Luck of the Draw: Gambling, Marriage, and the Labor Economy in Clorinda Matto de Turner’s Herencia

Clorinda Matto de Turner has been studied as an important naturalist writer. However, her use of economic topics deserves more attention. Herencia exposes her anxieties surrounding women’s limited work options, economic risk, and Peru’s rapid modernization and financial upheavals after the War of the Pacific. It communicates the dangers of economic deals taking place in spaces that excluded women and the risks of valuing appearances and social climbing over practical financial decisions. Matto de Turner employs symbolic plot devices such as business plans, the lottery and the casino to consider financial decisions by her characters, offering somewhat conflicting messages about economic dangers, luck, and money. This study surveys the economically risky activities to reveal their relationship to women’s lack of financial power and work opportunities in Peru.