Violeta

Violeta Del Valle is born in 1920, the year the Great Influenza pandemic reaches her country. She is the youngest of six children, with five older brothers; her oldest brother, José Antonio, is 17.

Arsenio Del Valle, Violeta’s father, had anticipated the pandemic’s arrival, and was prepared for it when it hit their country. He follows the advance of the virus through the newspapers’ reporting of it and believes it responsible for a greater death toll than the Great War in Europe. Most European countries censor their reporting of the actual death toll; only Spain, which remained neutral in the Great War, reports freely about the pandemic, leading to the moniker the “Spanish flu.” In Violeta’s country, the flu first appears in brothels, eventually spreading across the general population, and the government enforces stay-at-home measures and a nighttime curfew. All activity is suspended except for the movement of essential supplies.

No one in the Del Valle household contracts the flu, owing to Arsenio’s timely measures. He posts guards around the house who prevent visitors from entering. He also procures a revolver for self-defense, worried about the “desperation [the pandemic] would sow among the masses” (12). All his sons except José Antonio are sent to San Ignacio school before the government decree to close it down arrives; following this, the boys are sent to Arsenio’s sawmill where his supervisor, Marko Kusanovic, puts the boys to work alongside the local loggers.

Not much changes inside Camellia House, in which the Del Valle family resides. The house originally belonged to Violeta’s paternal grandparents, and Arsenio had eventually gained his 10 other siblings’ shares by promising to pay for the shares in installments. However, he kept defaulting on the payments, using the money to invest elsewhere, until his relationships with his siblings completely deteriorated. The house, too, deteriorates over time, but Arsenio doesn’t care; with the lot appreciating in value, he plans to sell it all off eventually.

The Del Valle household, during Violeta’s early years, comprises Arsenio and his wife, María Gracia, Violeta’s parents; María Gracia’s unmarried older sisters, Pía and Pilar; José Antonio; and Apolonio “Torito” Toro.

Pía was engaged to be married at 23, but her fiancé died two months before the wedding; she has considered herself a widow ever since. Pía is skilled at using herbs as medicines and using her hands to heal. Pilar is a tall, strong, and agile woman, who dresses in unfeminine garb and shuns all “virtues and adornments of femininity” (16). With a talent for mechanics, she manages the household and oversees all its repairs.

Torito is a vital member of the Del Valle household, though not a blood relation. He came knocking at the door as an adolescent, looking for work and a home. He was believed to be an orphan and the household took him in. Torito does the hard labor around the house, and mostly stays in, as his large and “beastly” appearance, combined with his gentle nature, often elicits bullying to which he does not defend himself.

María Gracia is not very social; she prefers to stay home, often citing ill health to excuse herself from social gatherings. Arsenio and José Antonio, however, continue their usual social and business activities, even during the quarantine, as Arsenio has a permit that allows him to move around, being a businessman essential to the economy. They wear masks when outdoors and rub themselves down with alcohol before re-entering the house.

From Violeta’s birth until she is five, she is left in the care of her aunts, which leaves her thoroughly spoiled. Arsenio finally decides she needs an English educator and brings in Miss Josephine Taylor, a young Irish woman from London. Josephine quickly establishes a disciplined routine and an academic course of study for Violeta, transforming her from a tantrum-throwing child to an independent, well-mannered one. Under Josephine’s care, Violeta develops a love for learning and begins to keep a diary.

Josephine integrates well into the household with her friendly yet discreet manners; however, José Antonio is the only one who truly treats her like a friend. José Antonio has studied law but assists Arsenio in his business. Although he obeys Arsenio’s orders, José Antonio disagrees with his father’s way of doing things. He has seen the “creative bookkeeping” his father practices and warns against the risks that Arsenio is taking.

José Antonio and Josephine get along well, chatting about a variety of things, from the political situation in the country to her Irish grandfather who was executed for fighting for universal suffrage rights for Irish workers. Josephine also tells José Antonio about the suffragettes and their struggles, “true heroines” who endure torture to obtain women the right to vote. José Antonio is convinced this will never happen in his country, unaware of the climate brewing among his country’s middle class.

