Discrimination and Violence The Case of "Vals capricho" by Rosario Castellanos and "Teresa" by Onelio Jorge Cardoso

Abstract

In Rosario Castellanos' narrative we find racial conflicts that characterize the environment of the province of Mexico in the post-revolutionary period and determine the socioeconomic way of life of individuals. In "Vals capricho", the protagonist knows firsthand the social marginalization only for carrying Indian blood. So she will never be accepted by a ruthless society that will lead her to madness and bitter loneliness. On the other hand, Onelio Jorge Cardoso, through his stories presents characters who live in conditions of exclusion and discrimination and suffer the consequences of the political, social and moral crisis in Cuba, due to the social structures of his time that they sow in the individual fears and prejudices.

Specifically in “Teresa”, a woman from the lower classes, she is ashamed of her origin, therefore, she treats two people of color with a racist attitude, considering them culturally and mentally inferior, subjecting them to marginalization and depriving them of happiness. The objective of this work is through a historical-cultural study to highlight predominant motives such as violence and social discrimination, among other latent in the stories mentioned above.