Resisting Power

Rosaura possesses no power in the world. She is the maid’s daughter and a young Hispanic girl. She has strikes against her in social class, where she rests quite close to the bottom. Yet, she seems oblivious to all of these facts and the ulterior motives of the people around her in “The Stolen Party” by Liliana Heker. She believes she has power and respect, as proven in the first scene when she stubbornly stands up to her mother about going to a party at the house where the mother is the maid. “‘Ah yes, your friend”, her mother grumbled. She paused, ’Listen Rosaura,’ she said at last. ’That one’s not your friend. You know what you are to them? The maid’s daughter, that’s what.’” The mother has obviously become worn in. She has learned how unjust the system is and wants to keep her daughter away from the party. She wants to protect her. “You know nothing about being friends!” Rosaura counters. She is resisting the little power her mother has- her power as a guardian. Her resistance causes her mom to not give in exactly, but to allow her daughter to see for herself. However, Rosaura reads this as her mother submitting to her and realizing she was right- adding on to her unrealistic, naïve amount of power.

At the party, Rosaura feels she has power over the other kids because the adults always ask her to help because she “knew the house so much better than the others” and the others were “much to boisterous”. In reality. Señora Ines is exercising her power over Rosaura because she is able to manipulate her and prove she is better than Rosaura by making her do all of the work. In addition, the girl with the bow has power because she “know(s) all of Luciana’s friends but I(She) do(does) not know you(Rosaura)”. This hints that there is something more going on- an ulterior motive. Rosaura still puts up resistance to the girl with her “so what?” and by kicking the girl in the shin. She still believes she is right. She believes she is more right than her mother and this girl with a bow.

Finally, at the end of the book the plot is revealed. Rosaura is waiting for her party favor with her mother when instead of a gift, Señora Ines hands over two checks. Señora Ines has put on this show to tell Rosaura that she is powerless- Señora Ines belittles her. Rosaura finally realizes that her resistance may not have brought her power. It only brought worry out of her mother and amusement out of the girl with a bow. The only power she earned was power to believe her own stories, power to resist, power to be stubborn, power to believe.  Yet, her power feels diminished once Señora Ines hands over those checks. She reminds them of her power. The power of class. The power of wealth, but what about the power of the heart?