Las Adelitas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Las Adelitas - Essay Example They lives were controlled largely by either their fathers or husbands and other caretaker. The Mexican Revolution which began in the year 1911 and lasted up to 1920 was primarily against the presidency led by the governor of Mexico, Porfirio Diaz, as his rule was marked by violence and corruption while the common man and peasants lost their lands and were left with no means to support themselves. It was during this revolution the women folk also emerged from the confines of their homes and participated in the revolution to fight for their own causes (Jandura; Fernandez). Women shed their traditional image and dependency on men by becoming soldiers during the revolution. The various groups who opposed the rule of Diaz enrolled women in to their army. While some of the women soldiers fought for various reforms such as agrarian in order to provide better relief for the peasants, some others enrolled in the army to support their men or in other cases women entered the revolution in order to avenge the death of their dear ones and to improve their economic status. Women who worked as soldiers supported the men in their daily routine tasks in addition to supporting them in the battlefield. The men were in fact able to perform better with the support from the women as they were able to pursue their military responsibilities without any hindrance. In return for their participation women were rewarded with equality and freedom from attachment to their homes. They also gained economic freedom and were no longer bound by any societal or cultural norms that exi sted prior to the revolution. They also enjoyed their sexual freedom and engaged in sexual relations with men irrespective of their marital status. However, despite their abilities to work on par with men in the battlefield this transformation was not tolerated by men who wanted to remain the stronger force among the two genders. Thus these women soldiers were largely portrayed