Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro Centro de Educação e Humanidades Instituto de Letras Mônica Castello Branco de Oliveira Going for the jugular: strategies of resistance in the fiction of Helena María Viramontes Rio de Janeiro 2006 Mônica Castello Branco de Oliveira Going for the jugular: strategies of resistance in the fiction of Helena María Viramontes Dissertação apresentada, como requisito parcial para obtenção do título de Mestre, ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Área de concentração: Literaturas de Língua Inglesa. Orientadora: Profª. Dra. Leila Assumpção Harris Rio de Janeiro 2006 CATALOGAÇÃO NA FONTE UERJ/REDE SIRIUS/CEHB V813 Oliveira, Mônica Castello Branco de. Going for the jugular : strategies of resistance in the fiction of Helena Maria Viramontes / Mônica Castello Branco de Oliveira. – 2006. 106 f. : il Orientadora : Leila Assumpção Harris. Dissertação (mestrado) – Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Letras. 1. Viramontes, Helena Maria, 1954-. Under the feet of Jesus - Crítica e interpretação. 2. Literatura americana – México – História e crítica – Teses. 3. Mulheres e literatura - Estados Unidos - História e crítica - Teses. I. Harris, Leila Assumpção. II. Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Instituto de Letras. III. Título. CDU 820(73)-95 Mônica Castello Branco de Oliveira Going for the jugular: strategies of resistance in the fiction of Helena María Viramontes Dissertação apresentada, como requisito parcial para obtenção do título de Mestre, ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro. Área de concentração: Literaturas de Língua Inglesa. Aprovada em 29 de março de 2006. Banca Examinadora: _____________________________________________ Profª. Dra. Leila Assumpção Harris (Orientadora) Instituto de Letras da UERJ _____________________________________________ Prof. Dr. Eduardo de Faria Coutinho Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro _____________________________________________ Profª. Dra. Peonia Viana Guedes Instituto de Letras da UERJ Rio de Janeiro 2006 To Helena María Viramontes, who has become an important part of my life, with her brilliant, challenging work, her political commitment, her struggles for social justice, and her ability to “read” the other. For her friendship. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In “Nopalitos”, Helena María Viramontes states that time is a problem for those who want to write, especially for women, who usually have to face the challenge of doing many things simultaneously. “Fortunately”, she concludes, “we mujeres are an inventive people”. I share Viramontes’s opinion. Nevertheless, however inventive I may be, I would not be able to write this dissertation without the support of some very special people. My sincere thanks to • Leila Assumpção Harris, my dear advisor and friend, for her dedication, her knowledge, her professional capacity; • My professors at UERJ, especially Peonia Viana Guedes, whose true friendship, knowledge and enthusiasm have kept me going; • Bruno Ferrari, more than a friend, an accomplice in all moments; • My colleagues at UERJ, especially Ariel, for his constant help and our precious talks; • Ferlagos, the institution which has been my second home; • Luiz Manoel, a special friend, for having encouraged me from the very beginning with his intellectual and affectional support; • Carlos Ildefonso and Eraldo Maia, for their encouragement and dedication; • Fábio André and Ione, for our friendship and mutual help during our Master course; • Sérgio, for his affection, his support, and for making me believe I was great; • Acácio and Mariza, for their true friendship and careful re-reading of many parts of my dissertation; • Maria Luiza, Marilu, Vânia, Mônica and Walcy, for their understanding of my lack of time; • Cristina Mara and Dagles, for their effective help; • My students at Ferlagos, especially Wagner, Diana and Wanessa, for being always there whenever I needed them; • My mother, Helena Maria, for having shared many moments with me and comforted me with her love; • My father, Marcello, for having taught me never to give up; • My husband, Israel, for his love, his patience and constant support; • My dear daughter, Joana, for her love, her belief in me, and for making me feel my work was important; • My family, especially my sister Márcia and my nephew Gabriel, for their deep commitment; • Edith and Mirta, for their friendship and precious help with the Spanish language; • Gina, my sister by choice, for her wise words and emotional support in the most difficult moments; • Maria José, my friend by choice, for running my house and encouraging me with her permanent enthusiasm. Above all, I thank God for having given me strength and health to complete my project. 