-SEE-oh), also called Mimi (mee-MEE), a Sicilian forced to emigrate because his family disapproved of his feminine characteristics. When Eva Luna first meets him, he is a teacher by day and a singer dressed in women's clothes by night. Melesio proves his courage by leading the Revolt of the Whores, but he is arrested and thrown into prison, where he very nearly dies. He encourages Eva to write for television.
Huberto Naranjo (ew-BEHR-toh nah-RAHN-hoh), also known as Comandante Rogelio (koh-mahn-DAHN-teh rroh-HEH-lee-oh), a tough, daring street boy, later a Marxist guerrilla fighter. Although he is briefly Eva's lover and always her friend, Huberto's relationships with women are inevitably superficial, because his macho attitude denies women equality while granting them protection. Huberto's victories bring about a change of government.
Riad Halabí (ree-AHD ah-lah-BEE), a kindly, intelligent shop owner. Riad seems to be loved by everyone but his wife, Zulema. After admitting to Eva that he loves her, Riad points out that the vicious gossip attending Zulema's death has made a marriage between them impossible.
Zulema (sew-LEH-mah), Riad's wife through an arranged marriage. A self-centered woman, she decides at first glance that she hates both her husband and his town. She refuses to be pleased by anything except the jewels he gives her and the stories Eva tells. After the sudden departure of her husband's cousin, whom she has seduced, Zulema is inconsolable and shoots herself.