SP.400: Latina Voices Feminist Ideology Expressed in Latina Works The feminist ideology is a dynamic and developing notion throughout various works such as novels, art, and film. Moreover, feminist ideals vary depending on the culture or society it is associated with. For example, the development of feminism in western countries is considerably different from the development in the eastern world. While feminist ideals in western culture often involves the redefining the role of the women in the workplace, feminist ideals in the eastern hemisphere often center around the ability of repressed women to break free from their oppressor and allow self-expression. In Latina culture, the feminist ideology is also distinctive in its own way. Often times Latina voices encompass a variety of feminist ideologies that must be given its own set of criteria. Although this criterion is still broad and dynamic even within the context of Latina culture, there are three main spheres in which feminism can be expressed within selected works. The feminist ideology is often expressed with respect to a woman’s desire to work in a traditional male dominated role, her interest in a romantic relationship with a forbidden person, and her rebellion against an oppressor in her life. These three criteria are not exclusive to Latina feminist ideology but certainly compose a large part of the doctrine. There are four specific works that can be placed on a spectrum of varying degrees of feminist ideology based on these three criteria set forth: Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, Dreaming in Cuban by Christina Garcia, Real Women Have Curves by Patricia Cardoso, and Girl Fight by Karyn Kusama. The first two works are novels (Like Water for Chocolate has also been adapted into a film) while the last two pieces are films. Regardless of the mode of expression, these works all lie along a spectrum of feminist ideology according to the three criteria that are essential to defining Latina feminism. While the two novels, Dreaming in Cuban and Like Waterfor Chocolate exhibit some aspects of feminist ideology, the two films Girl Fight and Real Women Have Curves more obviously illustrate a Latina feminist presence through the plot of the story. Like Water for Chocolate – Laura Esquivel This novel, adapted into film, fulfills two out of the three criteria of feminist ideology. The protagonist of the story, Tita de La Garza has a determined destiny set forth by her mother who insists that she remain unmarried so that she can take care of her in old age. As such, Tita’s life becomes defined by the role she plays in talking care of the house by cooking and cleaning for the family. Tita’s upbringing and special bond with the family cook, Nacha, teaches her to cook delicious food and even express her desires through the meals she prepares. However, throughout the plot Tita does not move beyond her traditional defined role as a domestic woman. Even when she moves to Dr. John Brown’s house and away from the clutches of her mother, Tita still does not have any desire to express herself in a manner that would require her to take up a career outside of the home. On the other hand, Tita’s older sister, Gertrudis, becomes a general in the Mexican Revolutionary War and finds herself on a path towards a political revolution. In this sense, Gertrudis expresses herself by taking on nontraditional career and defying the social standards that her mother and other family members had expected of her. Thus, although Esquivel does not immediately illustrate the protagonist defying social norms in the workplace, she does include a secondary character that has made this possible in the context of the story. As such, Esquivel partially fulfills the first criteria of feminist ideology that promotes the rejection of the woman as a domestic housewife inhibited from a career outside the home.The storyline of this novel centers on the romantic triangle between Tita, Pedro, and Tita’s older sister Rosaura. Since Tita is forbidden from marrying by her mother, Pedro decides to marry her sister Rosaura so that he can at least be close to the true love of his life. Tita partially disobeys the rules set forth by her society by continuing to lust after Pedro even after his marriage to her sister. Instead of overtly showing her feelings towards him, Tita expresses her love through the food that she cooks and thus subtly engages in a romantic relationship with Pedro. As the novel progresses, Tita eventually sleeps with Pedro even though she is engaged to Dr. John Brown. This overt disregard for the sanctity of marriage and social norms illustrates the feminist ideology of Tita in Esquivel’s work. Although Tita’s mother and the rest of society dictate that the protagonist remain unmarried, Tita redefines her destiny by maintaining a secret yet strong relationship with Pedro. Esquivel furthers this concept by even adding that Tita’s mother also had an affair with a man she was not married to that eventually produced her firstborn child, Gertrudis. Thus, Tita is not the only women in the novel that defies social norm in the name of a man that she loves. Esquivel fulfills the last criterion of feminist ideology when Tita eventually rebels against her mother. After the death of her nephew, Roberto, Tita feels an immense sense of anger towards her mother who had separated Tita from her nephew and even blames her mother for the passing of the child. Since Roberto used to drink the milk that Tita produced while in Mexico and then dies of malnutrition, Tita believes that her absence caused the eventual death of Roberto. Tita’s resentment towards her mother because of this culminates in an outrage towards her at the dinner table and results in her mother beating her with a wooden spoon for her disobedience. However, this does not change Tita’s attitude toward the person who oppressed her. As a result, Tita continues to defy her mother by moving in with Dr. John Brown andrefusing to live on the farm again. Tita’s rebellion against her oppressor is a defining moment for her character because it allows for much awaited self-expression of her true feelings. This feminist ideology is also observed through the oldest sister, Gertrudis, who also runs away with a man and rebels against the wishes of her mother. Thus, Esquivel uses the rebellion of Tita and Gertrudis against their mother in order to illustrate an essential feminist ideology of