Although Alfon’s short story does not seem to focus on the mother as the story begins, the title refers to the magnificence of how the mother protects her daughter. Furthermore, she is depicted as the most powerful character towards the end of the story, with Vicente being helpless in front of her, the father somewhat passive, and the children innocent and naïve. Her daughter will always remember how she handled the incident “with the terrible indelibility that one associated with terror” (Alfon 197). This shows that “Magnificence” places great importance in and applauds the mother. The mothers in these texts seem to be seen at home all the time. Ela’s mother is never seen outside the house, whether it is the real house or the dollhouse. She dies in the house, and then she is always found in Ela’s dollhouse, which looks exactly like their real house, emphasizing the idea that the dollhouse represents their real house. The mother in “Magnificence” is only seen inside the house since the whole story happens in the house only. However, they should not …show more content…
In “The Amazing History of Elang Uling,” Ela’s mother defends Ela through preservation. After a day of overwork and starvation, she provides a haven for Ela, preparing sumptuous meals and finishing her chores for her overnight. She also transforms, for example, a blue dress into a pink shawl to keep Ela sane. Although her mother seems to use magic to help Ela, keeping in mind that Joaquin utilized marvelous realism (Hidalgo 304), these acts are commonly done by mothers in everyday life. Home provides sanctuary mostly because of the mother, as a result of traditional gender roles. Furthermore, in a child’s perspective, food is magically prepared every meal and whenever he or she wakes up, the chores have been done as if by magic. Hence, Ela’s mother symbolizes mothers in real life who protect and nurture their children through