Los distintos tipos de subversión femenina presentados en Recuerdos del porvenir

Abstract

The novel Recuerdos del Porvenir (1963) by Mexican author Elena Garro depicts in an innovative way the military occupation of Ixtepec, that happened after the Mexican Revolution and the subsequent Cristero War of 1920s. Through a collective narrator, the writer gives voice to subaltern groups of population who are forgotten or misrepresented in Revolutionary novels written by Garro’s masculine counterparts. Most importantly, her narrative is replete with examples of feminine subversion toward the status quo and the locus of enunciation. At the same time, Garro breaks with the canon by changing the focus to the female protagonists and by introducing in her novel the Magical Realism to illustrate the female interiority and sensitivity, as well as her personal vision and interpretation of the world. In her maximum expression of rebellion, Garro shows a variety of groups of Mexican women who tried very hard to reach an authentic identity, but the patriarchal society thwarted their plans. As a result, the woman stumbles and fails to contribute to the cause, sometimes becoming a mere traitor and then also a simple witness of the injustice. Many times, she represents main transmitting and defending agent of the same chauvinistic culture that has subjugated her.