In modern society, the division of people into men and women is not strictly biological but is instead a social construct. The patterns laid down by society and upbringing help individuals identify themselves as either gender during their lives, regardless of their innate biological traits. The gender role assignment discussed in this essay is a prevalent issue in literary works.
One striking textual example of this seeming contradiction is the novel Birds Without a Nest. The novel tells the story of a protest against the socio-economic situation of the indigenous peoples of Peru. Traditionally it has been assumed that women are powerless and dependent on their men, but the novel’s author refutes this position. Her character, Marcela, demonstrates masculine strength of character and determination, which can make the reader ambivalent about her gender. As seen in the novel, Marcela openly opposes social norms and fights for her family’s rights, which allows the reader to regard her as little more than a classic literary helpless woman.
The example of Lucia, another protagonist of the story, is also noteworthy in this novel. The novel’s feminist narrative tells us that Lucia is not a traditional addition to the novel, demonstrating nothing but beauty. On the contrary, Lucia is an educated and intellectual full member of Andean society, which is quite revolutionary for the communities of the time. In other words, the author of the novel shows the reader that women are more than the patriarchal society used to think of them. Thus, the women in de Turner’s novel play a direct role in rebuilding the nation.
A close reading clarifies that women have as many social responsibilities as the men of the novel. The form of sexual services that the female characters must render to the natives is equivalent to the unpaid labor performed by the local men. Marcela acts as a protector of her children and husband as she seeks to destroy this social norm of the tribe. This open confrontation with society, which is the theme of the novel, demonstrates the dynamism of the female gender.
The exploration of the female gender in de Turner’s novel can also be traced through the rejection of the usual standards of patriarchal society. Women rapidly cease to be regarded as the guardians of the home. On the contrary, the female characters in the novel are given new social roles, which shows the female gender as dynamically changing and evolving. In other words, de Turner gives the reader a perspective from which women cease to be only minor characters in the historical novel but are given more literary power and opportunity.