Oppression Stifles Creation

After breaking down Virginia Woolf’s argument about what a woman needs to be a successful writer, there is a key piece of her argument that is relevant in the idea that Gloria Anzaldua introduces in Borderlands, which somewhat contradicts Woolf. Most of the evidence they present is in alignment, mostly in the fact that culture has been systematically oppressing women throughout the course of history. However, one idea that Anzaldua presents is that “Home” isn’t always a great place, and can be even more oppressive than not being at home. A lot of this is due to her cultural background and sexuality. It’s important for a writer to have a clear mind when they are producing content, and a place where you don’t feel comfortable refutes your ability to have that clear mind. However, I think the key message is very similar between the two authors. The main message being that it’s important for women to have a place where they feel comfortable and accepted, without the outer world tainting or oppressing any part of them.

This is clear when Anzaldua writes “I want the freedom to carve and chisel my own face, to staunch the bleeding with ashes, to fashion my own gods out of my entrails, and if going home is denied me then I will have to stand and claim my space, making a new culture… with my own lumber, my own bricks and mortar, and my own feminist architecture.” By saying this, she shows how much she values wanting to live in a world that respects her and where she feels comfortable. She even goes so far as to say that if it doesn’t exist at “home,” then she’ll build it herself.

Although this isn’t the only instance in which Anzaldua supports and furthers Woolf’s thesis, it shows how important it is to both of the authors that they find a place in which they can thrive in an environment where they aren’t oppressed. Creation must never be stifled.