2019-09-152019-09-15August 2012019-08August 201https://hdl.handle.net/10657/4684This dissertation analyzes the human body’s representation as a discursive space in three coming of age Mexican novels: Cartucho (1931) by Nellie Campobello, Yo soy mi casa (1957) by Guadalupe Amor, and Balún Canán (1957) by Rosario Castellanos. In these novels, the historical, political, and social circumstances of post-revolutionary Mexico are manifested through the psychological and physiological representation of the main characters. The female body and its descriptions are a central theme in the narratives of these Bildungsromane. Furthermore, they constitute a way of resistance against the masculinizing discourse in post war literature. On the other hand, they are an important tool to observe the circumstances around marginal groups, as well as excluded and ignored communities by the official discourse during the reconstructive post-revolutionary era. Chapter 1 analyzes Cartucho (1931) by Nellie Campobello through the configuration of the body as an image. The author uses the image as a tool to avoid negative criticism towards her writing regarding the masculinizing culture about female texts, especially about the female body. The focus of chapter 2 revolves around mental illness and physical abuse in Yo soy mi casa (1957) by Guadalupe Amor. Under, the post-revolutionary governmental system that was in fact a restrictive bio political system during the so-called Reconstruction era. Finally, chapter 3 examines Rosario Castellanos novella Balún Canán (1957) regarding the Mexican indigenous identity and the female body representation. I consider both topics as opposing forces in the novella that force the author to maintain certain remnants from the integrationist official discourse about the indigenous population during President Lázaro Cárdenas term.application/pdfspaThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).BildungsromanPosrevolución MexicanaRevolución MexicanaCastellanos, RosarioAmor, GuadalupeCampobello, Nellie2019-09-15Thesisborn digital