Historical Context
While the mystery surrounding Vargas’s missing gold is central to the narrative, the enigmatic setting also plays a significant role. The story unfolds in the fictional village of Agua Santa, set in an unspecified time period. This ambiguity is intentional, as Allende wanted readers to engage with the story in this way.
Nevertheless, the location is not entirely vague. Although the village is not explicitly placed in any specific country, certain elements in the story, such as character names like Tomás Vargas and Concha Díaz, suggest a Latin American setting reminiscent of Allende’s own heritage. Other indicators supporting this notion include the use of "pesos" as currency, the "cornmeal cakes" consumed by Vargas’s family, and the description of the weather as "humid and oppressive" despite it being "almost sunset." Most critics avoid pinpointing a specific location, often referring to the work broadly as "South American fiction," as Daniel Harris did in the Boston Review. However, one critic, Suzanne Ruta, diverged from this approach in her 1991 review, asserting that the story is "set in Venezuela, where Allende sought asylum in 1973," suggesting that Allende intended it as a "tribute to the country." Ruta also notes that "the very name Eva Luna is nearly an anagram of Venezuela," further supporting the idea of the story’s setting.
The temporal setting of the story is equally elusive. Signs of modernization, such as "National Petroleum trucks" and "highways," suggest a twentieth-century timeframe. Additionally, Allende mentions that "Riad Halabí and the schoolteacher Inés dared to give [Antonia] . . . vitamins for the children." Vitamins, which became commonly used in the early twentieth century, indicate a certain period. The term "vitamin" entered usage in the 1910s. Similarly, when Halabí and Antonia take Concha to the hospital for assistance with her difficult pregnancy, they return with "a variety of colored pills." Synthetically produced medications, which began in the late nineteenth century, were available by the early twentieth century. Beyond these modern elements, Allende provides few other clues about the exact time setting, leaving it open to interpretation as occurring in the early twentieth century.
Ultimately, the story's setting is flexible, allowing readers to imagine it taking place whenever and wherever they choose.
Literary Style
Epiphany
Much like many tales in The Stories of Eva Luna, "The Gold of Tomás Vargas" culminates in an epiphany, or a sudden insight. At the story's outset, we meet "Vargas’s gold nuggets," which he stubbornly refuses to unearth, even when financial needs arise for his family. Throughout the narrative, numerous mentions of the gold highlight Vargas's intense fear of parting with it, to the extent that, despite his love for gambling, "his immense greed had shielded him from temptation." The story's tension escalates towards its peak as Vargas, trying to prove himself after threats from Antonia and Concha, starts gambling. When he loses the biggest wager ever placed in Agua Santa, "a thousand pesos," Vargas, feeling defeated and almost sick at the thought of parting with his gold, leads "the Lieutenant, the police, the Turk, the schoolteacher Inés, and, trailing them, the entire town in a lively procession" to his hidden stash to hand over the gold.
This alone could serve as a fulfilling conclusion since Vargas would have forfeited his most prized possession and learned a valuable lesson. However, Allende introduces an unexpected twist for both the reader and Vargas, who trudges into the bushes where his treasure is hidden. "A long minute went by before they heard his howl." As Vargas desperately tells the Lieutenant, "It isn’t there, it isn’t there! . . . I swear, Lieutenant, I...
(This entire section contains 856 words.)
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don’t know anything about this; they stole it, they stole my treasure!" yet he never identifies who "they" might be.
Vargas eventually meets his end, presumably for failing to settle his gambling debt, an unpardonable sin in Agua Santa, and Antonia and Concha lay him to rest. At the story's conclusion, Allende strongly hints at the gold's fate, offering a revelation to the reader. When referring to Antonia and Concha, she observes, "Not long after the burial they bought hens, rabbits, and pigs; they took the bus to the city and returned with clothes for all the family." Although never explicitly stated, it seems Antonia, with Concha’s assistance, has taken Vargas's gold, thereby settling his debt to them for years of mistreatment and stinginess.
Characterization
In the narrative, Allende distinctly categorizes her characters into clear groups. They are portrayed as either contemptible, likable, or heroic. Vargas and the Lieutenant are the two characters depicted as contemptible and are generally disliked by the townspeople. During their gambling match, the majority of the town gathers to watch, not to support either man. Allende remarks, "Neither the Lieutenant nor Tomás Vargas inspired any sympathy, so no one cared who won." Instead, the crowd is there to ponder "on the agonies of the two players" or to gamble on the outcome. Vargas's negative reputation in the town arises from his greed, mistreatment of his wife, drunkenness, and infidelity.
Regarding the Lieutenant, "No one in Agua Santa liked him" due to his habit of "inventing laws according to his whim and convenience," which has resulted in many unjust imprisonments. His policy of ensuring that no one leaves "his jail without a sound beating first" further contributes to the fear and hatred directed towards him. Like Vargas, the Lieutenant is also a womanizer, often leaving "his jacket unbuttoned so the girls could appreciate his hairy chest and collection of gold chains."
