Voices in the Kitchen Analysis - Book Report/Review Example

College: Comparative Reading Response Analysis The novel, Voices in the kitchen, explores the kitchen as one of the many roles of women in the society. The writer uses various characters of different attitudes on the topic; kitchen, to air the opinion of the community. While some women take kitchen chores as a voluntary and passionate work, others depict it in a very negative light. The antagonists of the role of women in the kitchen have, in many circumstances, been referred to as the Feminist. This particular chapter starts with the narration of Liduvian Velez; the main character in the story. As the chapter unfolds, Velez had been a married woman in the past. We later on find out that she is now a divorcee; she has been for more than thirty-seven years. Velez tells her story of the encounter with kitchen to her daughter; the writer of the chapter. The setting of this novel is the United States of America and the events took place in the early 90s. In that era, Liduvian Velez was barely eighteen years old when she got married to the father of the writer; a Mexican man. The man was a drunkard and a womanizer who cared very less for his family. Velez’s father had planned for the marriage without her knowledge. On discovering the plan, Velez attempted to escape but it was too late for her. She then had to give in to the pressure of her dad and the man eventually took her home. At the home of “the husband” (pg44), as she refers to him, Velez had to stay and cook with the mother in-law. This situation made her feel oppressed and colonized by the in-laws. She had no time to move freely in the kitchen and cook her favorite meal. Then one day the husband moves out with her to place of their own. He constructed a small house for her where she could cook for him and the kids. She was very glad as felt the sense of freedom; to own a kitchen had been a dream. She found the “Space” in a new “place” (pg19). The writer, through the chat with Liduvian Velez, draws the attention of the readers to how some women find their ultimate freedom and joy in the kitchen while others still perceive cooking in the kitchen as oppression from the husbands. For the women with such a negative mentality, the kitchen shall remain a ‘place’ while for the positive women; the kitchen becomes a ‘space’. The novel bears a number of themes that are portrayed by different characters in separate plots. Gender role is a principal role portrayed in the novel. Women have been related with the house chores while men do the outdoor duties. In her narration, Velez’s life revolves around cooking the kitchen. She says she loved cooking. She would cook for the husband alone. The husband, she says, was doing some other business outside home. On one occasion, just before Velez escaped, the husband had gone to sell sandals in the market; his daily routine: “He had gone; well, to sell sandals in the market” (pg 46). Oppression is another major theme portrayed by Liduvian Velez who had gone through so much oppression. All her life had been suffering that was caused by the people she lived with. While growing up, her father would beat them up when their mother had run away. “He used corporal punishment on his youngest daughter...” (pg 42). Velez’s step-mother, Carmelilla, also used to fight the minor a lot. Carmelilla never liked the kids of her new husband at all. As a result, she oppressed them by fighting and denial of food. “We used to fight a lot with Carmelilla. That is why I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen in that house” (pg 41). Velez’s husband was also another oppressor. She says he used to drink and beat her even when she did something good. At one point, Velez had received a donation of corn from her grandmother but the husband beat her and made her return it. “He beat me so hard from chin to ear” (pg47). At that very moment, Velez says her kids were very hungry and just needed that corn. The husband, in this instance, had oppressed the kids with hunger. Freedom is also a theme that is outstanding. Kitchen has been mention throughout the whole chapter. It symbolizes the freedom of oppressed women. The main character, Velez, had been going through a series of oppression before she finally found her freedom. Her mother in-law never used to give her this freedom. Neither was the step-mother. Not even the oppressive husband. Then one day she escapes from the husband and gets her freedom. The theme of freedom has also been portrayed when Velez gets to cook in a kitchen of her own. She refers to this as a space with no boundaries. The major personas in the narration include Liduvian Velez, Alma Contreras, Guadalupe Flores and Esparanza Velez. Some of the characters and their various roles are also discussed. Liduvian Velez is the persona that dominates the entire narration. She is the mother of the writer. Velez has been used by the writer to show kitchen can become a space of freedom. The theme of freedom is built on her. This is evident when she undergoes oppression and finally finds her freedom in cooking in the kitchen. Velez has been used to show how an individual can use a talent or profession to reach out the community. “Cooking in the kitchen to her was a way to attain community...” (pg 19). She used to cook and share with her neighbor. Esparanza Velez is of the same opinion as Liduvian and plays the same role. Alma Contreras who is Velez’s oldest sister is also a character to consider. She represents the middle class women who think cooking for the husbands is a mandatory and oppressive duty. To her, kitchen is a hegemonic place; like a cage without freedom. She says she would rather eliminate the kitchen from her life. Her attitude towards cooking speaks for many career women today. When she cooked for the first time she said “...Because I didn’t have any one else to do it. My mother was not there so that she could cook” (pg19). Flores, like Alma, hates kitchen work since there is no appreciation at. She has been used to tell men to be appreciative of the hard work done by women in the house. The novel brought the emotion of pity to me. I pitied Velez. She had been oppressed so much by the husband. Now she is a divorcee who struggled to raise her children single handedly. I side with Flores on the opinion that women should be appreciated for their relentless efforts at home. This novel is very relevant to the married couples and the community at large. Domestic violence has led to death of many women. Women have been charged with so many unbearable duties in the house. Men need to intervene and enter the kitchen too. Those are some of the issues that catalyzed the writing of this novel. The academic readings talks of the speech and how to handle foreign languages. Velez’s husband was a Mexican. The two of them could have learned a common language for easier communication between them. The reading; Overcoming the Tradition of Silence encourages dialogue among people. It says “and our tongues have become so dry…. And we have forgotten speech” (pg 54). Women have been oppressed in the society yet they have remained speechless. They should be reporting incidence of domestic to the relevant authorities and not remain silent. As she lives in the USA, Velez is worried how she would survive in the strange land. She knew very little of the American English. This is the very tension that has been expressed in one of the readings when the Mexicans were migrating to America. It reads, “Tension grips the inhabitants of the border land like a virus” (pg 4). The cultural realities of the women discussed in these readings prompted their writing. Cultural practices in gender roles places woman in a fixed place; in the house. These women had to write in advocating for more women rights and freedom. However, some cultural realities do not change. Such inevitable realities limited the discussion of such topics. “Haven’t we had enough of the women being viewed through the kitchen window...” These are the words of Hubbard; a philosopher. This quote is significant in empowering the women to explore other jobs. It also cautions the society that women were not only meant to be the kitchen Work Cited Abarca, Meredith. Voices in the Kitchen: Views of Food and the World from Working-Class Mexican and Mexican American Women. Texas. Texas, A&M University Press. 2006. Print. Read More