El genero y la sexualidad en la cuentistica de Ines Arredondo

Abstract

The narrative of Ines Arredondo presents a wide range of themes that include insanity, the gaze, loneliness, revisionary representations of biblical and mythological stories and various representations of sexuality. This study considers gender and sexuality as ideological constructs in the following themes: male homosexuality, revisionary writing as a subversive discourse and the grotesque body presented as a subversion of the social order. An analysis of the following stories is provided: "La senal," "Las mariposas nocturnas," "Opus 123," "Estio," "La sunamita," "Lo que no se comprende," "Cancion de cuna," "Sahara," and "Orfandad". Each of these stories presents an unstable zone where there is always a social and/or moral conflict. A combination of theoretical perspectives by Louis Althusser, Lucia Guerra Cunningham, Mary Daly, Bernard McElroy, Alicia Ostriker, Tey Diana Rebolledo, Mary Russo and other critics was utilized to examine the aforementioned themes. Male homosexuality is one representation of sexuality that is apparent in the narrative of Arredondo. Homosexuality is presented as social conflict rather than in an erotic manner. The theme of male homosexuality serves as a criticism of how society demands the binary opposition of gender. Arredondo's stories show how there exists a conflict between what is accepted and rejected. Nevertheless, Arredondo's stories also present a feminine discourse that is subversive. This strategy is evident in her stories that are revised versions of biblical and mythological stories. The purpose of these stories is to subvert masculine texts that have dictated women's behavior and have constructed feminine subjectivities from a patriarchal point of view. Another subversive aspect of Arredondo's writing is through the presentation of the female grotesque. Arredondo gives a voice to characters who have been marginalized because of their appearance by their families. The families represent a microsociety which oppresses both men and women. Arredondo's stories exhibit the struggle between Self and other to portray a framework of societal conflict. The narrative of Ines Arredondo presents gender and sexuality as ideological constructs and through this perspective the complexity of human relationships is easily observed.