Female Empowerment

Throughout the early parts of the novel, Luzia and Valentina feel that they do not have any control over their lives because of their gender. Over time, however, they realize that there is power in being underestimated, and both are able to take charge of their lives by embracing parts of themselves that men want to use for themselves or remove.

Luzia’s experiences as an unmarried servant show the dangers that women face when they are desperate to survive. There are many occasions where men mock or belittle women who give into their demands for security. This is shown when a priest asks performers what makes a woman, only for them to say, “She might have skill with a needle… Or a talent for conversation… Or she might be able to hold a man’s cock inside her and squeeze until he sees God...