Project ¡Yo!

Rough Draft for Yo!

Weltee Wolo

Rasmussen College

Author Note

This paper is being submitted on September 03, 2017 Rebecca Moore’s

Literature of American Minorities G435/AML4680 course

Comparison of gender roles on the Old country and the US

Yo and her family have had the opportunity to go back and forth between the United States and the Dominican Republic in search of safety and relevance over durations of dictatorship and political instability. The act of straddling between two unique and distinct cultures has evidently impacted their gender roles and orientation. The uniqueness of the old country and the US when it comes to gender roles is made pronounced by the political activities around the story. While many incidences and other stories may have gladly eliminated the women in the main story, this book pronounces their function. In so doing, one is given an in-depth understanding of the roles that each of the genders plays in the society. Similarly exposure from the different cultures and political systems, that is the US and the Dominican Republic display the disparities. These incidences and migrations have fueled the diverse understanding of the gender roles depicted between the two times, cultures and geographies. The novel is an indication of separate locations that Yo and her family get to experience, and it is from these different periods and times that there are apparent culture interaction and non-contemporary gender roles indicated within the small family.

There are several reasons that the author’s family travel back and forth between the United States and the Dominican Republic and the motivation for these travels are for political asylum. These are based on the fact that the novel is presented in a time when there is the dictatorship and political instability within the Dominican Republic. Yo and her family have had the opportunity to go back and forth between the United States and the Dominican Republic in search of safety and relevance over durations of dictatorship and political instability (Alvarez, 2008). In these two separate periods, there is evidence that the two cultural interaction and experiences have mixed their understanding of the role that the different genders are supposed to play within the two separate societies. The old country represents salvation and peace while the Dominican Republic is meant to represent the discomfort and friction within the community. With such distinct features of the locations, there is bound to the emission of characters that are both unique and suit the situation presented. Gender roles are required to be different. According to Alesina, Giuliano and Nunn (2013), the value of peace and tranquility as experienced in the United States imply the both men and women try to make the most of the situation and focus more on personal growth as opposed to relentless defense and looking after the family. The men and women in the new era are calmer and work towards living the American dream. Yo and her family have the same vision and her parents both guide the family to acquire this dream.

Three outstanding functions are evident throughout the text, and these are political leaders and a fore front in the fight against dictatorship, identity seekers and the distinct male role that is embedded in male patriarchy. In the Dominican Republic, women are seen taking the lead role and even losing their lives when fighting the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the novel. They are dotted as “Las Mariposas” to symbolize the delicate yet aggressive nature of their role in that society (Alvarez, 2008). Naturally, women are seen as being fragile and unable to defend themselves against violence presented to them. The novel may contribute to this assumption as the family of Yo runs away from this dictatorship. This implies that the brutality submitted by Trujillo may be too much to withstand. The question that is embedded in the mind of the reader would be that seeking to understand the strength and ability of Yo’s family when compared to the Las Mariposas. The gender comparison here is in force and agility of the women in the story. These have inner strength, and in the extreme, they lose their lives to the dictator. This agility is further seen after Yo and her family move to the United States. The struggles and prosperity proceed from dictatorship and the need to be relevant in a foreign society. The writer takes the reader through the life of Yo who struggles to master the art of living in the United States and common issues such as seeking an identity, fitting in and the process of language acquisition. This she successfully achieves through hard work and determination (Lindsey, 2015).