Josephine struggles with digestive issues from the moment she arrives in the country. Two years later, the Del Valles take her to the doctor, alarmed by her continued weight loss and declining health. The doctor discovers a tumor in Josephine’s belly, and Arsenio decides to send her back to die at home.

When José Antonio breaks the news to Josephine, she divulges the truth about her background: Her father had an alcohol addiction, and after her mother’s early death, Josephine and her siblings were scattered across orphanages in the country. Josephine earned her keep in the orphanage by doing the washing. When she was 12, Josephine was taken in as an indentured servant by a British military officer, who regularly raped her after she turned 13. Several months in, his wife discovered the atrocity, and sent Josephine to be a companion to the wife’s mother.

Josephine’s new employer was a widow with a penchant for traveling and teaching. She turned Josephine into a “proper” English lady, taking her along on travels and exposing her to a vast amount of books and information. When the widow died, she left Josephine a small sum of money, which Josephine subsisted on before answering an ad for an English governess in a South American country. She has no real home to return to, and José Antonio promises her that she will not be sent away to die.

José Antonio stands up to Arsenio and takes on the responsibility of Josephine’s treatment. He organizes a team of surgeons at the best hospital available and has Josephine’s tumor operated on. José Antonio waits by Josephine’s side for the seven hours the surgery takes, realizing he is in love with her.

The tumor turns out to be benign, but it takes her months to recover, and the Del Valle household rallies to her side. José Antonio waits for a chance to propose to her, his only concern being their economic future; despite assisting his father, he does not receive a salary. Arsenio assures José Antonio that he will receive a share of the business earnings, but the profits are constantly reinvested in other ventures, leaving Arsenio perpetually in debt, despite his son’s warnings.

Once she is recovered, Josephine is eager to get out of the house and accompanies the Del Valles to a bridal shower for one of their nieces. There, Josephine befriends a young woman named Teresa Rivas, who promises to show Josephine more of the city. The two women go on an outing to Plaza de Armas, accompanied by young Violeta. Teresa and Josephine are badgered by a man who calls them “shameless dykes,” but Teresa laughs it off, openly acknowledging her sexuality.

Teresa also takes Josephine and Violeta to her house, and Josephine realizes Teresa is not rich, like she originally believed. Teresa’s parents are teachers in a southern province; she and her brother left for the city, him to study at university, and her for adventure, as fast as they could. Her brother will soon graduate as an agricultural specialist; along with his studies, he also works as a waiter and occasionally a magician. He had performed at the bridal shower, thus explaining Teresa’s presence at the party. Josephine and Teresa’s relationship begins that afternoon. Despite the fact that, until then, Teresa was non-monogamous and indulged in affairs with both men and women, she remains the most faithful and devoted of lovers to Josephine throughout her lifetime.

In October 1929, after the Wall Street crash, Arsenio and José Antonio look at the family’s financial situation together, and the latter realizes they have lost everything. The country suffers, as the export system that sustains the nation is badly hit. The rich flee to their rural estates amidst the rampant poverty and hunger that plagues the country. People of all backgrounds begin to protest against the government, which is helmed by a general who exiled his predecessor but was himself fast losing power.

José Antonio joins the protests one day out of boredom and frustration, and is shocked to see Josephine, dressed in masculine clothing, accompanied by Teresa and Violeta, in the crowd. Josephine has already rejected his proposal by now, saying she will never marry but considers José Antonio her best friend. That same day, news breaks that the general has fled the country, and celebrations go on for hours into the night.

Arsenio manages to hold off banks and creditors for a year through various pyramid schemes; when his schemes eventually crash, he’s left bankrupt. Only José Antonio is aware of the real situation; Arsenio’s other sons abandon the family, moving in with cousins and friends, while the women, despite being forced to cut down the staff and expenses, remain indifferent and oblivious.

