Chicanas: The Socialization Of Asian-American Women

Throughout The House on Mango Street Esperanza learns to resist the gender norms that are deeply imbedded in her community. The majority of the other female characters in the novel have internalized the male viewpoint and they believe that it is their husbands or fathers responsibility to care for them and make any crucial decisions for them. However, despite the influence of other female characters that are “immasculated”, according to Judith Fetterley, Esperanza’s experiences lead her to become a “resisting reader” in Fettereley’s terminology because she does not want to become like the women that she observes, stuck under a man’s authority. She desires to leave Mango Street and have a “home of her own” so that she will never be forced

In several cultures, women are seen as archetypes more than men. The proposition of women are instantly idealized and glorified and instantaneously ignore the true complexity of a woman. Countless of these superficial images can be seen across various cultures where the societies within these cultures define what it means to be a female and what type of behavior is and isn’t acceptable within those parameters. The persistent restatement of these stories throughout these generations reinforces the gender system. Women who step out of the norm in these societies are then held punishable for their actions. Alicia Gaspar de Alba pinpoints the three archetypal roles that are given to the women in the Mexican and Chicana cultures. These are,

Thesis statement: Esperanza has a variety of female role models in her life. Many are trapped in abusive relationships, waiting for others to change their lives. Some are actively trying to change things on their own. Through these women and Esperanza’s reactions to them, Cisneros’ shows not only the hardships women face, but also explores their power to overcome them.

In addition to Esperanza facing society's standards for women, so did many of the women on Mango Street. In this time period, countless women are stuck in gender roles. Sally says, “He never hits me hard” (Cisneros 92). Sally’s father makes her feel belittled when he abuses her because it is socially acceptable to hit your own daughter. Her father makes it seem like she is less valued than a male. Esperanza talks about Sally, “But Sally doesn’t tell about that time he hit her with his

Our families are the people we grew up around, whether they are our blood relatives or not. They are the people that make you who you are, though they might not always be around. In the story “House on Mango Street, Esperanza's family plays a huge role in shaping her identity. Throughout the story we are shown how her family, community, culture, and gender impacted her character and actions. In her community, there are Hispanic minorities and people who have lived more unfortunate lives. In fact, her family is a part of this group. Not only are people prejudiced against because of their culture, but the women face sexism from both outsiders and people in their community. Although our identities are influenced by a multitude of factors, the family we are surrounded by in our adolescence end up shaping our identities the most.

This highlights that Chicanas prefer Chicanos more than they prefer each other; they perpetuate gender hierarchy by constantly placing males above females. Chicanas fear the criticism they will endure if they defy gender boundaries. Joan Riviere addresses this phenomenon in her essay “Womanliness as a Masquerade. Her essay explores the discomfort that woman feel when they act outside of the boundaries established by a male dominated society. In one example, she describes a

This relates to the theme of the struggle for self definition, because at first Esperanza was under the impression she could change a man, but as she’s exposed to these horrible encounters she comes to the conclusion that boys and girls live in different worlds.

“Beautiful and Cruel” marks the beginning of Esperanza’s “own quiet war” against machismo (Hispanic culture powered by men). She refuses to neither tame herself nor wait for a husband, and this rebellion is reflected in her leaving the “table like a man, without putting back the chair or picking up the plate (Cisneros 89).” Cisneros gives Esperanza a self-empowered voice and a desire for personal possessions, thing that she can call her own: Esperanza’s “power is her own (Cisneros 89).” Cisneros discusses two important themes: maintaining one’s own power and challenging the cultural and social expectations one is supposed to fulfill. Esperanza’s mission to create her own identity is manifest by her decision to not “lay (her) neck on the threshold waiting for the ball and chain (Cisneros 88).” Cisneros’ rough language and violent images of self-bondage reveal the contempt with which Esperanza views many of her peers whose only goal is to become a wife. To learn how to guard her power

The Mexican culture places a high value on family. They are close-knit and united. It is common for the extended family to reside with the family in the same home. The Mexican men role is to be the support system in the household. In the Mexican culture, they are called machismo, which confirms the dominance and authority in the family. Violence is a characteristic of the machismo’s culture. They are known to be respected and seniority over the women. The women are required to tend to the house chores and take care of the children. They are expected to follow all directives given by the husbands. The husband being the head of the household is a culture norm for Mexicans. The children are to be respectable and obedient and reside with their parents regardless of the age until they are married.

Throughout the book, it is evident that predominantly only the observations and perspectives of Anglo-American males were presented rather than the ones belonging to native Latinos men which, arguably, can be problematic as the audience is only exposed to what Americans have to say on Mexican- American culture adaptation. This exclusion of the native voice can especially be seen at the section regarding targeting women as the crucial point in infiltrating the Mexican home with Americanized ideals. According to Sanchez, during 1915, there was a clear mindset that thought the “housekeeper creates the atmosphere” in the family and should “the female adopt American values, the rest of her family would follow” (Sanchez 99). Home teachers were told to teach women songs in English about the duty of women such as “…like to wash, to sew, to cook”. Yet, after six years, women stilled lacked behind men in English skills which, were seen as the a crucial part of Americanization. Unsurprisingly, the lack of success in the Americanization of women was perceived to be the “patriarchal nature of the Mexican Family”(Sanchez 101). Disappointingly, Sanchez did not include the Mexican female voice into this section, which could have provided more insights on how the women themselves felt about the Americanization programs and how they perceived the roles they played within their family, as he felt that professors such as Emory Bogardus (Sanchez 101) from University of Southern California has a more right to talk about Mexicano family structure than the Mexicans

Young Chicana women typical expectations are to follow the parents’ rules. In the films “Mosquita Y Mari” and “Real Women have curves”, the young Chicana women resist these gender cultural norms. The resistance of these gender norms is not a challenge to others but away to voice the opinion that I am my own person and not somebody else.

While dealing with the hardships of being Mexican, a woman also had to face the burden of being a female. A social hierarchy was clearly in existence. While the men were inferior to the Spaniards and Anglos because they were

The story illustrates the overlapping influences of women’s status and roles in Mexican culture, and the social institutions of family, religion, economics, education, and politics. In addition, issues of physical and mental/emotional health, social deviance and crime, and social and personal identity are

The Chicano culture hinders women’s autonomy by imposing strict traditional gender roles. The two stories, “The Moths and “Growing Up” represent young girls coming of age and their increasing awareness of their patriarchal culture. Viramontes’ short stories, “The Moths” and “Growing Up” struggle with the patriarchal structure placed on their culture and their fathers demand for acceptance of traditional gender roles. Many Chicanas have been socialized to believe that the women’s primary role is to devote her life to the family in specific gender roles such as good wife mother and daughter through the lens of La Virgen de Guadalupe. Nevertheless, these gender socialization does not reveal into

Esperanza and Sally were designated females at birth, and their gender plays into several different aspects of their life. According to the World Health Organization, gender is defined as, “the socially