A Comparison Of Under The Bridge And Here's To You, Jesusa

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The objective of my essay will be to render a comparative analysis of the similarities and differences in the way Rosario Sanmiguel and Elena Poniatowska use their characters to address the roles that have been relegated to women within the Mexican culture. I will mainly focus on the short stories of “Under the Bridge” by Sanmiguel and the novel “Here's to you, Jesusa!” from Elena Poniatowska. While both authors use fictitious characters to discuss the roles of the Mexican women within the Mexican society, they both do it in a different manner. Poniatowska novel is based on an earlier time and she addresses the roles of women and their struggles during the Mexican revolution. Her depiction of women is mostly done through the experiences of Jesusa Palancartes in a time where the Mexican ideology saw women as a men’s property. Sanmiguel however, focuses on the women from the Mexican border, she also details in many ways how women have overcome the disadvantages of being women and gives a vivid description of the day-to-day lives of women from …show more content…

Through the character of China and Morra in “A Very Long Silence” Sanmiguel depict the entitlement men felt over women and paints a vivid description of how men have continued to suppress women by using their physical strength as an advantage over women. There is a part where Sanmiguel describes the way Morra was overpower by Varella a man who had provided protection for her while she worked at the Coco-Drilo bar. This protection appeared to have given Varella ownership over Morra who forces her to renounce to her true love, by physically refraining her from leaving. He uses his stronger physic to block her way than “slap her in the face [leaving] her unconscious” (p.14). Like Jesusa, Morra also succumb to the abuse and “resign to her fate” (p.14) allowing a man to take over their

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