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The Poet
The local physician. When Rosa falls ill with a fever early in the novel, it is Dr. Cuevas who examines her and orders sweet lemonade with a splash of liquor. After Rosa dies from drinking this poisoned brandy, it is Dr. Cuevas who performs her autopsy and determines foul play. Nívea and Severo again call Dr. Cuevas when Clara stops speaking after Rosa’s death, but his painful and invasive treatments traumatize Clara and do nothing to cure her silence. Dr. Cuevas takes care of Clara when she is pregnant with Blanca, and when the pregnancy exceeds her due date, he performs a cesarean section without even asking Clara’s input. When Clara is pregnant with Jaime and Nicolás, Dr. Cuevas again considers a cesarean, and he neglects to involve Clara in this decision as well. Clara ends up calmly giving birth to the twin boys with Férula’s help before Dr. Cuevas even arrives, taking the decision of her care out of his hands. The character of Dr. Cuevas further highlights the oppression of women in a patriarchal society. Clara and the other women lack bodily autonomy, and men like Dr. Cuevas simply decide how to treat them with little to no input.
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Dr. Cuevas Character Timeline in The House of the Spirits
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. Cuevas appears in The House of the Spirits. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Rosa the Beautiful
On Saturday, Rosa comes down with a chill and takes to her bed. Dr. Cuevas , the local physician, comes to examine her and orders rest and sugared lemonade with...
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Dr. Cuevas is called and declares that no ordinary fever killed Rosa. He begins to tear the...
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As Dr. Cuevas lifts Rosa’s nightgown and reveals her beautiful mermaid-like body, Severo is overcome with grief and...
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Dr. Cuevas knows without a doubt that Rosa’s poisoning was meant for Severo. When their work is...
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Dr. Cuevas tells Severo that Rosa was murdered with rat poisoning, and Severo collapses to the floor....
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...even Nana. Severo tries to keep the gossip concerning Rosa’s cause of death at bay; Dr. Cuevas tells everyone that Rosa died of pneumonia. Political assassinations are unheard of in their country,...
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...wave of apprehension, pushed a box to the kitchen window, and peered in. She saw Dr. Cuevas and an assistant she did not know covered in blood and standing over Rosa’s naked...
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Chapter 3: Clara the Clairvoyant
Clara is 10 years old when she decides to stop speaking. Severo and Nívea call Dr. Cuevas , but his failed treatments only manage to terrify Clara. Finally, Severo and Nívea take...
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...powers only grow. Severo forbids Clara to predict the future or talk to ghosts, and Dr. Cuevas recommends cold baths and electric shocks, the accepted treatment in Europe for insanity.
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...and declares the child will be a girl named Blanca. Long after Clara’s due date, Dr. Cuevas realizes that Clara has no intention of having her baby, so he delivers the child...
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Chapter 4: The Time of the Spirits
Dr. Cuevas worries that Clara’s labor will again be difficult, but Clara, speaking for the first time...
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As Dr. Cuevas makes plans to perform another cesarean section on Clara, Severo and Nívea del Valle are...
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...the big house on the corner, Férula calmly delivers Clara’s two healthy baby boys before Dr. Cuevas or the midwife arrive. Esteban puts Nívea’s head in a hatbox, which is sure to...
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Chapter 5: The Lovers
...neatly joined that the doctors in town can’t believe it. “I wouldn’t have even tried,” Dr. Cuevas says.
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