Marianismo in Latin American Culture l l Evelyn

Marianismo in Latin American Culture l l Evelyn Stevens, “Marianismo: the Other Face of Machismo” Stipulates that women are spiritually and morally superior to men, and able to withstand extreme sacrifices and suffering for the sake of family. The main ideas of marianismo: feminine passivity, sexual purity, inner strength, selflessness and sadness. Direct response to “machismo”. Meant to explain the female phenomenon in Latin America in which women are either saints or whores

Roots of Marianismo l l Stems from Catholic beliefs of Mary, who is both a virgin and a madonna. The wife or woman is to remain sexually pure and abstain from sexual activity unless explicitly for becoming impregnated. Madonna/Whore Complex A woman’s value increases when she becomes a mother.

Marianismo in Hispanic Literature How are women portrayed in these novels and short stories? l l l Cooking Lesson When Women Love Men One Hundred Years of Solitude Pedro Páramo The Underdogs The Tree

Bibliography l l l Andrews, Emily L. . "Active Marianismo: Women’s Social and Political Action in Nicaraguan Christian Base Communities and the Sandinista Revolution. " 1997. Grinnell College. 2 Apr 2007 <http: //web. grinnell. edu/Latin. American. Studies/this. html>. Melendez , Frances Adele. The Latina Value Scale Revised: A Cross-sectional analysis of Marianismo in Latin Women. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Dissertation Services, 2004. Yeager, Gertrude. Confronting Change, Challenging Tradition Women in Latin American History. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, INc, 1994.