Machismo

Paper Summary:

This paper looks at the concept of machismo, a frequently cited element in Latin American literature, which is manifested in different ways in novels about Latin American characters. It examines how it is used in the novels "Joaquin Murieta" by Yellow Bird, "Zoot-Suit Murders" by Thomas Sanchez and "Tortilla Flat" by John Steinbeck. It evaluates how machismo is more than a cult of virility as it combines elements of courage and intransigence with an aggressive maleness and contrasts it with the Mexican vision of the passivity of women, seen as submissive and open by nature. It shows how the family serves as the center of socialization, kinship and control and transmission of property in Latin American society and how any changes in family structure take place over a long period of time. Machismo is often tied with family structure as well as gender relations in a more general sense.

From the Paper:

"Hispanic-Americans in Los Angeles constitute a distinct subculture. There are two strands in this subculture distinguished by legalities, one the native-born, the other an immigrant population. The immigrant population itself is divided into legals and illegals, depending on how the immigrant arrived and what his or her status is with regard to the government. Los Angeles was one of the regions of California that possessed a large Hispanic population from the beginning, and the presence of this community was one of the reasons for others moving northward into this area to join that existing group. Some of the tensions felt in the younger generation emerged in the real riots that took place in 1943, the basis for Thomas Sanchez's novel Zoot-Suit Murders. The Zoot Suit Riots involved an explosion within the Mexican-American community which in part was an explosion of machismo against the influx of white soldiers and related personnel during the war."

More papers on Machismo:

• Analytical Essay # 72981 : "Machismo"
• Essay # 85754 : "Machismo"
• Essay # 34072 : "Machismo in Latino Society"

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