The Green House by Mario Vargas Llosa
"The Green House" is a novel by Mario Vargas Llosa, published in 1965, that explores themes of civilization versus barbarism, power dynamics, and the impact of colonialism in Peru. Set primarily in the Amazon River region, the narrative revolves around a bordello known as the Green House, which serves as a symbol of exploitation and desire. The story unfolds through multiple interconnected plotlines involving various characters, including indigenous people, soldiers, and a nun named Bonifacia, who shows compassion towards two Indian girls taken from their jungle home.
As Bonifacia navigates her complex feelings and the societal expectations placed upon her, the novel examines the intersection of gender roles, power struggles, and the brutal realities faced by marginalized individuals in a changing society. The setting, characterized by the lush yet oppressive jungle, reflects the contrasts between civilization and the untouched wilderness. Vargas Llosa's narrative invites readers to question the moral implications of the characters' actions and the societal structures that govern their lives. "The Green House" is regarded as a significant work in Latin American literature, offering insights into cultural and social issues through its rich tapestry of characters and events.
On this Page
The Green House by Mario Vargas Llosa
First published:La casa verde, 1965 (English translation, 1968)
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of plot: Forty years that include World War II
Locale: Piura and the Amazon jungle, Peru
Principal characters
Don Anselmo , a man who builds the Green HouseFushía , a smugglerLalita , Fushía’s wifeAquilino , a vendorNieves , a river pilotJulio Reátegui , the governor and a smugglerJum , an Indian employee of FushíaBonifacia orWildflower , a prostitute, wife of LitumaLituma , a sergeant in the Civil Guard
The Story:
Nuns and soldiers snatch two Indian girls out of the jungle to civilize them. They are taken to the mission school. There, Bonifacia takes pity on them. Corporal Roberto Delgado goes to Bagua, taking Adrian Nieves for a pilot. The Leons tell Josefino that Lituma is out of jail and wants to celebrate. Bonifacia feels sorry for the two new girls because they want to leave. When they leave, the other girls will follow them. Bonifacia will be blamed, expelled, and left homeless. A trader with the Indians, Fushía needs a partner, so he makes friends with Aquilino, a water vendor. When the other three“champs”—the Leons and Josefino—arrive, they and Lituma begin drinking.
Bonifacia finds the two new girls in the pantry, speaks to them in Indian, and feeds them. Bonifacia loves the sisters and does not want to be considered a heathen, but the children do not seem evil to her. Don Anselmo buys some desert land on which to build a house. Against Nieves’s advice, Delgado orders the men to loot an Indian village and to camp there for the night. Josefino tells Lituma that Bonifacia has become a prostitute.
Don Anselmo builds the Green House, a bordello named after its color, on his land. The Aguarunas, led by Jum, attack Delgado and the porter. Nieves, eager to leave the military, swims to an island, where Fushía and Lalita promise him work and safety from the authorities. Don Julio Reátegui plans to take a nursemaid and a servant from among the orphans at the mission. One of the girls offered is Bonifacia. She cries, however, and Don Julio will not take her against her will. The soldiers cannot find the missing students. Nieves invites the sergeant to dine with his family and meet Bonifacia, who has been expelled from the mission.
A baby girl, left for dead when her guardians are murdered, is attacked by buzzards that devour her eyes and tongue. Juana Baura, a washerwoman, raises the girl, Antonia.
Corporal Roberto Delgado and the Captain find Jum and the Urukusas. A little girl clings to Jum’s legs. At Chunga’s, the new Green House, Lituma looks for Bonifacia. At Nieves’s house, Bonifacia is too frightened to come out until Fats announces that the students have been found. Lalita insists that Bonifacia greet the sergeant. Fushía’s disease makes him impotent. He is abusive to Lalita, and she flees to Nieves for comfort.
One day, when Juana leaves Antonia at the town square as usual, the girl disappears. Jum tells Reátegui that the corporal tried to steal from him, so he beat him and then gave him a canoe. Delgado contradicts the story. The girl with Jum is Bonifacia. Josefino reunites Wildflower and Lituma; the couple dance. While Lalita and Nieves are away, Lituma visits Bonifacia. She runs; he corners her and rips off her clothes, but she resists him. She does, however, return his embrace before he leaves.
Don Anselmo tells Juana Baura that Antonia, who has been living with him, is dead. Corporal Delgado lashes the Indians with a whip for their actions. Jum will be punished in Santa María de Nieva. Don Julio protects the little girl. The Leons stage a distraction in the bar; Lituma and Bonifacia slip out. Josefino looks for them, and when he finds Lituma outside, Lituma and the Leons savagely beat him for lying about why Bonifacia became a prostitute. When a new lieutenant comes to Santa Maria de Nieva, Jum, like many times before, asks that all his property taken by Reátegui be returned. The lieutenant would give Jum back his possessions, but they cannot be retrieved.
