The House of the Spirits Lesson Plan

How does the ant plague represent the struggle between nature and civilization?

Tres Marias in general represents nature while the city represents civilization. Tres Marias shows the healing, restorative side of nature. It is what Clara craves and needs while she is pregnant. The ant plague represents the harsh, destructive side of nature. Esteban attempts to fight the plague with remedies from “civilization,” specifically the remedies of the white man. Civilization is unable to adequately combat a plague of nature. The ant plague ends when old Pedro Garcia sings to the ants, asks them to leave, and shows them the way out. This remedy is “natural”, as opposed to the...