Arsenio begins to use alcohol, opium, and cocaine, to deal with the stress of his situation, and slowly wastes away. Two days after the government falls, he learns the family is to be evicted from Camellia House; there is also an arrest warrant out for him, on counts of fraud and tax evasion. Arsenio shoots himself, dying by suicide; Violeta finds his body in the library the following morning, and when she realizes what has happened, she feels “emptiness and terrible calm” (52).

Josephine and José Antonio clean up the scene and have the cause of death declared as heart failure, allowing Arsenio to be buried in the Catholic cemetery. José Antonio also gathers the family and explains the financial situation. They lay off all the servants, and only Torito and Josephine stay on. Violeta’s other brothers distance themselves from the situation. José Antonio assumes responsibility for the family, but the Del Valle reputation is tarnished by Arsenio’s actions. Josephine helps José Antonio come up with a plan, and as per her preparations, the family collects their belongings and moves to the southern province of Nahuel, to Teresa’s parents’ farm.

Santa Clara is run by Abel and Lucinda Rivas, Teresa’s parents, and Bruno Rivas, Abel’s younger brother, helped by Facunda, an Indigenous woman who has worked in the house for years. Abel and Lucinda are retired teachers who now travel around the countryside, teaching children in different villages. Bruno, a hardworking man, lost his wife and child in childbirth, and has had no other love since. The Rivases welcome Violeta and her family with open arms, and Violeta and Torito in particular adapt well to their new life. Violeta learns all manner of farm work and cooking under Bruno and Facunda, and this new, busy life improves Violeta’s character.

Josephine eventually returns to the city to find paying work and be with Teresa, while José Antonio heads to Sacramento, the capital of the province. He manages to track down Marko Kusanovic, who disappeared after Arsenio’s sawmill was seized by the bank, and calls him to Sacramento, with the hope of working together again.

A few years into living at Santa Clara, Abel and Lucinda start taking Violeta with them as an assistant, when they travel to teach over the summer. Violeta accompanies them every summer beginning when she turns 13; although she initially misses her family, she soon comes to love the adventure. The Rivases teach her to appreciate the Indigenous people’s way of life as well, who live in small rural communities around the area. Through these travels, Violeta meets Yaima, an Indigenous woman who uses herbs and medicines supplemented by her tribe’s magic and ceremonial drum to heal all manner of ailments.

Violeta learns more on these tours than she ever could have imagined, and vehemently rejects José Antonio’s suggestion that she attend a boarding school run by English missionaries. Josephine and Teresa visit for a few weeks in the winters, and on one visit they come up with the idea that they ought to celebrate Torito’s birthday. It is the first birthday celebration he has ever had, and Violeta carves him a wooden cross with both their names etched on either side. Torito cherishes the gift and never takes it off; the cross also serves an important role later in Violeta’s story.

María Gracia’s health complaints continue throughout her time at Santa Clara. From their third year on the farm, she is sent to a hospital in the mountains to spend four months in the winter, every year. These prolonged absences leave Violeta with less vivid memories of her mother.

When she is 16, Torito, Pilar, and Bruno build a separate cabin for Violeta, which she names the Birdcage. Although she still sleeps in her mother’s and aunts’ house, she spends her time reading and resting in the Birdcage during the day, grateful for her private quarters. One day, late in autumn, a worker on a nearby ranch, Pascual Freire, spots Violeta at a rodeo and visits Santa Clara on the pretext of buying some pigs. He behaves lewdly toward Violeta, which shocks Bruno, who attempts to get rid of Pascual. Later that day, however, Pascual manages to apprehend Violeta when she is alone and drags her to the Birdcage, where he tries to rape her. Torito arrives in time and saves Violeta, bodily throwing Pascual off the farm.

Two days later, Pascual’s body turns up some distance away; he appears to have drowned, but there are lacerations around his neck. Torito is arrested, and José Antonio rushes down to help have him released. Torito is badly beaten during his time in custody; however, no one in the family asks any questions, and instead rushes to take care of Torito once he is back home. When Violeta tries to thank Torito for what he did, he simply says, “I didn’t know that dead man” (82).