Category A Prompt D
Rachel, you are
prettier than a yellow taxicab. You know that?
But we don’t like it.
We got to go, Lucy says.
If I give you a
dollar, will you kiss me? How about a dollar. I give you a dollar, and he looks
in his pocket for wrinkled money.
We have to go right
now, Lucy says taking Rachel’s hand because she looks like she’s thinking about
that dollar.
While there are so many different examples of identity
issues within this novel, I chose to highlight the issue of female identity.
This issue is exemplified in the chapter entitled, “The Family of Little Feet.”
Esperanza and her friends are entranced by these beautiful shoes that they
received as hand-me-downs, and wear them all around the neighborhood. They
enjoy trying to walk, run, and play in these heels and love the feminine feel
of the shoes. This femininity, however, is a double edged sword in this novel
because they receive negative attention from men while wearing the shoes. A
drunk homeless man even attempts to pay one of the young girls to kiss him in a
toned-down image of what could be the beginnings of prostitution. This passage
really stood out to me because it showcases the idea of victim-blaming in
sexual assault/harassment based on what the victim is wearing. Rachel is
propositioned while wearing the heels, and offered money in exchange for
physical affection. The girls immediately know that it is wrong and have to
pull her away. This section presents an interesting take on females below the
poverty line, and how desperate some women can get for money that they actually
do consider offers such as this homeless man’s. These girls are, in a way,
“punished” for embracing their femininity, as they immediately take off the
shoes when they get home and hide them without ever wearing them again. Rather
than blame the homeless man who propositioned her, they blame the shoes for
this scary situation, which serve as representations of their femininity as
they grow older. This becomes extremely relevant later in the novel when
Esperanza is raped. This chapter is important in the development of female
identity in the novel because it showcases the cultural norms which Esperanza
is up against as she develops into a strong, independent woman. As she grows
up, she begins to resist this victim-blaming culture she is surrounded by and
refuses to accept that abuse is normal. She has friends that are abused by the
men in their lives, and do not feel powerful enough to escape their hostile
environments, but Esperanza is determined to do something bigger with her life
than simply get married and potentially end up like the rest of the girls in
her town. Esperanza sees how females are viewed in her area, and is determined
to break that mold.
Hi Michelle,
ReplyDeleteYou are right that this scene recalls issues of victim-blaming for sexual assault. From the store owner who asks if their mothers know they are out in those shoes to their response to never wear the shoes again, there is an assumption that assault and harassment by men is the natural result of dressing up and being womanly. I would also say that the significance of the dollar isn't just that it is a form of prostitution but also that it symbolically foreshadows a pattern we will see develop throughout the vignettes as girls surrender their sexuality and autonomy in return for financial security. For future responses, it would be helpful to divide your response into smaller, focused paragraphs to bring your analysis more to the forefront.