The House On Mango Street Rhetorical Analysis

Another approach Tournier takes to expose the complicity of European colonialism is by depicting how the sexual identification of Speranza is his only form of adapting his ideological beliefs. By classifying the island as female, it gave him an exceptional amount of control. For instance, Spivack writes, “the question is not of female participation in insurgency, or the ground rules of the sexual division of labor, for both of which there is ‘evidence.’ It is, rather that, both as object of colonialism historiography and as subject of insurgency, the ideological construction of gender keeps the male dominant.” Throughout the novel, Tournier continues to portray women in only one aspect. In a general sense that women are only meant to be viewed by their beauty, sensuality and comfort.
It is in his superiority state of mind that Crusoe begins bestowing laws, growing crops and even consummating with Speranza. Such laws include Article II, IV and V, the inhabitant of the island are required to express aloud all such thoughts as may occur to them, in a clear and audible voice, Sunday is the day of rest and only the Governor is allowed to smoke. All which are stated as the code of the Island of Speranza, instituted on the 1000th of his local calendar. Also due to the land being classified as female, Benita Parry states, “There is no space from where the subaltern (sexed) subject can speak, the subaltern as female cannot be heard or read.” The discourse of women keeps Crusoe in full power, as the island is represented as an object of a lower status. This status keeps Crusoe in the imperialistic state of mind. However, as the novel continues, readers can see Speranza is the only object in which Crusoe can forcibly place his