Abstract
The problematization of history is present in the literary production by Latinos in the United States. The Dominican-American writer Julia Alvarez revises history in her works, since her father had serious issues as far as the Trujillo dictatorship was concerned. In her novel In the Time of the Butterflies (1994), Alvarez approaches the mythical history of the Mirabal Sisters, Patria, Minerva e Maria Teresa, who opposed Trujillo and were murdered in 1960. Against Trujillo’s predictions, the death of the Mirabal Sisters made the resistance to his government stronger. In The House on Mango Street (1984), written by Sandra Cisneros, the author shows the perspective of a young Latina girl named Esperanza. The protagonist lives in a Latino neighborhood and narrates the daily dramas and violence lived by her family, her neighbors and herself. From her point of view, she gives multiple perspectives to history when she reviews her experiences as a Latina girl living in the United States and facing problems related to social abandonment, prejudice, and poverty. This study analyzes how Alvarez’s and Cisneros’ novels reevaluate the past and propose resistance in order to ensure Latino places in history and in society. Texts by Ricoeur (1984), White (1985), Hutcheon (1993), Mignolo (2003), Segal (2004), Byers (2011) and Harari (2018) are used as scientific basis for this paper.
Presenters
Nayara Cristina MarquesStudent, PhD, UNESP - Universidade Estadual Paulista "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", São Paulo, Brazil Giséle Fernandes
Associate Professor of English, Department of Modern Languages, São Paulo State University (UNESP), São Paulo, Brazil
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Julia Alvarez, Sandra Cisneros, Resistance, U.S. Latinos, Literature and History