Conversely, the sympathetic or heroic characters evoke the reader's fondness. Concha and Antonia are women who have been exploited. Concha is a young girl impregnated by Vargas, initially facing the anger of Antonia, Vargas's wronged wife. Concha is portrayed as innocent, and as her pregnancy progresses, she is appalled by the transformations her body undergoes, including "the ungovernable swelling, the shame of the constant need to urinate... the wishing she could die."
Antonia garners sympathy for deeper and more significant reasons. Once young, beautiful, and innocent like Concha, marriage to Vargas and numerous pregnancies have taken their toll on her body. She has endured watching her husband abuse her, commit adultery, and squander their money on his vices.
Fortunately for Concha and Antonia, they have heroic figures who provide the assistance they desperately need. The most prominent of these is Halabí, the shopkeeper who often steps in to "set things right in the Vargas household." He takes Concha "in his truck... to the hospital" when she falls ill and even covers "all the expenses" of her pregnancy when Vargas refuses to use his gold. Occasionally, Halabí is supported by another heroic figure, the schoolteacher Inés. Together, they are the only ones who can offer Antonia charity by "thinking up excuses to keep from offending her." Additionally, Inés educates Vargas's children for free when he refuses to pay her fees because she is committed to ensuring that "no child in her town would go without learning to read."
Introduction
At the beginning of her story, Allende provides a brief section that introduces Vargas and the other key characters, such as the schoolteacher Inés, the Lieutenant, Riad Halabí, and Antonia Sierra. These descriptions serve as quick sketches, giving the reader background information before Concha Díz arrives, marking the start of the main narrative.
Media Adaptations
In 1991, the audiobook version of Stories of Eva Luna was made available. It was published by Dove Books and narrated by Margaret Sayers Peden.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Allende, Isabel, Conversations with Isabel Allende, edited by John Rodden, University of Texas Press, 1999, pp. 357–58.
Bader, Eleanor J., Review of The Stories of Eva Luna, in Belles Lettres: A Review of Books by Women, Vol. 6, No. 3, Spring 1991, p. 60.
Benson, Mary Margaret, Review of The Stories of Eva Luna, in Library Journal, December 1990, p. 157.
Harris, Daniel, Review of The Stories of Eva Luna, in Boston Review, Vol. XVI, No. 2, April 1991, pp. 28–29.
Hart, Patricia, ‘‘Magic Feminism in Isabel Allende’s The Stories of Eva Luna,’’ in Multicultural Literatures through Feminist/Poststructuralist Lenses, University of Tennessee Press, 1993, pp. 103–36.
———, Review of The Stories of Eva Luna, in the Nation, Vol. 252, No. 9, March 11, 1991, pp. 314–16.
Ruta, Suzanne, ‘‘Lovers and Storytellers,’’ in the Women’s Review of Books, Vol. VIII, No. 9, June 1991, p. 10.
Shaw, Donald L., The Post-Boom in Spanish American Fiction, State University of New York Press, 1998, p. 68.
Urquhart, Jane, ‘‘Tales from Isabel Allende’s Passionate, Magical World,’’ in Quill and Quire, Vol. 56, No. 11, November 1990, p. 25.
Further Reading
Heyck, Denis L., Barrios and Borderlands: Cultures of Latinos and Latinas in the United States, Routledge, 1994. This book explores the rich diversity among the three predominant Latino cultures in the United States—Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban—emphasizing their unique characteristics. The chapters are structured around six key themes important to these communities: family, religion, community, the arts, immigration and exile, and cultural identity. Each chapter features readings from a range of genres, including poetry, essays, short stories, and novel excerpts.
Jackson, Richard, Black Writers and the Hispanic Canon, Twayne’s World Author Series, No. 867, Twayne Publishing, 1997. This book aims to expand readers' understanding of the Hispanic literary canon beyond figures like Jorge Luis Borges and Gabriel García Márquez, introducing them to Black Hispanic writers such as Manuel Zapata Olivella, Pilar Barrios, and Juan Pablo Sojo. It provides a comprehensive overview of these authors from the early 19th century to the present.
Marvis, Barbara, and Valerie Menard, Famous People of Hispanic Heritage: Oscar de La Hoya, Isabel Allende, Roy Benavidez, Jackie Guerra, Contemporary American Success Stories series, No. 9, Mitchell Lane Publishers, 1997. This book is part of a series that profiles four prominent individuals of Hispanic descent. The subjects vary in their national origins and fields of achievement.
Tierney-Tello, Mary Beth, Allegories of Transgression and Transformation: Experimental Fiction by Women Writing under Dictatorship, State University of New York Press, 1996. This book examines the experimental fiction of four contemporary female authors whose work challenged the impact of dictatorship and oppressive gender norms in the South American authoritarian regimes where they lived. The author demonstrates how each writer employed feminist, psychoanalytic, and sociopolitical literary theories to reveal the effects of dictatorship and to redefine gender roles.
