A Portrait of the Artist as a Young (Punk) Woman in Cristina García's Novel Dreaming in Cuban

Abstract

This paper provides an analysis of the portrayal of the young woman artist in Cristina García’s novel Dreaming in Cuban (1992) to examine the importance of creativity and art-making processes in the development of a girl’s identity. In this modern female künstlerroman, García reformulates stereotypical images by putting forth the independence, autonomy, rebellion, and determination of the novel’s protagonist, Pilar Puente, a Cuban-born, American-raised girl who employs different art-making processes throughout her coming of age as a second-generation immigrant in the 1970s. Issues dealing with the socio-cultural construction of her girlhood are thus at the centre of inquiry and will be considered from various methodological perspectives within the field of Girlhood Studies, which addresses precisely the experiences and representations of girls in a range of formats and manifestations (Mitchel, Reid-Walsh and Kirk 2008). Ultimately, this study highlights the fact that the role of creativity and arts integration in any field are powerful interdisciplinary tools for both girls and women to connect their current reality with their desired states of mind and accomplishments. Ultimately, this article will discuss the dichotomy between what has been socially and culturally expected from girls in opposition to how this young punk artist chooses to be.