Masculinity, paternity and power in «Las botellas y los hombres» by Julio Ramón Ribeyro

Abstract

Although the figure of the father is present in much of the Latin American narrative, the truth is that it has only been approached from a truly theoretical perspective in recent decades, thanks to gender studies and, especially, to masculinities. In this context, the study of paternity emerges as an attempt to understand the father and the various roles that he fulfills in the family and social spectrum, which have varied notably in recent times. Based on this paradigm, this article analyzes «Las botellas y los hombres» by the Peruvian writer Julio Ramón Ribeyro. In the diegesis of this story, the link that occurs between male subjectivity and fatherhood is represented. It has been found that, from Ribeyro's point of view, this link is problematic, because the relationships established between the father and the male child, protagonists of the text, are marked by the contradictory social discourses that exist on masculinity and paternity, those who instrumentalize perverse mandates that in their attempt to discipline men, make them subjects of frustration and pain.