Theme Of Volar By Helena Viramontes

In this analysis I will be comparing and contrasting “Volar” by Judith Ortiz and “The Moths” by Helena Viramontes. They are alike in various ways , but also different in a variety of ways. They both have the same central theme. In both the stories the protagonist suffer from the pain faced by a young adolescent's who not fulfill the conventional expectations of femininity.
Helena Viramontes short story takes place in a latino neighborhood that is located in Los Angeles, California. The female in which the story is about does not have an actual name the only thing that references her name is when her sister call her bull hands. At home she is not treated very well by her sisters which forces her to feel isolated. She loves going to see her

According to pamf.org,”Characters on TV are often shown with unrealistic, “perfect" bodies” (Booheer). The protagonist in the Cofer’s story states that ”Step by step I would fill out: my legs would grow long, my arms harden into steel, and my hair would magically go straight and turn a golden color” (Cofer 1). The reason why this line is so critical to the story is because she is trying to be like the image that the media is portraying. In comparison Viramontes also makes it know that he protagonist is not in sync with the way society wants her to be. The fact that Viramontes states” I always pricked my fingers or knotted my colored threads time and time again while my sisters laughed and called me Bull Hands with their cute waterlike voices” (Viramontes). The reason why this sentence is so important is because it introduces the way her sisters treat her because of her physical appearance. Although bulls do not have hands they have hooves, The sisters are describing the protagonist hands as hooves since they are so big. The protagonist thinks she can’t be as girly as her sisters because of how big her hands are. She feels so out of place and she thinks her sisters are pretty. She doesn’t understand why they make fun of