The new minister orders a search for the bandits who stole rubber and hides from the Indians. When Lituma goes to get Nieves for the trip, the pilot feigns illness to avoid going and being recognized. The sergeant proposes marriage to Bonifacia while he is there. After Antonia’s funeral, Father García and some women set the Green House on fire. Don Anselmo is distraught until Angelica Mercedes, the cook, appears with his infant, Chunga.
Don Anselmo tells Wildflower why Lituma has been sent to prison. The Leons and Josefino are drinking and singing when Seminario insults them. They placate him because he has a gun. Then Lituma and two other patrolmen come into the bar. After Juana Baura sees Chunga for the first time, she starts bringing the child dresses, shoes, and food. Finally, she takes Chunga to raise. When the other two patrolmen leave, Lituma joins the champs. Seminario keeps insulting them and threatens to throw them out.
The soldiers hunting for bandits find an intoxicated man and take him to Borjas to see if any of the Aguarunas recognize him as a bandit. Lituma challenges Seminario to a round of Russian roulette. The lieutenant learns that Fushía is the bandit and Nieves is his pilot. Drunk, Lituma prepares his gun for the game. The sergeant survives his round, but Seminario does not. The sergeant returns from the bandit search and marries Bonifacia at the mission. The sisters have forgiven her. Don Anselmo falls in love with Antonia.
Lituma slaps Bonifacia for removing her shoes in public. When Lituma goes to sleep, Josefino tries to seduce Bonifacia. Although Lituma secretly tells Nieves to escape, the pilot refuses and the sergeant has to arrest him for piloting Fushía’s boat. Anselmo steals Antonia and takes her to the Green House and keeps her there as his wife. He longs to know how she feels about him. Josefino persuades Bonifacia to stay in Piura while Lituma is imprisoned in Lima, and he tries to convince her to abort Lituma’s child.
Lituma and Bonifacia move from Santa Maria de Nieva to Piura. Lituma is excited, but Bonifacia is sad to leave Lalita and the sisters.
Upon learning that Antonia is pregnant, Anselmo is excited but later wonders if he has acted morally. Reátegui takes the girl found with Jum to the mission. The Mother Superior is angry about Jum hanging in the square, his body whipped and his head shaven, but Reátegui says Jum was an example to the other Indians.
Fushía screams that Aquilino has not visited him in a year. Both men are old, and Fushía’s teeth have fallen out. Aquilino, sickened by the smell and irritated by Fushía’s screaming, reports only news of Lalita. Fushía becomes sad, and Aquilino promises to visit again next year. Father García grudgingly hears Anselmo’s confession. Anselmo, however, dies peacefully.
Bibliography
Beason, Gary. “The Green House Effect: A Study of Latin American Sex Roles.” RE: Artes Liberales 13 (1986): 11-19. Offers insight into Latin American gender roles that explains the characters’ actions and relationships.
Diez, Luys A. “The Sources of The Green House: The Mythical Background of a Fabulous Novel.” Texas Studies in Literature and Language 19 (1977): 429-444. Shows the relationship of the novel to an interview with Vargas Llosa, Vargas Llosa’s log book, and Diez’s own responses to personal experiences at the locations of the novel.
Harss, Luis. “Green House Mirrors.” World Literature Today 52 (1978): 34-38. Deals with archetypes found in literature and shows a relationship among similar images in various novels. Presents an interesting discussion of theme based on the color green.
Kristal, Efraín. Temptation of the Word: The Novels of Mario Vargas Llosa. Nashville, Tenn.: Vanderbilt University Press, 1998. Traces the origin of the themes and the development of literary techniques in each of Vargas Llosa’s novels published through 1996. Relates the novels to his literary influences and political activism.
Moody, Michael. “Landscapes of the Damned: Natural Setting in La Casa Verde.” Kentucky Romance Quarterly 27 (1988): 495-508. Examines the use of setting to convey meaning and to express Vargas Llosa’s view of reality. Shows how one literary element is vital to the entire novel.
‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. “A Small Whirlpool: Narrative Structure in The Green House.” Texas Studies in Literature and Language 19 (1977): 408-428. Discusses the synthesis of the five story lines presented in The Green House. Argues that the seemingly formless novel is unified by the chronological sequence of narrative episodes and that the various events make up one experience.
Muñoz, Braulio. A Storyteller: Mario Vargas Llosa Between Civilization and Barbarism. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2000. Appraises Vargas Llosa’s literary works and political involvement from a sociotheoretical perspective.