"By discrediting cultural models of female assertion, by strictly confining her tendency to dominate to the 'female' sphere... by raising Frank above her--putting him on a pedestal--Carmen pursued submission as part of a traditional strategy. She squelched her assertion outside the home; she actively magnified any feelings of dependence; these were the psychological moves that kept her soul in line with her strategy" (72-73).
It boggles my mind that Carmen would "actively [magnify] any feelings of dependence" in order uphold her ideals of what family life should be. It makes sense, obviously, but it still fascinates me, and frustrates me that people are forced to go so far as to manipulate behavior in order to keep their familial ideals in tact. With Carmen and Frank's situations, especially, the primary reason for their having to manipulate their behavior is economic. How do we reconcile economic issues and familial ideals? Is manipulating behavior in the manner Carmen did the only way?
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