Born in 1969, Jessica Abel was best known for her periodic comic, ArtBabe, before the publication of La Perdida. In this graphic novel, Abel takes a look at a young woman of half-Mexican, half-Anglo descent who moves to Mexico to explore her identity. How does Carla's gender affect her story? How would the story have been different if it were narrated from the perspective of a male? Is there something ethically problematic about Carla's attempt to claim an "authentic" Mexican identity?
In my opinion I don't see anything wrong with Carla making an attempt to claim an "authentic" Mexican Identity. Carla is trying to find where she fits in this world. I got a sense that she was having a hard time identifying with the white culture. I think that everyone who has a mixed background she try and understand all of their ethnicities. For instance if I were mixed with Chinese and African, I would want to know both cultures. Carla is very lost because she is not comfortable with herself. I don't really believe that she had to leave the U.S. to find her Mexican roots and a better comfort level. Truth of the matter is, who we are will always be in ourself. Each peice of us travels to wherever we are. You can't leave yourself behind... D. Shaw
ReplyDeleteI believe Carla’s gender affects her experiences while exploring Mexico because people are quick to judge her and take advantage of her. Especially in Mexico which has one of the lowest divorce rates in the world simply because women must rely on their husbands for survival on an economic basis. She speaks very highly of Mexico and is eager to degrade the nation of her birth place but many Mexican women would have loved to trade her places. Carla takes for granted the freedoms she enjoyed in the states; the reason she encountered so many difficult predicaments was because she was exploited because of her gender.
ReplyDeleteI believe the story would have been different if it was narrated by a male because a male would’ve been treated with respect. Shady characters such as El Gordo and Memo would not have flocked to a man, because they prey on the weak and in their eyes Carla was weak and vulnerable. A male character would’ve not been put in the same situations as Carla.
I think that the book would be a lot different in a male point of view. If the story was narrated by a male, the outlook on relationships would probably be a lot different as well as the reason for going to Mexico in the first place. Carla's brother had an entirely different view on Mexican heritage, whereas Carla wanted it to be her entire definition. Carla is a very naive female character that has this problematic view of being "Mexican." It seems to me she uses a stereotype as her goal to becoming Mexican. Instead of being a "tourist" or "conquistadora," she wants to become whatever she is around, which turns out to be a negative group of people. Not entirely the Mexican heritage at all.
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