One other comparison that is presented by Yo’s family is the exclusiveness of male patriarchy. The father of the girls brings about the aspects of male patriarchy. He is seen as the sole decision maker and having a great influence on the terms of both migrations. It is he that decides to take his family back to the Dominican Republic. He is also the one that impacts the move back to the United States after he gets into trouble for the second time. Despite the situation being a risky one, the female has a very limited say when it comes to such important decisions. Rafael Trujillo is also a symbolic depiction of male patriarchy just as much. He is a rebel leader that goes to great extents to have his way in the Dominican Republic (Alvarez, 2008). He is cruel and heartless. This extent is seen in his execution of the Mariposas girls. He is not to be defied and whoever does so is cast out through execution. According to Goldscheider, Bernhardt and Lappergard (2015) when an individual is seen to fight against innocent people and more particularly vulnerable women and children, he is viewed negatively. Trujillo, however, seeks to save face. It can be assumed that he does not want to consent to stereotypes and even when there is a call to have peace reign in the country he still defies. He seeks to fulfill his male prowess and have it be seen by the people. Over the ages, the roles of the men in the society have been just that. They are the providers, the ones who oppress the weaker individuals in the society and will continually provide the direction and make choices for their families and those that look up to them.

The gender roles and transitions are also dictated by the gender revolution and changes in family structure and composition. Goldscheider et al. (2015) argue that the variations in the family and demographic behavior have an impact on the gender revolution. These are linked to the second demographic transition theory. This is the expansion of the primary family unit to include the men as opposed to the original band that only accommodated the women and the children. The old country presents women as the lesser gender and the one with the least power in significant decisions in the story. One example is the say on the relocation of the family from one state to the other. Alesina et al. (2013) state that things such as industrialization have both negative and positive impacts on the present and future families as well there is a hint of the effects in the former family structures. In this new age, there is more accommodation made for the female and children representatives. Yo independently focuses on her study and the need to assimilate into the new culture without considering or even being afraid of her supposedly “inferior” gender. The females may have been given a more inferior and less productive role, but for Yo and her sisters, the opposite is what happens. They surpass their inferiority to become active members of the society that independently make their own decisions in critical aspects of life.

In addition to this, it should be noted that the role of women has historically evolved to include the beliefs, values and the cross-cultural state of communities. Women have additionally taken on various statuses throughout time, and this is seen in different societies. Lindsey’s (2015) study takes on the evaluation and analysis of phenomena that test the traditional agricultural practices throughout time. Traditionally things such as agriculture had a say in the roles that the different genders played in the society. While the men toiled away in the farms, the women took care of the home. Yo’s case is different though with minor similarities to these times. The women in this story take on role aggressively too. They are homemakers, but they work towards the common good of the society. Lindsey (2015) expresses the various issues that determine gender roles such as immigrations, living in the United States and those factors that distinguish those born in the same country and those that moved to various places outside the United States. Original homelands may have their definition of gender and the result of these roles, but the key factor remains that the family is seen as the primary unit that determines the function of the household. They all work towards improving the present situation of the family and the community at large.

Despite the transitions between the two worlds, there is evidence of role value as each gender take on strong yet significant functions in promoting a sense of family and community. These functions help to define the family and equally understand the society in which the story is based. Yo’s family is the depiction of both the old and the new world. Regardless of these separations, it is paramount that each society has their understanding of what the gender role is. The novel Yo focuses on both the past, perceived and the present functions of the different genders. The things that determine these functions include immigration need for peace, size of the family and the different geographical changes. There is the shift from the man as the protector of the women as the aggressive freedom fighters. The other shifts are from the women being seen as ignorant and lack a say in the society to the more educated and career women who aggressively make an impact in the community. Finally, while Yo may be a normal story that tells the lives and the struggle of a family, it presents issues surrounding gender representation and roles that ultimately help one understand the gender transitions and the roles that make up the society.

References

Alesina, A., Giuliano, P., & Nunn, N. (2013). On the origins of gender roles: Women and the plough. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 128(2), 469-530.

Top of Form

Alvarez, Julia. (2008). Yo!. Paw Prints.

Bottom of Form

Goldscheider, F., Bernhardt, E., & Lappegård, T. (2015). The gender revolution: A framework for understanding changing family and demographic behavior. Population and Development Review, 41(2), 207-239.

Lindsey, L. L. (2015). Gender roles: A sociological perspective. Routledge.

Wheeler, J. C. (2012). Julia Alvarez. Retrieved from: Bottom of Form

http://www.juliaalvarez.com/about/#top