Aura-Consuelo:Crazy Old Bat or Resourceful Oppressed Woman?

In Aura, the character Consuelo is often painted in an unfavorable light, but in reality she was just reacting to the pressures her society placed on women of the time. Aura is set in 1960 Mexico. At this particular time and place society dictated that women should be fertile, beautiful, and productive in the home. When Consuelo found that she was unable to provide children she felt as if she'd failed at completing the tasks society had designated her gender and felt she needed to resort to black magic and the torturing of cats to accomplish these impossible tasks. It became even more difficult for Consuelo to keep up with society's demands of women as she grew older. With the loss of her beauty and her strength Consuelo was unable to measure up to any of society's standards for women. In the end Consuelo was forced to summon her youth again through questionable means if she wished to be accepted into her society. If this novel has a villain it is society, not the helpless old woman.