Isabel Allendes An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurstons Sweat Essay

Isabel Allendes An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurstons Sweat - Essay Example Both Isabel Allende’s An Act of Vengeance and Zora Neale Hurston’s Sweat address the theme of feminine vengeance. Despite the fact that the approaches employed by the female main characters to vengeance varying, it is important to note that one of the most underlying similarities between the two short stories is the issue of female empowerment in a society that is mostly dominated by the male. The author makes the story incredibly dramatic mainly brought out at the moment where Dulce Rosa’s father not only realizes that his friends have fallen, but that he is also forced to kill his daughter in order to spare her from men like Cespedes. The author has been successful in presenting this as not only unexpected, but also quite heartbreaking. The author has also been successful in balancing out the different emotions in the story and has most importantly been able to ensure that the audience does not feel melodramatic. Additionally, the use of imagery has been succes sful though not subtle especially at the moment where the author presentsthe image of Dulce Rosa shedding the shreds of her bloodied gown and consequently immersing herself in the water which makes her come out clean. This is a clear representation of both rebirth and baptism. Additionally, the act of holding her dying father is a clear manifestation of transformation from a girl to a woman. The author, Dulce Rosa, in the An Act of Vengeance holds not only the power of her independence, but also the power of self-sufficiency. Despite the neighbors making suggestions about her â€Å"going to live with her godmother in a different town where her story is not known after being raped† (23), Dulce Rosa opts to stay behind and instead build a life that is comfortable out of the ruins left of her fathers house. In Sweat, Delia is also presented as a strong woman who holds the economic power in her relationship with her unemployed husband. Delia still finds much comfort in the home b ought by her despite the abuse and infidelity of his husband. Delia stands her ground even when her husband, Sykes, tries to get her to leave her house to enable him move in with his mistress. She further stands her ground and leaves the husband to die from the snake bite that had earlier been meant for her. It is evident that vengeance by Delia is a decision not aimed at helping Sykes when the opportunity arises, but rather a decision that is aimed at causing Sykes direct harm herself. In An Act of Vengeances, Dulce Rosa was quite determined to kill Tadeo as a revenge for the death of her father. However, there is a twist when she later realizes that what she feels for Tadeo is love, hence making him torn between marriage and murder which are in real sense the two male expectations. Dolce Rosa later opts to kill herself instead of playing into either of these stereotypically male solutions. Her death leads into Tadeo losing all the hope he had for both love and redemption in his li fe. While the vengeance of Dulce Rosa leaves Tadeo alive, the vengeance by Delia leaves Sykes dead. These examples of feminine Vengeance is an indication of overlapping of the