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Octavio Paz's The Labyrinth Of Solitude

1732 Words7 Pages

What is “la Mexicanidad”? Mexican Identity has been ill-defined for years. This misconception could be attributed to the ambiguity of how the first Mexican was created. As a consequence, this has resulted in different kinds of identities established by the Mexican people. Creation of different identities is not a surprise because just like culture, identity is not simply a fact but a social construct. Taking these into consideration, with the mixture of the ambiguity and the violent connotation on how the first Mexican was created, has lead into a national inferiority complex and a negative construct of an identity for the vast majority of the Mexican population, especially males, to always remain close off to the outside world using their machismo. One of the most prominent authors that has explore this topic is Octavio Paz, who has explored in great detail and constructed a specific Mexican identity in his book The Labyrinth of Solitude. Paz experiences shame in the identity which was derived from the Malinche. He considers Mexicans as “Hijos de la Chingada”. …show more content…

Also, throughout Mexican folklore the idea of machismo is prevalent. Similarly, to the Pachuco the Mexican Macho has a certain outfit, in order to flaunt its difference. For instance, “the Mexican macho… is terribly fond of all articles of clothing symbolizing masculinity: the hat (either the fancy sombrero or the wide-brimmed Borsalino), the pistol, the horse or automobile are his pleasure and his pride. Machismo finds expression in Mexican folklore, especially in the folksongs." A perfect example of this representation, is Pedro Infante that represented masculinity whole-heartedly both in in character and real life. Having an Idol like Infante, resulted in inspiring many people to be like him, which cause the idea of machismo to be even more widespread throughout

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In the altar’s center is “a plaster image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, quarter-life size, its brown Indian face staring down on the woman” (Paredes 23). The implication of the stare is of criticism as the Virgin, symbolic of an ideal Mexican womanhood, looks down on Marcela, whose Anglo features starkly contrast with the Virgin’s, and whose actions are in opposition to the values that she represents. This carefully constructed scene is meaningful. Marcela’s lifeless body lies between the bed and the altar, and opposite to the altar is Marcela’s shrine dedicated to Hollywood movie stars. These are the visual images of the opposing forces that characterize the Mexican-American struggle for resistance against American cultural hegemony.

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THE FATHER, THE SON, AND LA CHINGADA: THE TRINITY OF THE CONQUEST ‘Lo Mexicano’ is a phrase-turned-concept in 20th century Mexican philosophy. The term literally translates to “the Mexican,” however, it is also used to superficially describe the identity of the Mexican individual. The notion came about after the revolution; the phrase was meant to emphasize and unite Mexico as an independent people. Today, the phrase is understood as an all encompassing term for “mexicanness,” or that which makes someone a true mexican.

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Machismo is extreme masculinity. The male typically dominates the household by sometimes imposing his beliefs, attitudes, and behavior onto the rest of the household. While growing up, there were some topics that I could not talk him about like sexuality and clothing. He believed some topics can be only talked about among women. I did not confide in my dad frequently growing up.

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