A Woman's Versatility

If there is one common thing I've found among the three books that I have read this marking period, it is the emphasis on women. Both In The Time Of The Butterflies and Herland focus on the inner strength of a woman. Julia Alvarez's In The Time Of The Butterflies depicts the struggle the Mirabel sisters endured as they fought against the oppressive Trujillo dictatorship. I found this novel to be very inspiring, even more so because of that fact that it is based on a true story and that such sacrifices and hardships really did occur. Similarly, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's Herland praised the abilities and acheivements women are able to attain, even in the absence of the "almighty men." While this novel may have been a bit too fantastical for me, I enjoyed the fact that it made me realize that women are capable of doing so much more than they are given credit for, even running an entire civilized society by themselves! Herland proves that women are just as capable of men and that if they had to step up to the plate, all they have to do is find the strength necessary that they all hold within. Once again, an inspring novel that sparks interesting thoughts and endless possibilities. Last but not least, Like Water For Chocolate. I am about midway into the novel and am enjoying it thus far. Rather than strength of women, I would say that this book focuses more so on the complex emotions and events of a woman's life. Author Laura Esquivel really digs deep into the complexities of women and how their emotions take an intense toll on their entire beings. "The weeping was just the first symptom of a strange intoxication—and acute attack of pain and frustration—that seized the guests and scattered them across the patio and the grounds and in the bathrooms, all of them wailing over lost love” ( Esquivel 39). The story is told very dramatically and definitely exercises the imagination; for example, at one point Tita finds her tears dripping into the batter she is preparing and then as the guests digest the finish product, they are instantaneously burdened with the very same emotions that Tita had felt while making it. Overall, I think I have learned a lot from this marking period's assignments because I have glanced not only into the versatility of women but also other cultures, heritages, time periods, and societies.