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Relationship between gender and social structure in the society
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Gender has always been a hotly debated issue that still receives much arguing from both sides of the spectrum. Throughout history, the roles of men and women have changed drastically to fit the times and attitudes of the world around them. Despite the differing roles between the two sexes, one universal truth has been implemented in all great societies. That truth being that both men and women are of equal and necessary importance to the functioning of a community. This idea is largely explored in “Prayers for the Stolen”; a book that chronicles the lives and experiences of women in a rural community in Mexico. Within the state of Guerrero, Ladydi and her friends grow up in a village with no men except for those in the cartel who try to kidnap …show more content…
Moreover, a lack of a proper male influence can truly be felt in several different contexts. In the novel, “Prayers for the Stolen”, by Jennifer Clement, the women of Ladydi’s community are inadvertently oppressed by males who are loathed yet needed. The lack of men is a very apparent issue in the mountainous village in which the main characters live. While throughout most of the novel men are seen in a negative light for the suffering they bring, they are ultimately a crucial part of Ladydi’s society. This is further explored when she is trying to explain the lack of men in her community. She explains that on her mountain, “there were no men. It was like living where there are no trees.”, when describing the strange predicament of her home (Clement 10). Ladydi further explains this by quoting her mother who said, “being in a place without men is like being asleep without dreams.” (Clement 10). Attitudes like these imply that something is lost or missing in the absence of the men from the mountain; it’s almost as if that male influence is vital and can never be replaced. Studies on actual Mexican …show more content…
Romance is a wonderful thing to have in a woman’s life, but with all the men travelling away in the novel, it’s almost impossible for the characters to satisfy a very real need. In a flashback, Ladydi describes the way that her mom used to become excited at the prospect of her dad coming home from work. She elaborates this by stating that her mom would become, “more and more excited.”, and “put on some lipstick and change into a clean dress” whenever her dad would be walking up the mountain after a day’s work (Clement 42). Rita dressing herself up expresses her love of her husband and allows her to express her inner femininity by becoming beautiful. Although depicted here as happy and gleeful, this early version of Rita contrasts heavily with the Rita that is mainly depicted in the novel. Rather than the sweet and loving wife of yester-year, Rita, as the reader knows her, becomes an alcoholic who constantly curses and berates her husband much to the dismay of Ladydi who is often found on the receiving end of these emotional outbursts. Consequently, the outbursts and rants put forth by Rita are attributed mostly to her husband. Her marriage is implied to have been dead when, “the radio was turned off”, and that, “she might as well have turned her happiness to off”, as well (Clement 97). Rita’s transformation from a song bird with her husband to her hating music represents a shift
Women are seen as failure and can’t strive without men in the Mexican-American community. In this novel you can see a cultural approach which examines a particular aspect of a culture and a gender studies approach which examines how literature either perpetuates or challenges gender stereotypes. Over and over, Esperanza battled with how people perceived her and how she wished to be perceived. In the beginning of the book, Esperanza speaks of all the times her family has moved from one place to another. “Before that we lived on Loomis on the third floor, and before that we lived on Keeler.
Women’s Escape into Misery Women’s need for male support and their husband’s constant degradation of them was a recurring theme in the book House on Mango Street. Many of Esperanza’s stories were about women’s dreams of marrying, the perfect husband and having the perfect family and home. Sally, Rafaela, and Minerva are women who gave me the impression of [damsel’s in distress].CLICHÉ, it’s ok though. It’s relevant They wished for a man to sweep them of their feet and rescue them from their present misery. These characters are inspiring and strong but they are unable to escape the repression of the surrounding environment. *Cisneros presents a rigid world in which they lived in, and left them no other hope but to get married. Esperanza, however, is a very tough girl who knows what she wants. She will keep dreaming and striving until she gets it. She says, "I am too strong for her [Mango Street] to keep me here" (110). Esperanza learned from all of these women that she was not going to be tied down. She said, "I have decided not to grow up tame like the others who lay their necks on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain" (88). **Especially after seeing that Sally was suffering so much. Sally’s father is making her want to leave home by beating her. Sally "said her mother rubs lard on the places were it hurts" (93). There is not enough lard in the world to be able to cure the pain within Sally’s heart. Sally, "met a marshmallow salesman at a school bazaar" (101). Pretty soon " sally got married, she has her house now, her pillowcases and her plates" (101). Her marriage seems to free her from her father, but in reality she has now stepped into a world of misery. This was supposed to help her heal; " she says she is in love, but I think she did it to escape." (101). Unlike the other women Sally has no escape, no poetry, not even papaya coconut juice, not to mention, " he does not let her look out the window" (102). That is why "she sits at home because she is afraid to go outside without his permission."(102). Rafaela’s situation also involves imprisonment in her own home. Cisneros introduced us to Rafaela, a young beautiful girl whose expectations from marriage were to obtain a sweet home to live in. Instead...
