El Revolver and Domestic Violence

Abstract

Domestic violence is a common issue in the United States, affecting “one in four women and one in seven men” (Duncan et al.). The presence of a firearm in the home is commonly believed to increase the risk of domestic violence occurring, and an abuser’s ownership of a firearm increases an abused woman's risk of being killed by her partner, making her death five times more likely (Duncan et al.). Given the prevalence of domestic violence in our nation, as well as the firearm-friendly culture in Montana, this topic is relevant to conversations surrounding culture, law, psychology, and public health. In the short story El Revolver, Emilia Pardo Bazán illustrates an abusive marriage in which the husband (the aggressor) informs his wife that he has a loaded revolver, and threatens to use it to kill her while she sleeps. Though he never actually uses the revolver, the wife lives each day in terror of her husband and his revolver. After his death, she discovers that the revolver was unloaded, planting the seeds for conversation regarding physical versus psychological violence. Through the framework of El Revolver, this research-based presentation will examine the impact of firearms on domestic violence and abusive relationships while considering cultural factors and the topics relevance to public health.