Humor

Although Paula arises from an emotionally difficult time in the author's life and is permeated with her pain at losing her child to a long and excruciating illness, the writing is more often than not colored with Allende's wry sense of humor. For example, in describing the painful separation and social disgrace of losing her father after Tomas abandons his family, Allende recalls that her mother gladly returned to him his coat of arms, which featured three starving dogs—an ironic reference to the blue blood that Tomas brought to the family, then took away. As she writes of the sad days of her exile, the narrator also infuses her recollections with humorous remarks: she points out the loudness and vivacity of the Venezuelans, stating that, compared to them, "discreet Chileans with their high-pitched voices and delicate Spanish seemed like dolls on the wedding cake."

A crucial element...