As a result, those people found themselves a little expose and decided to tell their own side story about her. Thus, Yo is described from point of views of different narrators in each chapter creating a unique personality and character of her and providing the readers a unique insight about Yo, the protagonist. The author successfully created a protagonist “who never tells her own story yet one who comes to life vibrantly through the miscellany of impressions and observations that people make about her” (Shuman, “¡Yo!,” par. 2). In this novel, Julia Alvarez manages to capture and express the true feelings of women which deconstructs the stereotypes through Yo.
As an example two influential short stories will be discussed in depth in order to shed light into the lives of the two authors and their stories. The short stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860–1935) and Angela Carter (1940–1992) both sideway the same idea; the confinement of women in particular roles and positions in both personal and professional lives, posed on them by patriarchal figures. Toril Moi quotes in her examination of feministic criticism, Sexual/Textual Politics (2002), Elaine Showalter’s idea that “women writers should not be studied as a distinct group on the assumption that they write alike, or even display stylistic resemblances distinctively feminine” (Moi, 2002: 49), which comes across when reading the two stories which are stylistically already very different. It might be so that a feminist reader of both times (there’s some 80 years difference between the two stories) did not only want to see her own experiences mirrored in fiction, but strived to identify with strong, impressive female characters (Moi, 2002: 46), and looked for role-models that would instil positive sense of feminine identity by portraying women as self-actualising strong identities who were not dependent on men (Moi, 2002, 46). The two stories bring out two female characters, very different by position and character; the other a new mother, scared and confused of her own role, and the other a young newly-wed girl, still a child, being fouled by a much older man, mainly as a mark of his authority over women in general.
Culture and Women In “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, and “How to date a browngirl, blackgirl, whitegirl or halfie” by Junot Diaz, both authors elaborate on culture, and how it shapes the outlook on women. In Jamaica Kincaid's “Girl” a mother enforces her cultures strong beliefs on appropriate female behavior onto her daughter. To do so, she displays her parental authority with a series of short commands influenced by her culture. A sense of naivety can be seen in the young girl after questioning her mother's request. The culture associated with “Girl” has a definite attitude towards women, believing they should live a modest, conservative lifestyle.
The cause of someone to be unable to move or walk properly is called a cripple. In the essay written by Nancy Mairs, On Being a Cripple, she describes her feelings about word choices used to describe “cripple”. The author’s purpose is to identify herself as a confident and tough person capable of using the word “cripple” and able to rise above her disability. She wants to inform the audience about her life as a “cripple.” Mair’s adopts a confident tone by using strong diction, figurative language, and syntactical features to encourage readers to understand her opinions toward wanting to be called “cripple” as a way of expressing her acceptance towards being a “cripple.” Mairs uses denotative and connotative diction through the use of specific word choice to describe tone. By identifying herself as “tough”, she characterizes herself as a person capable of withstanding hardship instead of using “strong” which implies being able to withstand pressure.
There is a definite devaluing of women and their contribution to their families, community, and society. Each of these stories brings awareness to the reader, which in turn can fuel the inner workings for change to occur. This can be achieved by providing a need in women to be and feel confident in themselves, their abilities and contributions. CABALLERO Caballero has many examples of women at different positions within the family and how those positions and roles that are placed on them are designed to define them. These roles and positions can in essence trap them or free them.
“The Awakening” is a story about a woman named Edna Pontellier who figures out her true identity. She fights an internal battle with society standards as well as finding her own independence. The title of this story actually gives out the true meaning of the story, and it was often hinted to the readers that she was having an “Awakening” within herself. There are also real life instances that can relate to the meaning of this story. Edna Pontellier often shows a rebellion in her throughout the story, and there are many reasons as to why she feels like she has to rebel.
Lamott’s process of writing seems unique and at times crazy. Though I have to agree, writing is a delicate process that takes time and a lot of patients. She mentions battling the voices in her head and the fact that her mind spent much time having conversation’s with people who weren’t there. By this explanation I believe she is sharing the fear of the quality in her work and what the reader may
Furthermore, what women do and say through their hair care can shed light on how members of a cultural group use hair more broadly as a signifier of status. Although hair may seem like such a mundane subject, it in fact has a profound implication for how African American women experience the world. Everyday these women are faced
Hawthorne’s fabrication of Hester gives the reader an indication of Hawthorne’s opinion on the female gender. “Hawthorne’s pro-woman novel retains its value to feminist literature for its depiction of circumscribed female lives” (Snodgrass). Hawthorne is sympathetic to Hester and shows her strong and ambitious side throughout the novel. He creates this likeable character by analyzing her psyche, picking out specific traits in order to engage the reader, and giving her ambitious actions to carry out in order to show the reader her full potential. Hester Prynne is the wife of a man named Chilingworth, who has sent Hester to live in a village near Boston.
Alice Walker’s, “Everyday Use” gives readers a narrow glimpse of how a mother views her daughter. In “How It Feels to be Colored Me”, Zora Neale Hurston shows readers how one woman develops her identity, and changes with those around her. One theme that stood out in the readings discussed in