Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz: Themes of Knowledge, Enclosure, and Feminism in 17th Century Mexico

When the abbess and the archbishop argue, the archbishop mentions three types of religious people. What are they? To which group does Sor Juana belong?

He mentions: Those who serve God through prayer (the contemplatives), Those who serve through work (the active orders), and Those who serve through knowledge (the intellectuals).He criticizes the third group, saying knowledge leads to vanity. Sor Juana belongs to this third group—those who pursue knowledge.

The vicereine asks Sor Juana if she feels lonely in the convent.

Sor Juana responds that she does not, because: She says she is not lonely because she has the company of her books, ideas, and learning—her mind keeps her constantly occupied.

Why does the vicereine say that their lives are "similar"?

She says their lives are similar because both are women confined by men and social structures—Sor Juana in the convent and the vicereine in the palace.

During her confession with Miranda, what does Sor Juana say about her reasons for writing?

She says she writes not for vanity or ambition, but because God gave her the gift of intellect and she feels compelled to use it. Writing is her way of serving God through truth and reason.

The mother abbess has died. What is the new abbess like, and what changes does she impose? What is the impact on Sor Juana?

The new abbess is strict, conservative, and aligned with the Archbishop. She limits Sor Juana's freedom, forbids secular writing, and enforces obedience. Sor Juana becomes isolated and silenced.

During an important gathering, a flashback occurs to Sor Juana's early life, before she became a nun. What triggers this memory?

She is asked to prove her intelligence by debating male scholars; this reminds her of her youth and how her love of learning began.

7. What is this important gathering, and what is its purpose?

It's a public theological debate organized by the Viceroy to show off Sor Juana's brilliance and embarrass her male critics.

How does Juana behave during this gathering?

She is confident, witty, and intellectually superior—defeating every scholar. Her brilliance wins admiration but also provokes envy and hostility from Church authorities.

Back at the convent: What is the news heard at midnight?

The Viceroy and Vicereine are being recalled to Spain, meaning Sor Juana loses her most powerful protectors.

What reaction does this event provoke in Sor Juana?

She feels devastated and abandoned, realizing her intellectual freedom and protection are gone.

What/ or who are Sor Juana's "children"?

Her "children" are her books, writings, and ideas—the products of her intellect.

The viceroy playfully teases his wife, the vicereine, about doing what?

He teases her about being jealous of Sor Juana and about the intimacy and affection she shares with the nun.

When the archbishop closes down her library, what does Sor Juana announce she will do?

She says she will sell her books and scientific instruments to help the poor, an act of forced repentance.

How does she recover her library?

She briefly recovers her materials when the bishop helps her (for his own political motives), but her freedom is only temporary.

The vicereine and Sor Juana meet again. Fill in the blanks: The vicereine is curious and wants Juana to tell her __________. Sor Juana:__________

The vicereine is curious and wants Juana to tell her about love.Sor Juana: "Without my books, I am nothing."

16. When the viceroy visits her, what does he promise to do?

He promises to protect her from the Church authorities—a promise he fails to keep.

17. Can you summarize this intrigue, the role Sor Juana plays in it?

The bishop manipulates Sor Juana into writing a theological critique meant to mock the Archbishop. When it causes scandal, the bishop betrays her by publishing it under a pseudonym and condemning her publicly.

18. What are the promises that are made and broken, and the consequence to her?

The bishop and viceroy promise to defend her, but abandon her when the Church retaliates. The consequence is that Sor Juana becomes the target of the Inquisition and is forced to renounce her studies.

19. What does Sor Juana do as a result?

She sells her library, signs a confession, and renounces writing and science, dedicating herself only to religious duties.

20. When confronted by the bishop and archbishop, she forces the archbishop to admit two things. What are they?

That God created her with intellect., That using her intellect was not a sin—until men decided it was.

21. When she returns to her confessor, Miranda, she is afraid. Of what?

She fears eternal damnation, loss of faith, and the Inquisition's punishment for her defiance.

22. She surrenders, finally. What is her penance?

She must confess publicly, sign her renunciation in her own blood, and give up her books and writing.

✍️ Final Reflection Questions: -There are several important, significant physical objects. What are they? What do these things represent or symbolize? Is there a pattern? Is her faith "real"? Does she really "surrender" at the end? Another way to think about this: does Sor Juana "give up"? Why or why not? What does she give up, if she does? Look up "feminist" in the dictionary. According to the movie, do you think SorJuana was a "feminist?" What does this film suggest about Sor Juana's sexuality? A pretty complex question: Think about "enclosures" and closed spaces. are these Good, bad? Are there different kinds of "ecnlosed" spaces? (hints: a "cloister"—a convent—means "enclosed"; there are parallels between the Virreine, the most powerful woman in the Kingdom, and Sor Juana, the nun.Think about lockdowns, privacy vs. isolation or incarceration; interior vs.exterior scenes. )

Throughout I, the Worst of All, physical objects—books, ink, the quill, and the convent walls—symbolize Sor Juana's intellectual life and the structures that confine her. Her library represents her freedom, mind, and individuality; when it is taken away, it's as if her identity is stripped from her. The quill and ink stand for her voice as a woman scholar in a patriarchal society. The veil and convent walls symbolize both protection and imprisonment—a place where she can study without marriage but also a cage controlled by the Church. Her faith is sincere, but different from orthodox devotion. She believes that reason and intellect are forms of divine worship, challenging the Church's authority. In the end, her "surrender" is physical, not spiritual; she gives up her books but not her beliefs or intellect. She may be broken by circumstance, but not by conviction. Sor Juana can absolutely be seen as a feminist figure—a woman who fought for intellectual autonomy, education, and equality centuries before modern feminism. The film also suggests an emotional and possibly romantic attachment between her and the Vicereine, portraying her as someone whose capacity for love and intellect transcends boundaries. The recurring theme of enclosure—both convent and palace—shows that all women in her world live within walls, some gilded and some stone