La muñeca menor
With the multiple translations of this short story, it separated her from other Latin American writers who primarily wrote their work in Spanish.
[3] Among other differences of writers during this time, Ferré focused on undermining the "classist, racist and sexist underpinnings" in regard to those who were part of the elite in Puerto Rico, aiming towards the base of feminism and the females sexuality.
[6] With knowledge of what was occurring within Puerto Rico at the time, the work in itself was a fictional reimaging of what could be expected within conflict.
A chágara, found in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean Islands, is a type of edible crustacean: shrimp, prawn or crayfish, fished from rivers and freshwater streams by locals.
[12] According to critic Cynthia Sloan, "One of the lucid strategies that Ferré employs to challenge the conventional misrepresentation is to introduce the presence of dolls in the literal, as well as the figurative sense, to show how the doll, being the stereotypical choice of toy for a girl, encapsulates societal expectations of behavior and appearance and therefore limits the scope of possibilities for women by continually reinforcing unrealistic ideals".
[2][12] According to critic Mervin Romá Capeles, the aunt feels humiliated and sacrificed by a powerful man as he pursues his ambitions; a doctor who has so morbidly chosen to not treat her wound, has instead kept her as his permanent patient because of her wealth.
As the years go by, the aunt, though beautiful and wealthy, is ashamed of her disfigured leg and abandons the prospect of marriage, instead focusing on raising her nine nieces.
Whenever the nieces were around the aunt, they would try to lift up her skirt slightly because the wound in which the river prawn was nested gave off a sweet smell.
The glass eyes that were to be put into the doll were always submerged into the river so that they "recognized the slightest stirring of the prawns antennae".
As each niece grows and is sent off to get married, the aunt creates one last doll for each and states, in Spanish: Aquí tienes tu Pascua de la Resurrección, "Here is your Easter Sunday".
Once married, the young doctor immediately moves his wife, the youngest niece, to an ugly concrete building, a strong contrast from the luxury she has known.
The young doctor orders his new wife to sit on the balcony, as evidence for all to see that he married into high society.
After some time, as the youngest niece remains on the balcony, the young doctor decides to sell the doll's diamond eyes.
