Catalina De Erauso, who was depicted in the persona of Lieutenant Nun, was a woman, which at an early age was sent into a convent and was expected by her parents to be a nun. She was basically raised in the loving arms of a religious people and once surrounded by a pious environment. Apparently, Catalina was from a wealthy family, which has an excellent background.
Their family was a native-born of San Sebastian, Spain. Practically, their family has enough background to be proud of. Prearranged by this scenario, what was expected from Catalina turnout to be the other way around. She left the convent at the age of fifteen and transformed to be a man.
She acts like a man and dress like a man. She would do what men are doing; she even took jobs that only men prefer to do.She even had an affair with the same gender and even got marriage proposals from the parents who would love to be her mother-in-law. As she began to disguise and acted as a man, she got the chance to have cross paths with her family – her father, her brother and even her uncle.
She began doing what is beyond the line – doing the things that are against the law of the country and the law of our God. In lieu of which, she started hiding and going into different places just to run to her obligations as a person.Amidst every circumstance that Catalina had gone through and whatever horrible decisions she chooses to carry out, at the end of everything, she would ask God to guide her. She would even confess all the things she had done wrong which were a good attitude that somehow she gets when she was still in the convent.
It’s good to know that at least there is a part in her life that she opts to mull over and try to regain her spiritual aspect. Throughout the life story of Lieutenant Nun, as it was exemplified that Catalina was once part of a battle, unfortunately, she was accused of committing a crime, which she was innocent of. If we will look at it, there were lots of people in this world, which are not guilty of a crime but experienced to be tortured by those people who was in the position to make those acts.As Catalina went into different places to take her chances hand in hand with escaping with the realization that she commit some atrocious mistakes, it’s just come into an observation how her family member manage to be peaceful despite that fact that their daughter has left the convent.
Parallel to this, given the fact that Catalina disguises to be able to do what she really wanted – and that is to be a man, how come that even her family as they get into that crossroads was not able to recognize her, would there be no intense feelings or blood relation reaction that her father sensed that the one in front of him was her daughter Catalina? Another consideration was that, it’s just a serous matter every time she contemplate over the wrong things she has done, still the evil just escalates and she continuously commits serious gaffe.Catalina’s relationship with God and her spiritual side were surprisingly present within herself. Every time she chooses to go to church, it just show that she still have strong believe with God and could still make a difference with her personality. On another note, as Catalina changes her lifestyle and the way she dresses up, it could be an implication that she really wanted a new life as well as new responsibility, which are not just limited into being a woman; she absolutely changes her identity.
“David Marshall defines the celebrity signs as a cultural representation or a personality or an image that is then circulated as a marketable commodity” (Erauso, Catalina. The Lieutenant Nun: Transgerderism, Lesbian Desire & Catalina de Erauso. Trans. Sherry Marie Velasco.
University of Texas Press, 2000). There were several identities that Catalina portrays which give emphasis to the public and could be an eye opener to everyone. Her life experiences could make a huge impact and can also lead a better way on how others would draw their life.It was a huge and brave step that Catalina – Lieutenant Nun – chose to be contented in her life.
It is true that we have to take our chances and take some risks in order for us to be happy, but we should also take into account the outcome of our decisions – on how it would affect our lives in the future. “Image found little acceptance in the ideology of an emerging bourgeois society, the Lieutenant Nun, both in her lesbian incarnation served various ideological functions during the nineteenth century” (Erauso, Catalina. The Lieutenant Nun: Transgerderism, Lesbian Desire & Catalina de Erauso. Trans.
Sherry Marie Velasco. University of Texas Press, 2000). People’s acceptance to what you perceived to be right is not that easy; you should know also how to stand to what you believe is right doing and that will make you a better person and that’s how other people will accept you – like that of Catalina Erauso.
