A Long Petal of the Sea

Reflecting on his life, Victor comments that so much of his life simply happened. He had no control over the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s victory, nor could he stop the military coup in Chile. His life was shaped by forces outside his control. Likewise, Allende exposes the rigid class, gender, and ethnic roles prevalent in Chilean society when Victor and Roser immigrated there. Ofelia del Solar had no choice but to marry, or she would be dependent on her brother and ostracized. Similarly, social class limits the relationships and opportunities one can have. As Victor and Ofelia’s affair demonstrates, a member of the upper class would never marry a member of the lower class.

Yet Allende is not saying there are no choices. The same political struggle between progressives, fighting for more equality, and reactionaries, seeking to retain privileges for the few, plays out in Spain and Chile. There is a choice as to which side to support. In both situations, Victor and Roser side with the people, the Republicans in Spain and Salvador Allende in Chile. In contrast, the del Solars and Father Urbina, choose to support the reactionaries and the forces of repression. While one person cannot control historical and political forces, individuals can join together to direct these forces. The reactionaries prevail over the progressives in Spain and Chile, but not forever. At the close of the book, both countries are building democracies.

Through the character of Roser, Allende challenges the traditional roles for women. Roser takes charge of her own life, setting professional goals and achieving them. Despite her marriage to Victor, she does not defer to him. Their relationship is egalitarian and respectful. As Victor’s shock at Ofelia’s virginity attests, the women in Republican Spain had replaced conservative sexual mores with freedom. Raised in a conservative, upper-class family, Ofelia initially seeks to challenge gender restrictions but pays the price with her pregnancy. After that experience, Ofelia surrenders to her fate as a woman. In so doing, she loses part of herself and appears superficial later in life. The reader is left to wonder if she could have made different choices to pursue her art earlier and to continue to challenge the restrictions imposed upon women. Like the conflict between the progressives and the conservatives, Roser and Ofelia’s contrasting character arcs demonstrate how social change is rarely linear.