In defence of Masculinity
as a feminist (reading blog 7)
“Why, even though Gregorio has hit me and my daughter many times, even kicking us out of bed and into the rain all night long wearing just our underskirts, and even though we sometimes fight and insult each other, we're doing fine together.” (Fernández & Guitérres 129)
This was probably my favourite reading so far. I felt like I was able to access a perspective straight from the source. Unsurprisingly, I am really interested in the commentary on Gender within Andean Lives and how Gender influences experience. In class, we spoke about the significance of Asunta’s part of the book being shorter than Gregorio’s. How there are questions of if her narrative is less valuable in general and if her stories worth telling are only the ones tied to the men in her life.
While there are so many different avenues to take when exploring the narratives around Gender in the text, the quote I chose is going to help me frame my argument that gendered violence is easily excused in the text because it’s an expectation of masculinity. This is dangerous and more a reflection of patriarchy than it is of masculinity.
When reading Gregorio’s portion he omits any mention of his violence against Asunta (or really anyone else to be fair). The only reason we are aware of this abusive, problematic aspect of their marriage is because Asunta makes a point to mention it. Her mentioning it reads as a form of resistance. She has shown herself over and over again as a resilient woman who utilizes her agency, even when in situations that push back against her doing so.
Reading between the lines of her upbringing, it seems Asunta was raised in a society that does not grant much if any agency to women. Even less to impoverished ones. The intersections of her identity allow for an extreme amount of exploitation and abuse. This is not a revolutionary point and is clear to anyone who skimmed the book. But I think the bigger point here is that an acceptance of this type of violence comes in part with associating it innately with masculinity. If the narrative is that masculinity is violence how can you truly be upset about a man being violent? There’s an excusatory aspect to that type of thinking. It allows men, on a certain level, to get away with that sort of behaviour and for women to rationalize it.
With that being said, for Asunta to name this violence is pushback against this type of thinking. Even though she is somewhat accepting of it I think her writing about the suffering at the hands of men repeatedly throughout the novel is a radical act. Naming it as an innate part of masculinity can be harmful, but ultimately highlighting her experience at all is so important and I’m happy I was granted this insight.
Thanks for this post Orla! I really appreciate the topic that you focused on here. A discussion delineating masculinity and patriarchy is interesting on its own, but within the context of Asunta's testimony I feel the analysis is convoluted by political and personal realities we can but imagine through text. I agree that her mention of the men's cause of suffering is a radical act, particularly how intergenerational and normalised this sort of behaviour is to her era. There is a catch in the fact that she does excuse Gregorio's acts, adopting a relative perspective staging her position on the soft side of something that can be much much more harsh. The forces of patriarchy and inherited violences is very alive. I am also glad to be of an era that can acknowledge insights and gesture towards revival of feminine quality (which our society desperately needs to learn/remember)! Abuses have been committed, and both perpetrator and victim are hurt. How do we facility the healing of both personas to acknowledge mistakes and the brokenness the acts come from?
Hi Orla! As per usual, loved your blog. I really appreciated your reflection on masculinity and the normalization of gendered violence. It's so important to remember that ascribing violence to masculinity is harmful, and that it is patriarchal structures that normalize that. I also found Asunta's perspective refreshing, in that I felt far more connected to her and her story than I have with previous readings. It was a favourite of mine as well.