Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Who's more Important? Men or Women?

This novel once again brings out the lack of fairness in gender difference. The expectation between girls and guys has a huge gap apart. Why do girls have to stay pure to get married while guys can do whatever they desired?
The society that this novel takes place encourages guys to visit Maria Cervantes's brothel, a prostitution house. In the people’s view, it is an action that portrays machismo. They believe such desires and deeds to be acceptable. In contrast, girls do not have that kind of irrational freedom. They must keep their virginity until the day they get married. It is the only way for the bride to be recognized and accepted into the groom’s family. If girls have to keep their pureness then doesn’t it make sense for guys to do the same? In following the society’s culture, the only difference it shows is the lack of women’s rights.
Expectations for each gender also differs each other. The girls have to learn how to do embroidery, sew, weave, wash, and iron, making candy, and arranging flowers. These are the skills that are expected from all girls. In addition, they are not allowed to go into the public as much as they wish. They are confines in their houses, socializing with only family members. Guys on the other hand have opposite expectations, or I should say, independence. They serve in war, drink and party until early mornings, and spend time in the local brothel. It is obvious to see guys in their society are free to mingle and interact with everyone while girls must stay home.
One possible conclusion from this culture is they belief in a paterfamilias oriented family structure. The eldest male in the family takes charge and runs family matters. The men must go into the world and socialized to bring food to the table. In addition, they must maintain family’s honor and keep up their reputation. The women in the house have to perform domestic tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and washing for the whole family. In the men’s eyes, it is the ideal and proper duty for all women. As a result from the duties women’s must perform, they are imprisoned in their own homes from light to dark. They wake up to make breakfast, watch the children, clean and wash during the day, and make dinner at night. By the time they finished these tasks, it would be dark to go out.
From these expectations that women have to fulfill portray them as inferior to men. The men are the only people who get to see the outside world. They are the ones who interact with new people and have a broader knowledge of current events. They are also the ones who shelter the family and put food on the table; the women’s contribution in the family is view as trivial. Realistically, their homes and society would not function in harmony if there were no women. Everyone have their own parts to makes up a family. Each of these contributions should be weighted equally whether is it just cleaning dusts off the shelves or bringing a bag of cash home. To prove my point, here is an example. A man can come home from a long day of work with a bag of grocery. He is also hungry. Of course he has to rely on his wife to fulfill his need of a hearty meal. He has to hand over the groceries to his wife who will then turn it into a festive meal. In all, there must always be an A and B to make C.