ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to analyse how Carla Trujillo discusses Chicana lesbian identity in her novel What Night Brings (2003) through the eyes of an eleven year- old Chicana girl. Trujillo questions gender boundaries and sexual identity in a patriarchal Chicano cultural context characterized by violence and homophobia. The protagonist, Marcia Cruz, takes the reader on a journey of sexual awakening in which the body becomes fundamental to the exploration, and definition, of her sexual identity. Trujillo frames this in a Christian context since Marci looks for answers and protection in religion and the Church especially in respect of her sexual identity. What Night Brings is a Chicana girlhood memoir that shows the uncertainties of growing up queer in a patriarchal culture and questions the gender boundaries in a Chicana girl’s sexual awakening.

摘要

本研究的目的是分析 Carla Trujillo 在她的小说What Night Brings (2003) 中如何通过一个 11 岁的奇卡纳女孩的视角讨论奇卡纳女同性恋身份。特鲁希略在以暴力和恐同为特征的父权制奇卡诺文化背景下质疑性别界限和性别认同。主人公玛西娅克鲁兹带领读者踏上一段性觉醒之旅，身体成为探索和定义她的性身份的基础。特鲁希略在基督教背景下构建了这一点，因为马西在宗教和教会中寻求答案和保护，特别是在她的性别认同方面。夜晚带来了什么是一部奇卡纳少女回忆录，展示了在父权文化中成长的酷儿的不确定性，并质疑奇卡纳女孩性觉醒中的性别界限。