Question

Discuss the influence of history and culture on theme and its relationship to gender roles in the essay “At the Hearth” by Laura Esquivel.

Answer 1

Throughout history women are almost always perceived as the weaker sex, they are treated unfairly without any logical reasoning aside from the fact that they are “inferior” to men.  

“At the Hearth” seeks to make people understand that women are not “less worthy”, they are not inferior and in fact, times have changed in the traditional gender roles in society.  

Answer 2

Esquivel comes from a land where masculine and feminine roles are well defined. Men value their “machismo” and exhibit their manliness with violent and aggressive behavior. Women are expected to be caretakers and clothe and feed the family, while remaining submissive and obedient. When she was a student during the cultural revolution of the 1960s, she rejected those values and the duties associated with the home as being unworthy of her attention. After she married and had a child, she recognized the value of lessons learned “at the hearth” and even the importance of seemingly small, seemingly insignificant tasks, like cooking a meal. She discovered the need for balance between masculine and feminine, material and spiritual, and reason and emotion. She now embraces her heritage and history while still hoping for a “New Man” that will embody this balance.