First Advisor

Cynthia A. Sloan

Term of Graduation

Fall 1997

Date of Publication

12-8-1997

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.) in Spanish

Department

Foreign Languages and Literatures

Language

English

Subjects

Women in literature, Identity (Psychology) in literature, Rosario Ferré's. Papeles de Pandora

DOI

10.15760/etd.8202

Physical Description

1 online resource (74 pages)

Abstract

This thesis examines four stories from Rosario Ferré's first book of short stories, Papeles de Pandora: "La muñeca menor," "Cuando las mujeres quieren a los hombres," "Amalia," and "La bella durmiente." In Papeles de Pandora, Ferré explores the portrayal of female identity by dismantling the traditional roles that are assigned to women in Puerto Rican, patriarchal society. This thesis analyzes the ways in which Ferré skillfully deconstructs and (re)constructs the identity and sense of self of her female protagonists.

To demonstrate Ferré's deconstruction and (re)construction of the female identity, this study focuses on Ferré's use of recurring motifs such as: the use of doll like figures, the juxtaposition of black and white, and fantastical elements. These elements, evocative of lucid tendency of postmodern theory, underscore the process by which women either conform to or reject the roles imposed upon them by patriarchal society. Asking the reader for a momentary "suspension of disbelief," Ferré employs those devices to dramatize the ways in which patriarchal society's tools of oppression are used against women. Ferré then appropriates these tools and uses them to denounce the injustices committed against women. With this act, Ferré makes evident the individual's ability to build a new, and more authentic identity in an oppressive social context.

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Comments

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/39784

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