Perhaps a round or two of drinks are in order, on my part. Thanks all for keeping up with the posts while I continued to prove my lack of blogging experience. Back to business...
I've just been wondering what everyone thinks Esperanza's feelings towards her father are. I've noticed that she has seen a lot of men who have not treated women well; the man who kissed her at work, Mamacita's husband, etc. She also seems to think about her "duties" as a woman. The expectations that are held for her, just because she is a woman (i.e. when she talked about her hips as being there because she will have to have a baby someday). I have been thinking about this, why she might have these feelings about being held up to expectations of being a woman in society and I'm starting to think her father might be the basis of this. He sees her as the oldest child, yes, but also as the one who must take care of all her siblings, the one who must get a job if she wants to continue through school. Does anyone else see this? Or, is there some other thing I'm not necessarily seeing?
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2 comments:
Dan,
Interesting view. I can definitely see the line that is drawn between male and female (the sexism) in the novel. Note sure about her father's involvement in this or lack thereof. It seems she never even speaks about him or her mother as much, just Nenny! She doesn't even mention her brothers the way she speaks about the neighborhood guys etc. Interesting view about the dad though!
Yeah, putting Dan's comment and Beth's comment together creates the image of the over-busy parents who are mostly present through their expectations. When Esperanza does reference her parents, I found the tone affectionate and respectful;but we only get a snapshot: papa rising before dawn, the careful way he combs his hair, his implied expectation of her obedience. There is the Latin 'machismo and marianismo' current in her home. The brilliance of Cisneros's writing is its lack of judgment, or editorial. She is a painter, or photographer (to extend the metaphor). Papa finds comfort in her arms; he counts on her; he works all the time; and he cannot bring his family any closer to the American dream he has worked so hard to attain, then their little house in the barrio.
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