Men felt superior, “Hombres with the devil in their flesh who would come to a pueblo… never meaning to stay, only to have a good time and to seduce the women,” which made women feel inferior. Women were only used for a man’s pleasure. For that reason, they would not wed them. As generations progressed, they soon found an exception to wed, which considered the woman as the man’s property. Women were never looked as individuals if they got married. Women found control within themselves to not be recognized as only a man’s property, but that they have the opportunity to achieve much greater things than just being a housewife. The women found that their bodies shouldn’t be used for pleasure, but for greater achievements such as widening their education career. Worry, her uncle went missing. It affects the family’s lifestyle since her uncle did not land in the U.S. but somewhere unknown. Mamá, “went wild with worry” which is normal since it is her son (33). Her son is missing, while Mamá’s husband had premonitions of where their son could be located. Terror filled mamá with the “nightmares… she saw her son mistreated and worse,” which can be a mother’s worst fear (33). Mamá fears for the life of her son, the tone is fear and worry. In a Puerto Rican woman’s life, this is far one of her top priorities, her family. Family is one of the biggest priorities in a woman’s life, especially if they sense
Gender inequality has been a major issue for many centuries now. Societies insist on assigning males and females to different roles in life. The traditional stereotypes and norms for how a male and female should present themselves to the world have not changed much over time. But individuals are more than just their gender and should have the right to act and be treated the way they want. The novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston illustrates the discrimination against women and the issues that arise from a gender double standard society.
“Poverty and exploitation of women in Latin America can never be alleviated because they are rooted in machismo,” meaning that because of the way society was run in Latin American, women can’t advance from the ancient state of mind that they belong in the private sphere and should stay there, because only men are good enough to be out in the public sphere. The reason why society was run in this manner, was because of the machismo feeling engraved in the minds of men and, in some cases, women in society. Alicia, Carolina, and Nancy don’t really have any other choice, than try to survive on their own by doing acts that are not “approved” by the society they live in. Even now, because of their actions, we could even disagree with the way they decided to approach their situation, because even now a day, we could think that selling one’s body or being involved in “off the book”
While her father went to the United States to find a better place to live for his family, her mother became hopeless and took care of her and awaited his arrival. Like any other teenager Ladydi and friends pondered on ways to escape her situation. She often fantasized of a future that did not consist of concerning herself with basic survival such as safety. Ladydi imagined her future as carefree, harmonious and unified. One day Paula (Ladydi’s friend) and Ladydi were together when Paula was abducted. For some reason they didn’t take Ladydi they only took Paula. When Ladydi was 16 she was hired to be a nanny for Domingo family in Acapulco, Mexico. During her stay with the Domingo family she romanticized with the gardener, Julio. Regrettably, Ladydi’s past followed her when she arrives in Acapulco. On the journey to Acapulco, Ladydi’s friend’s brother, Michael, compromises her safety by including her in a drug transaction. Due to her transaction with a drug lord she was unlawfully accused of being a spectator and accomplice to the murder. At the moment of her arrest she had truly realized what had happened to her friend Paula. Paula had become a slave mistress for a drug lord and they had completely dismantled her mind. Although Ladydi was wrongfully convicted and underaged she was immediately sent to women’s prison. Contrary to popular belief prison was slightly more of a stable environment. She was empowered and educated
Intertwined in allusions to women of Mexican history and folklore, making it clear that women across the centuries have suffered the same alienation and victimization, Cisneros presents a woman who struggles to prevail over romantic notions of domestic bliss by leaving her husband. In the story Woman Hollering Creek, Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleófilas; a character who is married to a man who abuses her physically and mentally. Cisneros reveals the way the culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. In Woman Hollering Creek, we see a young Mexican woman, who suddenly moves across the border and gets married. The protagonist, Cleófilas’ character is based on a family of a six brothers and a dad and without a mom, and the story reveals around her inner feelings and secrets.