7 Fiction is my jugular. For me it is a great consolation to know that whatever miserable things happen in my lifetime, goodness will inevitably result because I will write about it. There is strength in this when none is left in the soul. Helena María Viramontes RESUMO OLIVEIRA, Mônica Castello Branco de. Going for the Jugular: strategies of resistance in the fiction of Helena María Viramontes. 2006. 117 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Literaturas de Língua Inglesa) – Instituto de Letras, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 2006. O objetivo desta dissertação é analisar contos selecionados e o romance Under the Feet of Jesus da escritora chicana Helena María Viramontes, enfocando a apropriação de mitos astecas e lendas mexicanas protagonizados por figuras femininas, históricas ou míticas, como La Manlinche, La Llorona e The Hungry Woman. Esta re-visão crítica do passado tem um papel vital para as chicanas, reais e ficcionais, ao enfrentarem o domínio patriarcal, colonial e neocolonial. Devido à complexidade gerada pela ausência de linearidade narrativa, tanto nos contos como no romance, tornou-se necessária uma breve análise das estratégias narrativas a fim de ilustrar como tais estratégias estão intrinsecamente ligadas à apresentação fragmentada da vida dos trabalhadores migrantes. Foi igualmente indispensável examinar as demais práticas narrativas da autora tais como focalização, desconstrução, simultaneidade e justaposição, assim como o elo, por ela proposto em Under the Feet of Jesus, entre leitura, identidade, e engajamento com o mundo para promover a transformação social. Palavras-chave: Literatura chicana. Pós-colonialismo. Neocolonialismo. Mitos. Diásporas. Identidade. ABSTRACT The aim of this dissertation is to analyze selected short stories and the novel Under the Feet of Jesus by Chicana writer Helena María Viramontes, focusing on her appropriation of Aztec myths and Mexican legends whose protagonists are feminine figures, whether of historical or mythical origin, such as La Malinche, La Llorona and The Hungry Woman. This critical re-view of the past plays a vital role for real and fictional Chicanas when facing patriarchal, colonial and neocolonial domination. Due to the complexity brought by the lack of linearity in the narrative, both in the short stories and in the novel, a brief analysis of the narrative strategies became necessary to show how these strategies are intertwined with the fragmented presentation of the migrant workers’ lives. It became equally indispensable to examine other narrative practices adopted by the author, namely, focalization, deconstruction, simultaneity and juxtaposition, as well as the link she establishes in Under the Feet of Jesus between reading, identity and effective human agency in order to achieve social changes. Keywords: Chicana literature. Postcolonialism. Neocolonialism. Myths. Diasporas. Identity. 10 SINOPSE Análise de contos selecionados e do romance Under the Feet of Jesus da escritora chicana Helena María Viramontes, enfocando estratégias de resistência ao domínio patriarcal, colonial e neocolonial, com destaque especial para a apropriação de lendas mexicanas e mitos astecas, protagonizados por figuras femininas, e para o uso de práticas narrativas, incluindo a fragmentação, focalização e desconstrução. SYNOPSIS Analysis of selected short stories and the novel Under the Feet of Jesus by Chicana writer Helena María Viramontes, focusing on strategies of resistance against patriarchal, colonial and neocolonial domination, highlighting the appropriation of Aztec myths and Mexican legends whose protagonists are feminine figures, and the use of narrative practices such as fragmentation, focalization, and deconstruction. 11 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................12 CHAPTER 1 – La Gente Chicana: where to, where from .........................................20 CHAPTER 2 – Revisiting Myths and Reinventing Traditions .................................40 CHAPTER 3 – Malinches, Lloronas y Gritonas: mujeres en lucha ...........................64 CHAPTER 4 – Words as Tools: reading the world, reading the Other, reading the self....................................................................................90 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................107 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................111 ANNEX 1......................................................................................................................116 ANNEX 2......................................................................................................................117