Abstract

SILVA LOMELI, Alejandra. «Friends enslave, son». Authority figures and hegemonic masculinity in “Un boleto para cualquier parte”. Valenciana [online]. 2021, vol.14, n.28, pp.7-27.  Epub Oct 18, 2021. ISSN 2007-2538.  https://doi.org/10.15174/rv.v13i28.517.

This article shows an analysis of the short story titled “Un boleto para cualquier parte” contained in the volume Tiempo destrozado (1959), the first book of stories published by the Mexican author Amparo Dávila. The protagonist is Marcos, a man who seems to have a typical life: he is an employee and has a girlfriend named Irene, and his mother lives in a place where she receives the necessary care and attention. However, as the story develops, we can observe how Marcos’ everyday life actually represents to him the obligation to fulfill a series of expectations and social responsibilities that overwhelm him. The central idea of this analysis is that such commitments correspond to a model of hegemonic masculinity, which exceeds Marcos’ abilities and desires. Exhausted by his life, the character buys a one-way ticket to any place in order to escape the multiple terrible situations that he imagines. Nevertheless, this action becomes a paradox as his running away keeps the power relations that he intends to avoid.

Gender studies, especially those focused on masculinities, are the theoretical basis of this proposal. The research and reflections of Judith Butler, Raewyn Connell, Robert McKee Irwin and Mark Millington guide our observations about the authority figures, the hegemonic masculinity and its relation to the character.

Keywords : Amparo Dávila; Mexican narrative; Gender; Masculinity; Authority.