Transitio Soto in House of the Spirits
Transitio Soto in House of the SpiritsWily Dame Transitio Soto
The character of Transitio Soto is an enigma in the decidedly feminist House of the Spirits due to her status as savior and whore. Transitio Soto really is the anti-thesis of everything Nivea dellValle, Clara Trueba, and Alba Trueba worked against. She submits herself to men for money, and is completely dependent on their kindness and generosity. Eventually, unlike the dellValle/Trueba women, she rises above her station to become independent of these men. She fits Paglia’s ideal of the whore in control, of allowing men to subjugate themselves to her in order to deal with their fear issues with women.
The relationship between Soto and Clara is perhaps the most important part of the sexual politics of the novel. Although Trueba’s first conquest in the work is Pancho Gracia he shows her the same violence and fury that he eventually shows Clara. This is because of an inner passion. Esteban Trueba has a tendency to hurt everyone that he fears for. This stems from his parents abandonment, and then his stoic upbringing by Ferula. His only success in relationships is drawn from a lack of emotion, but because Esteban is capable of doing what Camille Paglia refers to as “paying for his power” his relationship with Transitio Soto is completely different. He is not afraid to be affectionate with her because he has paid her for her loyalty. Clara, conversely, learns that the love of Esteban comes easily at first in the careless early stages.
The problem with Clara, the part of her being that he cannot reconcile is her indomitable spirit. This is a problem all of the dell Valle/Trueba women encounter. They wish to surpass their station. Esteban is uncomfortable with this. He can’t conceive of a woman as his equal (except in the marriage bed). This is the cause of the eventual rift between Clara and Esteban, and why Esteban seems to appreciate her more in death. When Clara is six feet under the ground she can no longer pose a threat to Esteban.
In response to her stifled position Clara becomes a matriarch. She takes everyone in, ignores Esteban, and tries to focus her energies on cultivating her family and her spiritualism. At the same time, however, Clara seems defeated. She doesn’t have the same vibrancy as in her youth (specifically the time she spent at Tres Marias), and one can sense that this is not the life that Clara the Clairvoyant envisioned for herself.
Conversely, Transitio empowers herself. She uses her sexuality (a device Clara never employs) to entreat Esteban Trueba on her behalf. Once in the capital she uses her wit and wiles (another device that Clara more or less avoids, except when forced to run Tres Marias). Soto in no way resembles Clara and this is why she is so helpful in characterizing Esteban Trueba.
These two opposing women (Clara the Mama and Transitio the Prostitute) are...
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