Not only do they manage to present a situation which is unfair, making the reader empathize with the female characters under discussion, but they also demonstrate the complex mechanisms through which the social identity of the woman is constructed.
The main factors of decision are the belonging to a certain race and a to a certain social class. The implications of these belonging to are fundamental, but the implications are strong only as far as the social persona is concerned. The impact upon the person is not something that can be described as a universal rule. The power dynamics in society clearly favour the position of men. However both readers succeed to demonstrate that while women depend on men, the situation is artificially maintained by social dynamics which have nothing to do with the personal value of the individual.
Stereotypes about race are also dealt with by both Yanez and Ferre. They suggest that all people are alike and that the borders between black and white are nothing more but a social construct. The manner in which race influences social status (the possessed one, but also the perceived one) is presented as unfair, both feminist writers suggesting that...
Black and white women will have the same human desires and expectations and they will both present their strengths and weaknesses in a manner which constantly reminds the reader that they are merely human.
Bibliography:
Ferre, R. "The youngest doll and other stories." Retrieved May 11, 2010 from http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=27667077
Leonard, K. Bibliographic guide to Chicana and Latian narrative. Praeger publishers. 2003
Leonard, K. Latin American women writers: a resource guide to titles in English. The scarecrow press, 2007
Puelo, a. "The intersection of race, sex, gender and class in a short story by Rosario Ferre," Studies in short fiction, 1995, retrieved May 12, 2010 from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2455/is_n2_v32/ai_17268515/pg_5/?tag=content;col1
Yanez, M. (ed.). Cubana. Contemporary fiction by Cuban women. Beacon Press. 1998
