Uribe, Alejandra

This research study on the antislavery novel, Sab (1841), by Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, explores issues of race, gender and social status in Cuban society during the 19th century. Avellaneda’s narrative establishes a difference between ethnic, gender and economic privileges portrayed through the most influential characters in the novel: the slave, Sab; the daughter of the landowner, Carlota; orphaned daughter of Carlota’s uncle, Teresa; and Enrique, a British landowner and Carlota’s fiancé. This study pays particular attention to Teresa’s resistance to the patriarchal values in a colonial society ruled by Spain. I consider this character crucial to understand the antislavery discourse that Avellaneda incorporates in her novel to destabilize a hierarchical and prejudiced society. Furthermore, I will illustrate the major role of Teresa in the novel, whose presence has been shaded by the central female character, Carlota, and frequently underestimated by the critics.