Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SPAN 365
Urioste
SP 15
Edgar Mendoza
SPAN 365
Urioste
SP 15
Gaspar de Alba does not shy away from crude language and vivid
imagery when describing these murders. By painting this grotesque picture
she hopes to inspire action in the reader. Towards the end of the novel she
blames the murders on a culture of silence, her graphic descriptions of these
events is her attempt to get us to think about femicide and to have those
awkward conversations that gender issues bring.
Desert Blood is a feminist novel through and through. The protagonist
and most of the supporting characters are mostly women. Gaspar de Alba
challenges gender roles by empowering the female characters and giving
them independent qualities. Ivon challenges the traditional idea of what a
Latina growing up in El Paso should be. She faces many hardships because
she chooses to break away from these roles but ultimately they give her the
experience that she needed to rescue her sister. The challenge of traditional
roles is taken a step further by the inclusion of lesbianism.
Lets make one thing clear, lesbianism isnt just a supporting theme in
the novel that is included in order to support a wider platform of feminism.
Lesbianism is a fundamental part of the novel. Much like Gaspar de Alba
challenges gender roles, she also attempts to break some of the nuances
associated with human sexuality, lesbianism in particular. The humanization,
not the glorification, of lesbian characters is what led to this book being
recognized with a Lambda Literary Award. Her realistic approach towards
Edgar Mendoza
SPAN 365
Urioste
SP 15
Edgar Mendoza
SPAN 365
Urioste
SP 15
Edgar Mendoza
SPAN 365
Urioste
SP 15
remember is one in which Ivon is making quesadillas. The way she describes
the slightly burned cheese as it hits the hot pan is surely something every
young Chicano could relate to.
The novel also integrates another important part of Chicano culture
into the plot, religion. Throughout Ivons search for her sister she receives
help from faith (in the form of Father Frank) but she never fully shakes off her
skepticism. As a Chicano, I feel as though there is a permanent struggle
between the culture of our parents and their religious beliefs that conflicts
with the search for our own culture and identity in an increasingly
secularized society. The novel feeds us an endless array of horrid, violent
images and juxtaposes them with the image Jesus watching over from the
mountain top. Ivons inner struggle with religion, and perhaps the authors, is
given light through this imagery.