Tortilla+Curtain-Feminism

Opening Activiy Check Lisa's page for our opening activity I did edit it a little bit so make sure you know what we are doing.

Feminism Well I had trouble finding feminist criticism on this book. So here is just my interpretation of it through feminist "glasses."

To start off with Candido and America, Candido, in his mind, is stuck that the male should be the breadwinner of the family. And he gets very upset when America is getting work when he is incapable. Candido would rather die of starvation then have his wife working when he can't. To him this is an insult. But America (being the good mother and wife that she is) thinks of it as a great thing since she is pregnant, she needs food for her husband and her growing baby. But America doesn't see it as an oppertunity to exceed stereotypes places on girls and to show that women can also earn money. For America it is purely a survival thing. Where as Candido feels like American is TRYING to replace him as the bread winner. Here gender differences are imposed by society and for Candido and America it determines everything about them and who they are and how they live their life.

With Delaney and Kyra, Kyra being the one who goes to work everyday (and yes Delaney does work) but Kyra has a traditional job. So Kyra and Delaney are more intune with the modern American Society because more and more women are getting jobs and sometimes even the sole money makers for a family. Here is seems that gender determines nothing and that Kyra can have a job if she works hard, just like men.

Discussion Questions 1. It is sometimes said that male fears are portrayed through female charcters. Do you think there is a female (or several females) that portray the fears of men? 2.Feminists see that either gender determines everything or that gender differences are imposed by society (or even men) and that gender determines nothing. In this story which do you think it is? 3. Do you think that the fact that Kyra has a job and Delaney doesn't care that she has a job says something abut our society in contrast to Candido and America? 4. Do you think that T. C. Boyle is trying to portray a message of equality not just bewteen different races but between different genders> 5. Do you think that we live in a Patriachal society? Or have we mostly equalized society between men and women?

E. Forest