The seventeenth century was not a
good period to be a woman in most countries in the world. This was especially
true in Mexico where it was customary for women to commit their lives to serve
their fathers – and later their husband, produce a few children, maintain
neatness in their homes, and say nothing regarding the events that were taking
place around them. However, at a young age, Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz had
already decided that domestic life was not appropriate for her. In 1667, she
became a nun in order to learn and develop intellectual skills. She resided in
Mexico City, in the convent of San Geronimo, where she met her death. While at
the convent, she amassed a library which was surprisingly large for a woman in
that period. She later started publishing her own poetry which advocated for
women’s rights to education by condemning the societal standards that were
upheld during that time. Entailed in this paper is a discussion of the theme of
“identity and self” in Sor Juana’s You
Foolish Men and Love Opened a Mortal
Wound. Also discussed is the significance of the theme in each poem and its
effects on the characters, reader, and plot.
In You Foolish Men, the theme of identity and self is evident in the first
stanzaof the poem. The poet writes,“Misguided men, who will chastise a woman
when no blame is due, oblivious that it is you who prompted what you criticize”
(1-4). Thisblatantindictmentcalls attention to the fact that men wrongly blame
women for issues they themselves have created. This accusation also portrays men
as hypocritical and illogical thus challenging the reader to rethink the dominant
discourse that is often associated with the male gender.Men’s’ irrational reasoningis
addressed once more when she likens them to a child who after calling the
bogeyman weeps at the sightof the monster (5-8).Here, the poem works to illustrate
that man, along with his supposed superior identityis no more than an
uneducated and frightened child. In the ninth stanza, Sor Juana poses a
question to the men. She asserts, “You always are so foolish your censure is
unfair; one you blame for cruelty the other for being too easy” (33-36).These
four lines expose the absurdity of men, boldly accusing all men alike. From her
perspective, she realizes that a mancandisgrace a woman’s identity and harm her
reputationand after doing so proceed to cast the blame upon the woman. Her
poignant assertion demonstrates how disadvantageous double-standards are to
women.
Sor Juana refutes the notion that women
are irrational compared to men, questioning the oddness of a man who
intentionally mists a mirror and proceeds to complain that it is not clear (21-24).
This assertion forces the reader to regard the theoretical belief that men are
superior to women. This assertion, as well as the ones discussed aboveexpress her
aspiration to belie gender differences so as to place women and men on the same
continuum. In the fourteenth quatrain, she addresses the issue of prostitution.
“Who is more to blame, though either should do wrong, she who sins for pay, or
he who pays to sin?”(53-56). These lines have been phrased as a question. By so
doing, the reader is forced to think about how judgment is passed depending on
gender. Even though she makes it clear that she does not condone prostitution, it
is apparent that her desire is for the equal judgment of women and men. Even in
contemporary society, judgment for issues such as prostitution is often harsher
on women than men. Even though either’s conduct may dismay, the dominant
discourse empowers men and victimizes women. Thus, women are victims of man and
culture.
Sor Juana, throughout You Foolish Menproves over and over
again that the female identity is not inferior to that of men. She highlights
how men are responsible for the many evils that have occurred and despite so, because
of their dominant identities, they are still viewed as “upright.” Nowhere in
the poem is Sor Juana’sindictment against men more severe than in the last
stanza. Here, she confirms her feminine stance and reverence for women. She also
associates the male gender with worldly desires, linking them to the devil (65-68).
The poem openly accusesmen for taking
advantage of women while escaping the consequences of their actions. Sor Juana
emphasizes the fact that men are able to put a dent in a woman’s reputation and
identity. She also blames men as the cause of women’s problems. The poem displays
the double standards of men, which leave women in elusive situations. Sor Juana
addresses the issues that affect women and their identity. Her poem causes the
reader to question accepted behaviors and existing beliefs so as to reverse cultural
scripts that oppress women.
In Love
Opened a Mortal Wound, the theme of identity and self is evident throughout
the poem. In the opening of the poem, Sor Juana tries to explain to the reader
that she is inlove, however, the love she feels is not reciprocated,and the end
result is heartbreak. When she asserts that “Love opened a mortal wound” (1), what
she is trying to tell the reader is that love caused her so much hurt that it
left a permanent wound in her soul. The pain she felt as a result of love even
drove her to wish death upon herself “I begged, let death come quick” (4). From
the first stanza of the poem, it is evident that Sor Juana is experiencing
heartbreak and is in deep agony. It appears that despite her efforts to deepen
the love, she is still heartbroken and prefers to be dead rather than alive,
living in agony.
The lamentation of her heartbreak does
not stop at the first stanza.In the second stanza, she proceeds to narrate how
love has had a detrimental effect on her and her identity. She states that “Wild,
distracted, sick, I counted, counted all the ways love hurt me” (5-8). Here, Sor
Juana is thinking about all the different ways love brought pain into her life.
She was sick, distracted, and wild. Instead of love being pleasurable for her,
it was the opposite. It affected all aspect of her life and overshadowed every
other emotion. Her life was meaningless to her. She equated the one life she
had to a thousand deaths (8). She had no value of self at this point, and her
identity was hinged on her lover which is why after she was heartbroken, she
preferred death over life because, in a way, her identity and self-value were
gone.
Sor Juana’s lamentation of her
heartbreak does not cease in the first or second stanza. In the third stanza,
she continues narrating about how hurt she is. She states,“Blow after blow, my
heart couldn’t survive this beating” (9-10). Sor Juana writes this to tell the
reader that she could no longer handle the constant pain that she was feeling. With
every blow to her heart, it became weaker and weaker until she came to a
realization that she cannot endure the heartache anymore. This is her weakest
point in the poem – when she realizes that she cannot survive the pain, unable
to explain its magnitude.
The mood of the poem changes in the
fourth stanza. In the first, second, and third stanza, we see a weak and
heart-broken individual who has no regard of self and whose identity is lost
along with her lover. However, in the fourth stanza, there is a shift in the
mood of the poem. Sor Juana asserts “I came to my senses. I said, why do I
suffer? What lover ever had so much pleasure?” (12-15). Here, Sor Juana comes to
her senses. It is here that she discoversher self-worth and realizes that her
identity is not hinged to a separate individual. She saw no point in her
suffering anymore because her suffering only gave pleasure to her lover. When
she comes to her senses with reality and self, everything changes and she
chooses to snap out of the misery that she was undergoing and re-discovers her
value and self-worth.
Works Cited
You
Foolish Men. Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz.(1651-1695).
https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/you-foolish-men
Love
Opened a Mortal Wound. Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz (1651-1695). https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/love-opened-mortal-wound-con-el-dolor-de-la-mortal-herida
