Research Topic...

After suffering from considerable writer's block and going back and forth with what angle to go with on this paper, I decided to write about the symbolism of female oppression in The Youngest Doll and Desiree's Baby.  (And if I could figure out how to start it, that would be thoroughly good.)

Both Rosario Ferre and Kate Chopin depict the way societal roles for women are extremely belittling and oppressive, as well as using powerful symbolism to describe the crippling of women by men. It also shows the way women retaliate against their situations. In The Youngest Doll, more than anything else, the symbol of oppression is the prawn. It enters her body and cripples her from within, reducing her to nothing more than a shadow of the vibrant woman she was when the story began. There is another symbol of oppression in this story; the United States and the way they colonized Puerto Rico and crippled their infrastructure. Kate Chopin's story uses racism and neglect as a symbol of oppression. The prawn and the issue of race can be compared in the way that the prawn bites the aunt in Ferre's story much the same way that the issue of race bites into Desiree's situation.

This are my thoughts so far. I need help with this, cause for reasons unknown, I cant seem to find a way to put my thoughts in order to write this. :(