Works of three Chicana authors focus on the individual Chicana's response to tradition and restraint and, taken as a whole, illustrate three essential steps in breaking away from the myth of the Chicana as submissive, suffering, passive, and powerless. "El ser mujer..." by poet Ana Castillo calls for the Chicana to speak out regarding her strength. Speech is the first step towards breaking the stereotype and is a revolutionary act for women with a centuries-long history of silence. Estela Portillo Trambley's short story, "The Trees," illustrates the disastrous results of not confronting one's past, however painful the process. As a second step, Chicanas must confront the stereotypical dichotomy of whore and virgin which has plagued and divided them both individually and as a group. The acceptance Chicanas desire will come when they can speak out with full awareness of their past and of that mixture of capitivity and complicity with which they have helped create their dependent status. The poetry of Alma Villanueva celebrates a "new Chicana" and represents a "new complicity with one's destiny" arising not from captivity but from responsibility. The work of these three writers suggests a strategy for Chicana self-awareness. (Author/SB)