I found this week’s reading very interesting, a great way to start off the term! Mama Blanca’s Memoirs, a novel written by Teresa De la Parra, is a fictional autobiography of a wealthy
Venezuelan woman, Blanca, who reflects on her life from childhood to adulthood,
narrating her experiences during a politically complicated time of dictatorship in her country.
The novel is set in Venezuela during the late 19th and early 20th century, also during the
dictatorship under Venezuelan politician Vicente Gomez. Teresa de la Parra’s writing style is elegant and evocative. She makes the reader feel as if they are a part of the story. I also loved her use of symbolism throughout the story to strongly highlight the themes of freedom and oppression.

The political and social atmosphere of the story is portrayed as a regime that suppresses freedom of expression and punishes those who dare to speak out against it. The characters struggle in a society where they are not free to express themselves fully. A central example of this oppression in this novel is woman’s rights and freedoms, narrated through the experiences and reflections of the main character.

Blanca is a privileged woman who grew up in a wealthy family and had a privileged life and
education. Later, as soon as she gets married and starts her life as a wife and a mother, she
begins to question the societal expectations placed on women, searching for a sense of
identity and purpose. In my opinion, this feminist aspect of the novel is one of the most
interesting and engaging purposes of the novel. Conferring to this, another one of the main
themes of the novel is the struggle and fight for autonomy and self-realization. Blanca’s
journey in the novel is a process of confrontation against her own limitations and prejudices.
The novel also explores the theme of the conflict between tradition and modernity, as Blanca
grapples with the expectations of her society and her own desires. Therefore, Mama Blanca’s
Memoirs is a novel that challenges the traditional roles and expectations of women in the Latin
American society.

What specific events or reasons do you think that motivated Blanca to fight for her rights as a
woman? In your opinion, how is sexism related with the social and political setting of Venezuela at the time?