The supposed power of men was an issue of gender politics in Seven Solitudes of Lorsa Lopez by Sony Labou Tansi and The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende. African and Latin American cultures have become societies vulnerable to traditional prejudices that women are the weaker race, responsible for men's problems. Through their attitudes, their physical strength and their physically, verbally and emotionally abusive behaviors, men continue to oppress women in their societies. Male power has been institutionalized by society, while women continually fight their socially accepted roles using the only weapons available to them: their voice and sexuality. Estina Benta and Clara try to conform to their own standards of living by attempting to challenge their masculine attitudes. spouses. Using the power to express their opinions and maintain strong self-confidence, both are able to control the emotions of their male authorities. (Provide context for this quote) “Clara walked around like a silent shadow. She didn't even look at him. She walked past him as if [he] were a piece of furniture. [They] had not started sleeping in the same bed again” (Allende 113). By abstaining from communication and sex, Clara is able to expose Esteban's vulnerability and gain her own power and independence. This particular vulnerability revealed through Esteban Trueba is the very essence of his final downfall. He “felt defeated for the first time in his life” (104) (put the quote at the end of the sentence), which led to his abusive and possessive behavior towards Clara. “She wanted so much more than her body; she wanted control over that indefinite and luminous matter that lay within her” (96). The need for obsessive control over women is the backbone of... middle of paper... because he needed to be loved, even if it meant having to resort to extreme measures. [But] he realized that Clara did not belong to him and that… she probably never would” (96). “Taking command using his physical advantage Esteban “pulled her out of bed, dragged her down the hall, pushed her down the stairs, and pushed her into the library” (132). As in “pulled,” “dragged,”” pushed" and "pushed" are related to sexual violence, which is the only dominant characteristic of a man that can keep him in a position of power. However being a strong individual does not mean having physical strength, rather it means a strong, emotionally stable mind and the power to speak out; all weapons of women of African and Latin American cultures. Through their words and actions such as sex strikes, their power is illuminated and true equality is found because “women are also men.” (23).