LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching
Vol 18, No 1 (2015): April 2015

Feminist Refiguring of La Malinche in Sandra Cisneros Never Marry A Mexican

Dian Natalia Sutanto (Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta)



Article Info

Publish Date
09 Dec 2016

Abstract

La Malinche, the mistress of Spanish conquistador Hernn Corts, has evolved from a historical figure into Mexican national myth that connotes all the negative aspects of womans sexuality in Mexican and Mexican-American Culture. Sandra Cisneros in her Never Marry A Mexican reinterpretsLa Malinchein a more positive light and points out how women sexuality can be the site for women empowerment.By drawing on insights from feminist theories on motherhood, marriage, and incest taboo, this study identifies the way Cisneros revises the negative image of La Malinche as a dupe, passive and submissive mistress. This study identifies that Cisneros has created a strong protagonist character named Clemencia, who exerts her subjectivity and claims for her sexual agency totransgress patriarchal construction of woman passive sexuality, imposition of maternal identity as asexual mother and taboo on incestuous relationship. Cisneross La Malinche is no longer depicted as the victim duped by the patriarchy, but as the survivor who is able to preserve her sense of herself in the dominating patriarchal world.DOI: https://doi.org/10.24071/llt.2015.180103

Copyrights © 2015






Journal Info

Abbrev

LLT

Publisher

Subject

Arts Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Social Sciences

Description

LLT Journal: A Journal on Language and Language Teaching, to be published twice a year, namely in April and October, is a scientific peer-reviewed journal published by the English Language Education Study Program, Faculty of Teacher Training and Education, Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta. The ...