Marcella And Zoraida Comparison

For centuries now, society viewed females as submissive and feeble second-class citizens. The sole purpose of their existence was to look pretty, so their male counterpart could paraded them around as a trophy. A woman 's worth was deemed only by her beauty and social status. Women’s beauty was seen to be an accessory to the husband’s wealth, an asset, the more beauteous the female was the more envious and respected he was. Females at the time only had two choices in life, marriage or go into the convent. Their path and chooses predetermined by the parents and then after marriage by the husband. Never being allowed to express or compose an idea or a thought of their own, only to be confined to how society norms of what a produced women. Always …show more content…
Both Marcela and Zoraida had masculine undertones in their actions and thought processes. Both characters had a similar background in the sense they both were wealthy and the only child. Marcella and Zoraida are strong female characters, who show great ambitious in what they are pursuing. They know who and what they want and go after, whatever the consequence be would be,they both aren 't swayed by anyone else 's opinions or society standards of norm. Marcela was a woman who sought out independence and freedom. She was didn 't want to be chained to the density of normal women. “I was born free, and in order to live free I chose the solitude of the countryside” (Cervantes 99). Marclea’s thinking was unorthodox, because there was no such thing as freedom for a maiden. Females could just live their lives without marrying. Her bizarre think of living with her goats and being a shepherdess on a mountain was unheard of. “Marcela unconventional “careless freedom” that the men literally do not know how to react” (Jehenson 22). Marcela “rejects both the societal and the fictional codes that have inscribed” women traditional (Jehenson 26). Zoraida on the other hand was wanted religious freedom. Born as a Moor, Zoraida wanted to convert to Christianity on Christian land at any cost. “If my father finds out, he will throw me in a well and cover me over with stones” (Cervantes 347). Zorsida a “captive behind the closed windows of her father’s house”, ready to leave her livelihood, country, father and wealth behind so she can be free to worship “Lela Marien” (Garces 67). Being introduced to the religion by her Christian slave, Zoraida is zealous in her endeavor to convert into the religion she dreamt to be right for