The Prayers for the Stolen is a page turning masterpiece. Ladydi was named after Princess Diana because of the symbol of loves betrayal. Many women can sympathize with Ladydi’s mother. Ladydi’s father cheated on her mother several times and left the family and moved to America to support his second family. Maria, Ladydi’s best and closest friend, is actually Ladydi’s half-sister by her father, which puts her in danger by Ladydi’s mother, who hates Ladydi’s father. Maria looks just like Ladydi’s father. One part of the story really shocked me when Ladydi’s drunken mother pulls a gun out and shoots Maria. Ladydi rushes Maria to the hospital. Another part in the story that is shocking is when Paula, Ladydi’s friend gets stolen by the drug traffickers and sex traffickers and after a year goes by, she returns but is forever changed. She is covered in marks, cigarette marks to make who she is. Something she learned from another kidnapped woman. Paula is mentally damaged and destroyed emotionally. Ladydi wants a better life and so she leaves for a job in another city. This story is heartbreaking and inspiring. If ever we are having a hard time, we should think about Ladydi Garcia Martinez, a fictional character based on true
Although women have conquered more power over the years, machismo still rules all over Mexico. Women is taught to be “stay-at-home” individuals and serve the men of her family and society. That type of thinking reinforces domestic violence, street violence, and the formation of groups that kidnap young women due to women’s vulnerability and the lack of protection in Mexico. Brooke Binkowski says that, “this issue’s been going on for a long time: the mistreatment of women, especially women of colour, the abuse of women, the disappearance of women” (Binkowski). Despite all the fight for equal rights, women are still treated like inferior
As much as men are working, so are women, but ultimately they do not face the same obstacles. For example, “Even if one subscribes to a solely economic theory of oppression, how can one ignore that over half of the world's workers are female who suffer discrimination not only in the workplace, but also at home and in all the areas sex-related abuse” (Moraga 98). This gives readers a point of view in which women are marginalized in the work place, at home, and other areas alike. Here Moraga gives historical accounts of Chicana feminists and how they used their experiences to give speeches and create theories that would be of relevance. More so, Moraga states how the U.S. passes new bills that secretly oppress the poor and people of color, which their community falls under, and more specifically, women. For instance, “The form their misogyny takes is the dissolution of government-assisted abortions for the poor, bills to limit teenage girls’ right to birth control ... These backward political moves hurt all women, but most especially the poor and "colored." (Moraga 101). This creates women to feel powerless when it comes to control one’s body and leads them to be oppressed politically. This places the government to act as a protagonist, and the style of writing Moraga places them in, shines more light to the bad they can do, especially to women of color. Moraga uses the words, “backward moves”
In the story "Woman Hollering Creek" Sandra Cisneros discusses the issues of living life as a married woman through a character named Cleofilas; a character who is married to a man who abuses her physically and mentally .Cisneros reveals the way the culture puts a difference between a male and a female, men above women. Cisneros has been famous about writing stories about the latino culture and how women are treated; she explain what they go through as a child, teen and when they are married; always dominated by men because of how the culture has been adapted. "Woman Hollering Creek" is one of the best examples. A character who grows up without a mother and who has no one to guid and give her advise about life.
In the Woman Hollering Creek, Sandra Cisneros makes use of several short stories to expose the Mexican culture destined gender roles inequalities against women. From a very young age most Mexican girls are endangered to take the household responsibilities as their core duty. Once they reach adolescence they imperilled to think about marriage as the unrivalled way for them to leave their parents support. I argue that the Mexican culture through the medium of tradition and media is assembling a society in which woman, from the moment they are born, bear a life of parental and marital submission.
The antagonistic nature of man verses woman is illustrated through Allende’s description and reactions of Clara and Esteban. Men and women are at the opposite ends of the spectrum of human nature, women know that men like to think they are in charge, because it gives them power, so women give into this little whim for the peace of mind and happiness that are essential in any relationship. Their instincts make their influence much more threatening and rebellious than the rage of one man who does not get his way. The women of Allende’s world are vibrant, spiritual, sensible and loving, the men are volatile, strong, and passionate, while they may be stereotypical, they help portray the true nature of man verses woman. Women may be physically weaker than men but they can match wits and daring with them any time.
In addition, these women were often subjected to control, domination, and violence by men” (Global). This validates Azuela’s stance on how women should stay within their traditional roles because fighting for equality has been ineffective even today.
In today’s advanced societies, many laws require men and women to be treated equally. However, in many aspects of life they are still in a subordinated position. Women often do not have equal wages as the men in the same areas; they are still referred to as the “more vulnerable” sex and are highly influenced by men. Choosing my Extended Essay topic I wanted to investigate novels that depict stories in which we can see how exposed women are to the will of men surrounding them. I believe that as being woman I can learn from the way these characters overcome their limitations and become independent, fully liberated from their barriers. When I first saw the movie “Precious” (based on Sapphire’s “Push”) I was shocked at how unprotected the heroine, Precious, is towards society. She is an African-American teenage girl who struggles with accepting herself and her past, but the cruel “unwritten laws” of her time constantly prevent her rise until she becomes the part of a community that will empower her to triumph over her barriers. “The Color Purple” is a Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker which tells the story of a black woman’s, Celie’s, striving for emancipation. (Whitted, 2004) These novels share a similar focus, the self-actualization of a multi-disadvantaged character who with the help of her surrounding will be able to triumph over her original status. In both “The Color Purple” and “Push”, the main characters are exposed to the desire of the men surrounding them, and are doubly vulnerable in society because not only are they women but they also belong to the African-American race, which embodies another barrier for them to emancipate in a world where the white race is still superior to, and more desired as theirs.