Pig Latin Poem Analysis

Clarice Lispector’s “Pig Latin” is an interesting view into societal values of women and their sexuality. Often in society women are reduced to their relationship with sex and their bodies, forced into unwinnable situations where they’re either ridiculed and labeled ‘whores’ or they’re at risk of being raped. Society continues to forward this ultimatum with dire repercussions either side of the spectrum. When the decision is rape or forced into a stereotype, either way a women’s self-confidence is destroyed and she begins to believe she is nothing more than her sexuality.
At the beginning of the story, Cidinha’s self-worth is set up quickly and highly. She is a “highly sought-after teacher” who cared about her personal appearance, dressing …show more content…
She is able to understand what the men are saying and know that “the slighted gesture would kill her.” The idea to act like a prostitute seems a logical leap from previously thinking about her own virginity. This decision speaks volumes on how society views women comfortable in their sexuality. “If I pretend I’m a prostitute, they’ll change their minds, they don’t like whore.” Here Cidinha obviously believes she has more worth as a potential target when she is an average woman who may or may not be sexually active. By imitating a ‘whore’, she believes that the men will no longer want her as much because she is ‘dirty’ or …show more content…
“I’ll turn her in to the cops at the first station.” The police officers obviously believe she was a whore and “called her the worst names” as she spent her three days in jail. She smokes to pass the time, still feeling herself trapped in her role. It is not until she is released from custody that she begins to feel more herself. “She’d washed her face, she was no longer a prostitute.” For her time in prison, she is labeled by her surroundings because of what she looked like, considered lesser because they viewed her as a woman who regularly engages in sex and is comfortable in her