Stepping away from the river: La llorona as a symbol of female empowerment in Chicano literature

Ramírez Rodríguez, Stella M.

Publication

Stepping away from the river: La llorona as a symbol of female empowerment in Chicano literature

Ramírez Rodríguez, Stella M.

Abstract

La Llorona is a much-maligned yet ever popular cultural icon in Mexican tradition. Her story is one of punishment and pain and it is oft told as a warning to children and adults who are considering breaking the cultural norms. She is mostly presented as a one-dimensional character whose sole purpose is to educate via terror and societal gender roles. This thesis argues that through the analysis of Rudolfo Anaya, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Sandra Cisneros’ work, that a new vision of la Llorona is formed against the traditional folkloric and limited interpretation of La Llorona. This work also proposes that she can be rethought of as a symbol of cultural empowerment and change.
La Llorona es un símbolo cultural mejicano que es muy difamado, pero retiene su popularidad en las tradiciones de esa cultura. Su historia es una de castigo y dolor, frecuentemente relatada a menores y adultos que consideran romper con las normas culturales. Usualmente es presentada como un caracter unidimensional con el único propósito de educar através del terror. Esta tésis argumenta que a través del análisis de textos de Rudolfo Anaya, Gloria Anzaldúa, y Sandra Cisneros, una visión nueva de la Llorona es creada en contra de la interpretación limitada de la Llorona. Este trabajo propone que se puede repensar como un símbolo de empoderamiento y cambio.