Significant Themes in Catalina De Erauso's Memoir Lieutenant Nun

It is extremely difficult for people living in today's society to imagine a time and a place where one would have better opportunities as a man. In fact, today women have leadership roles everywhere. All over the world they rule as queens, presidents, prime ministers and governors. However, in Catalina de Erauso's memoir, Lieutenant Nun, she writes that being a man is the only way she will ever be able to encounter the "new" world that she has heard countless accounts of, and feel like an equal member of society. Erauso's feelings make a powerful statement about the roles of women in Spanish society in the late 1500's, and early 1600's. Not only does it show the views of Spanish society in the fifteenth century, in regards to the power the male gender holds, but it states the significance of virginity, and how the differences between the society we live in today is immensely different then the society Erauso experiences.

It is no surprise that Erauso had curiosities about life outside of her small town in Spain where she resided with her prosperous family. Erauso had two possibilities; she could be married or join the convent. This would continue to protect her families honor and wealth. However, Erauso grew up with brothers from whom she heard stories of the "new world", which ultimately shaped the person she would become after escaping.

It is evident in Erauso's memoir that she did not plan her escape, but rather it was a rash decision. She does not state her reasons for becoming a man but one can only assume it is based on her longing to be free. She writes, "I cut my hair and threw it away, and on the third night, wanting to get as far from that place as I possibly could, I set off without knowing where I was going" (4). After she runs away she never looks back on her womanhood The only remorse ever expressed by Erauso is when she runs away from the king's secretary after her father visits and expresses his distress over her disappearance. However the remorse she feels after overhearing her father seems quickly forgotten after an incident where she runs into her mother under the cover of her new identity. "...I saw that when she looked at me she did not recognize me, and when the mass was over and some of the nuns beckoned me into the choir, I made like I didn't understand...and slipped out the door" (7). This incident encourages Erauso to continue to live as a man, and she quickly flees town to start work.

The roles of women during this time were quite old fashioned. In the introduction of the novel Michelle Stepto writes, "Conventional marriage or the conventual life- these were the possibilities open to the Erauso daughters..." (xxvii). Erauso begins her memoir describing how she was placed in a convent of Dominican nuns where she resided with her aunt who was the prioress of the convent, "There I lived until the age of fifteen, in training for the day where I would profess myself a nun" (3). Erauso did not appear that she wanted to join the covenant, ,,it seemed that she felt forced and quite possibly trapped. The quarrel that Erauso had with one of the sisters is what she cited was the catalyst to her abrupt departure, but one can assume that she was in fact searching for a reason to run away. In comparison of Erauso's role in society to t he roles of men in the Spanish sixteenth century, there is not much difference. She jumped right in to the male role, and did not look back. She fought battles just as the men did, she killed as though they did, and she had relationships as they did. The roles of women in sixteenth century Spain were quite submissive. Men fought and went overseas to gain land, and women stayed home to raise families, or to become a servant of God.

The role of violence in Erauso's memoir is significant. It says a great deal about the type of society they lived in. Not only did Erauso constantly kill people and start fights but she would get away with it. Almost every chapter of her memoir discussed a different incident where she would "slash" someone's face. Eruaso would either be jailed briefly or would talk her way out of it using her Basque background as a means to her freedom. This makes a very clear statement about the type of society that was about during this time. It was such a colonial time and the massive amount of violence was not uncommon, and also was not a major concern. It held less of an importance than it would today in this time, and our societies. It is also interesting to note that she only behaves this way as a "man", never as a women does Erauso react violently. Eruaso's choice to only act violent as a man, shows that society only accepted this sort of violent behavior from men and that it was considered "girly" for a man to not fight. She writes, "I slip out of the cloak, draw my sword with one hand and my pistol with the other..." (59). This statement is Erauso's reaction to a constable that was looking for her while she was still acting as a man. However, when Eruaso has revealed herself as a women, she no longer reacts so violently, and instead describes the situation almost as if she is a different person, "...nine men suddenly sprang at us, with their guns raised and cocked. They circled round us and ordered us to dismount. We had little choice in the mater...and so as we stood there, they took our weapons and horses..." (75). The stark difference between her reactions as a man versus her behavior as a women make a very strong statement. Her actions clearly show that men wielded so much power during that time of Spanish history.

Erauso's account of her revelation was very surprising. She makes her confession to a senior bishop, who does react in shock, but he also does not act out in the anger, that one would expect from a bishop. What is more surprising is the value that is placed on her virginity. Not only did her virginity allow her acceptance into the convent, but it caused the senior bishop to entirely believe her. Today virginity is an extremely taboo subject. It is not discussed as freely and openly as it was in the Spanish society of the fifteenth century. It appears that virginity during Erauso's time was ultimately powerful. "I believe you now, and I shall believe from this day on whatever you may chose to tell me-I esteem you as one of the more remarkable people in this world, and promise to help you in whatever you do, and to aid you in your new life in service to God" (66). The previous quote was spoken to Erauso by the senior bishop, and it is an incredibly powerful statement. She is granted complete forgiveness, and she is promised that her word will always be valued and believed.

Ultimately, the two things that were valued most in Spanish society are paralleled but incredibly opposite; being a man, and female virginity. If one was a man in fifteenth century Spain, they had power, and the opportunity to do more than just join a convent. However if you were a female, and remained a virgin after living outside the convent, therefore proving you could still stay "pure", you were regarded with almost as much if not more respect than if you were a man. What this says about the time is that power was given to those who were men or those who were pure. This was clearly the case in the Erauso book because it was the driving force that led her to live as a man. She was able to be considered a powerful person, but also ultimately got to enjoy the benefits of being "pure".