Female Gender Role In Viramontes Under The Feet Of Jesus

In the novel, Under the Feet of Jesus, (Viramontes) I have focused on the female gender role that Estrella and both Cleofilas face in different situations of their life in relation to labor. Estrella, is one of the main characters that I’m writing about. She learns quickly what hard labor really is. She learns at an early age of thirteen what female and male gender roles consist of. She works inside of her family’s homes by washing the dishes, looking after the children and then working out in the hot fields picking grapes for her and family to survive.

In the short story, “Women Hollering Creek,” (Cisneros) Cleofilas, grows up without her mother, and must learn how to become a woman from a show she is watching on television. AT first, Cleofilas

learns the housework, cleans the dishes, watches her brothers when young. When she becomes, older and marries, she is hit by the reality of learning the male roles from her abusive husband. Cleofilas is a prisoner in her own home. She must do all duties of inside and outside of the home and caring for her husband.
In both stories the women have a similar tale to tell for example. “Carrying the full basket to the paper was not like the picture on the red raisin boxes Estrella saw in the markets, not like the woman wearing a fluffy bonnet, holding out the grapes with her smiling, ruby lips, the sun a flat orange behind her." (Viramontes 49). Estrella, looks at this, and concludes that the work is hard, and someday it will be enough money for her to overcome her gender role working in the field.
Cleofilas, learns to take the beatings and carries with her the statement that her father once said “I am your father, I will never abandon you” (Cisneros 43) Cleofilas husband Juan, abandoned her, by showing her how the male role is supposed to be in his family. While he got to go, and do whatever he wished, and then some night never coming home. This is what made her stronger from her gender role.
Both Character’s wished that someday their lives can and will be like the smiling lady on the raisin box.

What Viramontes and Cisneros have demonstrated in their writings is that; women take on a much-needed role, and the work that women do is tough, but we will get through it, if you stay strong and become the smiling lady on the raisin box.

Estrella and Cleofilas have come to accept that they don’t get much for their hard labor. They both learned how society looks at immigrants from other countries. They both were looked down upon. Estrella works hard in the hot heat. She comes to realize that picking grapes doesn’t earn enough money, and it all depended on the piece rate of the grapes. Society turns around, eats the grapes and doesn’t think twice about how the grapes came to their mouths. When the society doesn’t think of the age or person that has picked the grapes.

Cleofilas, must endure the hard labor of her husband’s temper and if she doesn’t take on both gender roles for example: housework, caring for her children, and the outside duties of the home, she suffers the consequences of her husband and the beatings. Juan Pedro, Cleofilas husband is just like society in this situation, he doesn’t think twice about laying a hand on his wife. Whereas, in Cleofilas situation, society doesn’t want to get involved and will place the incident “under the rug” they don’t want to be asked questions, by the husband or the

police.
Just like these extraordinary characters in Viramontes and Cisneros writings it makes people think of how traditionally society views both gender roles for women. They have had their self-identification taken from them. Estrella and Cleofilas learned that the abuse of exploitation of women is a huge part of the vicious cycle of poverty and the physical abuse that Cleofilas had to take, especially in a lower-class environment for both. In enduring this, both women have come to question their female sexuality. Estrella, was brought up learning the guidance of a “father figure” by her mother’s boyfriend Perfecto and her boyfriend Alejo. Whereas Cleofilas grew up not having a mother, and had to be taught by a television show and watching and learning from the neighbors of her adult neighborhood.