Reading Gender: Castellanos

Shirlanna Little
April 12, 2009
Women’s Studies
Professor Pendley

Reading Gender: The External Feminine
A lot of the gender perceptions, throughout Act I, were very surprising to me. Even with it being in the late ‘80’s, I would not have expected all of the events that were portrayed in this play. It was very interesting.

From the beginning, whenever the Salesperson was giving his “salespitch,” I could tell that he was using a lot of mannerisms to try and bring the woman, (Owner), more in touch with his product. His attitude with the Hairdresser was very inappropriate. I believe he treated her that way because of her gender and that, in turn, is terrible. The Hairdresser made great points. She was just trying to see what the Salesperson was selling and trying to get to the root of his “salespitch.” I feel that with the Owner showing off her more passive side to the Salesperson, he wanted to take advantage of that because women are seen as the weak, passive type. One other part in the beginning that bothered me was when he asked the Hairdresser for Tea. Is she suppose to be a maid at the Hair Salon? Is brewing Tea and running errands part of her job description? I think I missed that part of the story. The Salesperson put more focus on getting the Hairdresser away from his conversation with the Owner than actually selling the project, himself. So, I questioned if the Salesperson saw that the Hairdresser was out of her element?

As I read on through the Act, I was just surprised at the treatment of the females throughout. Also, I wanted to touch on the dream of Lupita. As she dreamed of her honeymoon, her marriage, etc., once again, she, as the woman, was seen as passive and very weak. Her husband, Juan, asked questions and demanded answers, cheated and expected Lupita to be submissive in every way. So, the story portrays that Lupita was not any bit of successful or independent until Juan parted ways. My question was, does a man really have to be dead or non-existent in women’s lives in order for women to actually appreciate the independence God has given them? That was deep, but something that needs to be pondered. Society today has the majority believing that women are in need of a man to keep them in line. Yes, the Bible says that “he who finds a wife, finds a good thing” and a “man shall love his wife as Christ loves the church,” but there has to be a happy “medium” there. I am a Christian and I follow the plans laid out through the Bible for men, women and children. I understand how it is important for a man to actually be a man and take care of his household, but that does not mean that the woman is treated like she does not have an opinion. It is as if they interpret it in another context than for what it really is. In my opinion, Society needs to work on the perception of men and women. How should the “average” wife act towards her husband? This is the basic question that needs an answer. Castellanos wants the reader to think about these issues in a bigger script. We see actions of the individual everyday that may be sexist or gender challenged, but we keep our mouth closed and fall in line. So, if we looked at certain situations in a different light, will we actually have an opinion? I believe Castellanos is trying to teach a lesson through the writings of the play. Personally, it made me take a step back and see what I was doing wrong, as a woman, and see if I am being too passive or submissive to the leading man.

Castellanos, Rosario; “The External Feminine”; 1988