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Cheyenne (Donna Kolody) English 296-001 Early American Literature Melina Vizcano-Alemn 9/10/2011 Are You Sure You Want To Go Dancing

The conflict between cultural, masculine traditions, the emergence of the new, outspoken female and familial expectations are highlighted in the folkloric tale "The Devil Woman (Two Mexican-American Oral tales: The Llorona, Malinche, and Unfaithful Maria and The Devil Woman); translated and printed in 1959. Although this was originally an oral folktale, with a moral lesson emphasizing the inviolability of fidelity and family values, the colorful language used by the narrator and translator serves to paint a visual picture and attempts to re-create the mood a storyteller would convey. Depicting the devil as a female, and describing her appearance in a way which symbolically suggests a modern female enhances that visual picture. "Under the shawl she wore over her head he could see that her hair was long and wavy. She had long polished fingernails ("Devil Woman" 773). The interaction between the characters is shown in conversational style; the conversational style connects the written to the oral, allowing the reader to feel as if they are listening in. The combination of these techniques effectively converts an oral tale to the written form.

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In the late 1950s rural America saw a large percentage of the population, including Hispanic- Americans; migrate to urban areas in search of work. Traditional Hispanic values, which included strong community and family ties along with patriarchal family standards, were being challenged. Although women were recognized as having power over life and death their role in Hispanic culture was traditionally submissive. The woman's movement had gained a strong foothold; women, across cultures, became more outspoken and resisted the traditional patriarchal family hierarchy. This tale seems to be a story with two purposes; moral and a warning regarding the changing culture.

On a surface level the story seems to offer a moral; listen to your parents and be faithful to your wife or fianc. Manual rides his horse away from home into the town to attend the dance, as he is in the habit of doing every Saturday. He defies his parents and ignores cultural traditions; "His parents and his sweetheart told him was bad luck to go to a dance on the night before his wedding, but he laughed at them and rode off to town (Devil Woman 773). The events that follow pit Manual against the devil; and his friends find him close to death. The moral is clearly stated in the line; "Everyone knew that the devil had come for him because he hadn't listened to his old parents and his sweetheart"("Devil Woman" 773).

On a symbolic level, the story of Manual serves as a commentary on cultural change and the possible consequences. Manual stops on his way to town and picks up a girl who is walking to the dance; he does this even though he understands he's violating cultural tradition as he states

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"I'm going to get married tomorrow and if my sweetheart hears about it, she might call off the wedding"("Devil Woman" 773). It does not take much to convince Manual to ignore what he knows is right. The woman is described with terms that indicate she is a contemporary woman; with long wavy hair and polished fingernails. Her manner is outspoken, in a way that is common for the times; however, not the culture. She asks for a cigarette and after he gives her one she tells Manual Well light it for me stupid (Devil Woman 773). The choice of a female as the Devil, "When he held the match to light her cigarette, he saw her face clearly for the first time. It was the hideous face of the devil! ("Devil Woman" 773); seems to indicate cultural feeling surrounding the feminist movement.

As the editor notes in footnote number one, marital curse and revenge tales within a culture are often related; and indicates the story of "La Llorona" and "the Devil Woman" are likely to have a common source. Oral literature has many roles, although its entertainment value is not to be denied, the political role in the preservation of a peoples culture, traditions and religion is the element a story teller seeks to preserve.

To accomplish this, the story must change as the culture changes; and cultural values are in danger of being lost. Storytellers adjust the language of the tale to include contemporary events and language; allowing the story to remain the vehicle for a moral lesson. These aesthetic elements combine to ensure the messages the stories hold continue to be transmitted to generations of listeners.

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