¡Yo!

To provide basic background, Yo by Julia Alvarez is a story told from the perspectives of others who have interacted with a single individual. As you may have guessed by the title, she refers to herself as Yo. What separates this work from others is that while the main character is still a primary part throughout each passage, the audience never gets to hear her personal thoughts and perceptions. Instead, the author hands over the mic to those who would have been originally considered as the side cast…

This can be clearly seen in the chapter, “The Cousin”, where Yo’s relative, Lucy, admits to having feelings for a fellow by the name of Roe. Good looks, charming demeanor, athletic. The characteristics Lucy is attracted to.

Except Yo is attracted to him as well.

This leads to the revealing of complications in the form of a love triangle, and not surprisingly, how Roe believes he can take advantage of the situation by manipulating both Yo’s and Lucy’s feelings.

 

        “Ay, Roe, I want to be your muse, I want to be your inspiration”
        “You are my muse,” he said, and bowing his head so that our foreheads touched, he whispered some lines that sounded very like e.e. Cummings:
        “And now you are and i am now and we’re a mystery which will never happen again”
       “So will you talk to her?” I asked before i let him kiss me again.
        “Sure I will, Yolinda,” he said. I swear I heard Yolinda” (Alvarez 48).

 

When it comes to the idea of love between fictional individuals in U.S. Latinx culture, Alvarez’s work does well in shedding light on how love is not what it seems. The lack of genuine feelings between men and women, as represented in interactions such as this one, places focus on the fact that the seeking of superficial pleasure dismisses the need for the building of real connections and true understanding of both individuals.

This particular scene says so much in relation to the side of romance that is built on a foundation of infatuation, desire, and a separation from one’s responsibility to themselves. This can unfortunately be said mostly for women, as their expectations are pressured into matching those of their male interests in a dominant “machismo” culture. In an article written by Alicia Arrizon, “Latina subjectivity, sexuality and sensuality”, it is mentioned that there are societal pressures for Latinas to appeal to their male counterparts. More specifically when it comes to upholding Christian virgin values for their families, yet still upholding a sexual icon…

 

        “On the one hand, Latinas are taught by their families and the Christian faith to preserve their virginity until marriage because it is dictated in a patriarchal heteronormative system that women have to provide for their husbands – for their pleasure, and to procreate. On the other hand, while Latinas are taught to fear their desires and feel shame of their bodies, society holds Latinas up as the epitome of sexuality/sensuality, seeking the approval of men”

 

 

The very last statement can be attributed to Alvarez’s passage as referenced earlier, where Lucy is described through her dialogue that she wishes to appeal to her male romantic interest. Instead of thinking for herself and preserving her personal morals, she is trapped in the toxic pull of romantic desire. One could even say, perhaps, that she is pulled in by a deeper disturbing fact of needing approval from a male that clearly is after his own personal desires. This emphasizes the idea that Latinas aren’t necessarily taught to seek love that helps them grow, encourage their personal strengths and opinions, and understand genuine compassion. They are rather shown to seek love unknowingly that is under a sexual nature, where strong feelings of infatuation hinder their realization of empty connections between themselves and their supposed significant other.