In her novel Corregidora, Gayl Jones explores the disturbing trait of generational domestic violence. This is to say that women who experience domestic abuse in one relationship are much more likely to engage in other abusive relationships as well as their children being more likely to be abused by their significant others when they grow up. The question is whether these trends are born of psychological tendencies to seek out abusive behavior as a form of catharsis or self-punishment or if they are the result of the cultures into which these women are born. Keep in mind that women are not the only victims of domestic violence nor is abuse always one-sided.
In Ursa Corregidora's case, she has been taught since childhood that men are not to trusted and that women must stick together. Her grandma and great-grandma were slaves in Brazil. Her great-grandma was forced by her master -- a man named Corregidora -- to become a prostitute. He also raped her, siring Ursa's grandmother. Unable to stand the torture of her slavery any longer, Great Gram escapes and leaves her daughter to fend for herself. Grandmama ends up also being raped by Corregidora -- her father -- and giving birth to Ursa's mom. The women of this family have passed on these stories of Corregidora's treachery for generations. As a girl, Ursa was taught that her destiny is to raise daughters and to pass on to them the stories of their brave ancestors so that her grandmother and great-grandmother's suffering would not be in vain. In reality, she is unable to have children after an accident. She's had a series of abusive relationships as well, each of them men refusing to support her career as a blues singer. After doing some soul-searching and talking to her mother and sister, Ursa concludes that the enormous pressure of her family legacy has led the women to associate violence with sexuality and thus rob themselves of normal, healthy romantic relationships. She decides to honor her ancestors by incorporating their stories into her music, where her true skillset and passions li
With Corregidora Jones has accomplished something rather unique. She manages to tell this tragic story of domestic violence without resorting to third-wave feminist party lines. She is telling a story which has been told time and time again. With its roots in slavery, domestic violence is often the result of men considering women inferior or property, but to end the conversation there is to do all parties involved a great injustice. Abuse is a tricky subject which is much more complex than sexism would have you believe. More often than not both abusers and victims already have PTSD which causes them to respond to many inconsequential events as if they are life-threatening. PTSD messes with a person's defense mechanisms, making them enter panic mode way more often than necessary. Although not focusing on the psychological aspect of the problem, Jones does an excellent job painting the complex genetic and upbringing factors which contribute to Ursa's relationship problems.
