Portrait in Sepia
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Portrait in Sepia (Retrato en Sepia, in Spanish) is a 2000 novel by Isabel Allende. The novel can be thought of a sequel to Allende's Daughter of Fortune as it follows Eliza Sommers' grand-daughter - Aurora del Valle.
Plot summary
It is the second part in the stories of the Sommers family. Continuing with the granddaughter of Eliza Sommers (Hija de la fortuna), the protagonist is Aurora del Valle. The bastardized daughter of Lynn Sommers (the daughter of Eliza and Tao Chi'en) and Matías Rodríguez de Santa Cruz (son of Paulina del Valle and Feliciano Rodríguez de Santa Cruz) has no memory of her first 5 years of life. She has recurring nightmares of men in black pyjamas looming around her, and losing the grip on the hand of someone beloved.
Her mother died while bearing Aurora (Chinese name Lai Ming) in Chinatown, San Francisco. Her biological father never acknowledged he had made a bastard child until the end of his life; he died a slow and agonizing death of syphilis. After the death of Lynn, Aurora's maternal grandparents raise her until the death of Tao Chi'en. After these events, Eliza approaches Paulina to raise Aurora while Eliza goes to China to bury Tao's body. Paulina makes Eliza agree to cut all contact with Aurora so she will not get too attached to the girl and have her taken away later on in life. So, Paulina del Valle tries to hide Aurora's true origins. Nevertheless, when Aurora talks to her real father, Matías, he tells the truth about her past. In this first part the writer also describes the Pacific War in which Severo del Valle is involved as a soldier. The descriptions of the war are very cruel; that can be seen in the scene where Severo del Valle loses his leg to gangrene.
The second part is about the transition of Aurora to adulthood. She learns to be a photographer and she becomes an expert artist in that field. The family moves from San Francisco to Chile and Frederick Williams becomes Paulina's husband, so he will be accepted in Chilean society. Everyone there see him as a true English lord, but no one knows his origins are not noble. Allende also describes a civil war which affects them directly and the way Paulina del Valle endlessly creates new businesses such as growing French wine and selling cheese, in Chile. The Del Valle family then travels to Europe because Paulina has a tumor and needs an operation. The operation is successful and Paulina becomes healthy and strong once more. She is more than 70 years old, but does not show signs of being tired, ill or soft; she imposes her will on her body and thus she continues to rule the family as a matriarch.
Thus, the novel is divided into three parts and an epilogue. The first part describes Aurora's infancy and family members, and the second is where Aurora's life comes more into play. The third part is where Aurora grows up, becoming a photographer, marrying Diego Domínguez and eventually leaving him. She takes a lover, Dr. Ivan Radovic, and their relationship is explained more fully in the epilogue.
In the end, the mystery of Tao Chi'en's death is revealed and it plays an important role.[1].
Characters
Aurora del Valle
She is the main character in the story and the voice because the novel is written from a first person point of view. The book describes the key moments in her life from her infancy up to her marriage and separation in adult life.
Paulina del Valle
She is Aurora's adoptive grandmother. She is perhaps the most important character in the story after Aurora herself. Paulina has a very strong personality; not even her husband could control her, she always did whatever she wanted. She is an expert in businesses and enlarges her fortune in several areas like wine, cheese, etc. She adopts Aurora when Eliza Sommers leaves the United States to go to China after Tao Chi'en dies. Paulina rises her granddaughter as a princess; Aurora does not even have to go to school; she has preceptors and she does not have to work to live, in part because Del Valle family is very rich. Paulina likes to impress everyone around her, spending money and having a luxurious house in Chile. She is a feminist and helps poor women through foundations.
Frederick Williams
He is the second husband of Paulina. He comes from England and he is the typical British, according to Aurora's descriptions. He helps the family in many ways and he is a very smart and quiet person. This character and that of Tao Chi'en offers a great deal of contrast when compared to other characters such as Matías del Valle. Frederick Williams is shown as the personification of calmness.
Tao Chi'en
He is Aurora's grandfather. He is a very wise man who "...acts like God, a friend and a father" for Aurora, in Eliza Sommers words. He is very important in Aurora's infancy, to such a degree that she forgets her first five years of life could have to do with Tao Chi'en's sudden death.
Matías del Valle
He is the father of Aurora. He abandoned her mother, Lynn Sommers, he never loved her, he just used her as part of a bet. Thus, Matías never acted as Aurora's father. Although he told his mother he was dying from arthritis, he truly died of syphilis due to his hedonist way of life.
Severo del Valle
Cousin of Matías, he marries Aurora's mother and becomes Aurora's step-father. It is only when she is a teenager that she discovers the truth about her past, when Matías tells her what Paulina always tried to hide. He also appears in The House of the Spirits as Clara's father.
Major themes
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Major themes are historical descriptions of two wars and the role of a woman in Chile. The novel has many feminist reflections, thoughts that Isabel Allende herself has accepted she shares. Paulina del Valle is seen as the ultimate feminist, a woman who rules in a world of men. She helps poor women using her wealth through charitable organizations. Nobody would ever try to pass on her, everyone obeys her, even her two husbands. She is very conservative and rules the family with gloves of steel, as a matriarch. Her force is a big contrast to Frederick Williams' calm and peace of mind.
War and history are important in this novel; Allende has confided she always does thorough historical research for her novels for accuracy. Also, she describes the ultra conservative characteristics of Chilean society at that time.
The other important theme is love, although it is only seen in the third part of the novel. Unlike many women's novels, Allende does not focus on love, as we can see in Danielle Steel novels, in comparison. Allende seems to describe love in a non-romantic manner.