Miguel Character Analysis in The House of the Spirits

Amanda’s brother and Alba’s lover. Miguel is an orphan, and his sister takes responsibility for him as a young child. When Miguel is just five years old, Amanda begins dating Nicolás, Alba’s uncle. Miguel watches from a closet as Alba is born, although he doesn’t remember this later on. Alba and Miguel meet again years later at university, where Miguel is in his last year of law school and is an outspoken socialist. He talks of revolution (as represented by a tiny insignia of a raised fist embroidered on his sleeve), and he supports class warfare and thinks the violence of oppression can only be overcome with more violence. Miguel organizes the student protests on campus, and when the President is overthrown during the military coup d’état, Miguel joins the guerillas. Miguel and Alba are madly in love, and after she is arrested and tortured by the police after the coup, Miguel goes to Esteban to help look for her. It is Miguel who suggests Esteban go to Tránsito Soto for help, and at the end of the book, Alba is released and awaits Miguel’s return from war. Miguel and Alba’s relationship is a testament to the power of love within the novel, but more importantly, Miguel represents class struggle and the working-class fight for equality and freedom.

Miguel Character Timeline in The House of the Spirits

The timeline below shows where the character Miguel appears in The House of the Spirits. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Class, Politics, and Corruption Theme Icon

...Nicolás. Amanda frequently visits the big house on the corner, always with her five-year-old brother Miguel in tow. (full context)

...visit Amanda at her house, and he goes to the tenement where she lives with Miguel. Miguel opens the door and Nicolás sees Amanda is in bed, looking very ill. Nicolás... (full context)

...sit and talk, she tells Nicolás that after her mother died, she took responsibility for Miguel. Nicolás feels his love for Amanda intensify, and he has a burning desire to protect... (full context)

...keep an eye on her as she heals. Clara immediately tells them to go get Miguel, and she takes to pampering Amanda. Over the next few days, Amanda runs a fever,... (full context)

...immediately taken to Clara’s room, where Jaime (with Clara and Amanda’s help) delivered Alba and Miguel hid in the closet watching. Afterward, Clara asks Blanca where Alba got her “old man’s... (full context)

In the meantime, Amanda and Miguel leave the big house on the corner. Amanda has healed completely from her abortion, and... (full context)

...paint, and paints a big pint heart on her wall. Alba is in love with Miguel, a leftist leader in his last year of law school with a serious passion for... (full context)

The first time Alba meets Miguel, she notices the tiny insignia of a raised fist on his sleeve. He talks of... (full context)

...game. The students barricade themselves in the building, along with Sebastián Gómez, a disabled professor. Miguel, however, is the unofficial leader of the operation. He drains the toilets, reserving the water,... (full context)

...get involved. Sebastián tells Alba that she must go home, and Alba is secretly relieved. Miguel helps her to the door, and despite her recent criticism, Ana helps, too. They escort... (full context)

Miguel’s anger at Alba for not telling him she is Esteban Trueba’s granddaughter doesn’t last long,... (full context)

...Party is finally going to win an election. Alba laughs at his optimism. She repeats Miguel’s beliefs and informs Jaime that the Socialist Party will never win without a revolution. Violent... (full context)

...candidates are hung all over town. Jaime worries excessively about Alba and her relationship with Miguel, a known revolutionary. (full context)

One day, Alba comes to Jaime and begs him to talk to Miguel. His sister is sick, and she hopes that Miguel will open up to Jaime and... (full context)

...the bourgeoisie.” The upper class tremble with fear, and in the crowd, Alba runs into Miguel. They celebrate the historic win, but Miguel assures her it isn’t over. “We’ve won,” Miguel... (full context)

...hole in the wall and pilfers her mother’s goods. She gives everything she takes to Miguel to distribute to the poor, which he delivers along with revolutionary pamphlets telling the people... (full context)

...Alba takes them out in a cello case. She wants to give the arsenal to Miguel, but Jaime won’t allow it, so they bury all the guns in safe place. (full context)

...and all the school’s buildings have been taken over by students. When Alba isn’t with Miguel, she helps Jaime, who, along with a handful of other doctors, is still working in... (full context)

...it. Blanca smiles. In the middle of the night, the phone rings. Alba answers, and Miguel tells her that he is leaving to fight. She must not talk about him with... (full context)

...everything, and she believes he is the reason why she will never see Jaime or Miguel again. However, when Alba sees her grandfather slumped in a chair, calling out to Clara... (full context)

...the house, tells the servants that the strange noises are just the ghosts. One day, Miguel appears, and Alba hides him in the basement, where they have sex and hold each... (full context)

...soup kitchen where she volunteers on an outing, and on the way, she picks up Miguel in disguise. They go for a picnic near the spot where the weapons are buried,... (full context)

...a room where she again recognizes the voice of Esteban García. He asks her where Miguel is, but Alba refuses to talk. A violent slap knocks her off her feet, and... (full context)

...has more to do with revenge than his desire to make her confess anything about Miguel. Ana was arrested with her boyfriend, and the police raped her in front of him... (full context)

Esteban knew that Alba was really waiting for Miguel, and when he said as much, she was shocked that he even knew about Miguel.... (full context)

...by Esteban Trueba in the bushes with Pancha García, but for now, she waits for Miguel and better times. Alba carries a child she knows is a girl, and while she... (full context)