Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in I, Rigoberta Menchú, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Tolerance vs. Resistance
Class, Race, and Inequality
Ancestors, Tradition, and Community
Gender and Sexuality
Language, Education, and Power
Spirituality, Nature, and the Sacredness of Life
Summary
Analysis
After these various painful experiences, from working as a maid in the capital to seeing her parents persecuted, Rigoberta felt confused as to why Indians were exploited and treated so unfairly. She now understood that her enemies were landowners, soldiers, and the rich. Although the term “enemy” was foreign to Indian culture, the recognition of oppression led them to use it, thus deviating from their insistence on the equality of all members of society.
Rigoberta’s confusion about racism and exploitation suggests that there is no legitimate reason for so much inequality and suffering. Although her community is willing to identify new enemies, they do not seek violence per se. As they demonstrate multiple times with captured soldiers, their goal is to engage in dialogue and help others understand how unfair the oppression of Indians truly is.
Themes
When discussing self-defense, Rigoberta criticized official narratives of colonization, which affirm that the Indians did not defend themselves against the Spaniards. Her grandfather, by contrast, had told her that one of the methods that Indian used to fight the enemy were ambushes. He argued that, if their ancestors fought in such a way, it was valid for the community to fight against the landowners. Now convinced of this, Rigoberta’s family gathered the village to explain that taking part in armed struggle meant that many people were likely be killed. In the meantime, as the community discussed these matters collectively, a nearby village became the target of violence: its elected representatives (along with various men, women, and children) were kidnapped after attempting to oppose the landowners’ land grabs.
Rigoberta’s ongoing discussion of colonization shows how history can be used to justify certain actions in the present. For example, Rigoberta’s grandfather’s insistence that Indians were courageous warriors suggests that, given their respect for ancestral ways of life, the villagers should adopt similar self-defense techniques. By contrast, Guatemalan schools’ description of Indians as weak and passive implicitly justifies an oppressive system wherein ladino elites dominate Indigenous people. Debates concerning history thus have concrete effects in the present, as they attempt to justify present and future actions.
Themes
One day, 90 soldiers arrived at Rigoberta’s village. They stayed for two weeks in the community house, stealing food from the fields. One night, a soldier crawled near Rigoberta’s house to steal potatoes. Rigoberta’s mother, initially believing the soldier was a dog, comes out of the house with her dogs and sticks, ready to beat the intruder. When the soldier called out, Rigoberta’s mother told him that he should work to earn his food and that, by behaving the way he did, he was protecting rich people who did not even give him food. She told him that the village worked very hard to obtain these crops, and that she would beat him if he didn’t leave at once. He hurried away, and the next day, all the soldiers left the village.
Rigoberta’s mother’s tough attitude toward this soldier underscores her courage, but also the strength of her convictions that stealing is unacceptable, in all circumstances. Her willingness to convince the soldier of the harmful effects of his behavior also demonstrates her belief in dialogue as an opportunity to change people’s perspective.
Themes
Then, during a meeting, the community decided to organize self-defense methods, temporarily putting aside their celebrations and customs to focus on survival. They asked God to defend them in this new pursuit, knowing well that they could be tortured and murdered by opposing the powerful. At the meeting, everyone shared different tools and ideas about how to fight the enemy. One of the first measures they took was to set up the village houses closer to one another, in order form a more compact group. They also prepared secret escape routes in each house.
The villagers’ decision to use violence as self-defense does not imply giving up on all of their principles. They still retain their practice of meeting as a group and engaging in democratic debate concerning issues that affect the entire village. Their decision to live closer to one another also symbolizes their collective strength against even the most powerful enemies.
Themes
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Then, they prepared secret weapons, such as traps, initially meant for capturing small animals but which, when hidden in a ditch, could trap human beings—in this case, soldiers. The community knew that soldiers always came on foot, usually in a state of fright, because of their conviction that guerrillas hide in the mountains. Rigoberta notes that soldiers often had no idea what guerrillas were, sometimes believing them to be wild animals.
The soldiers’ ignorance of what guerillas actually are highlights the absurdity of this conflict, in which ignorant soldiers are encouraged to fight an enemy they do not understand and could perhaps not even identify. This suggests that education of the kind that Rigoberta supports—one that promotes a clear understanding of what is right and wrong in current society—could play an important role in solving such brutal conflicts.
Themes
Through repeated practice runs, the villagers developed different methods through which they could escape if the army came. Everyone took an equal part in these strategies—men, women, and children—and all decisions were taken collectively. They decided that someone would always keep watch over the village, in order to warn if the enemy was approaching. If the army came, the villagers would all hide in a secret camp in the mountain, because hiding away was better than being massacred. The village also depended on dogs, hidden in a house on the path, as a warning strategy. In Rigoberta’s view, this confirmed the village’s interconnection with the natural world.
The villagers’ organization highlights their deep unity: they are ready to sacrifice themselves for the good of the entire community. In line with Rigoberta’s conclusion that she was never given a full childhood due to poverty, the current generation of children in the village are also forced to take on adult roles. The hope is that, thanks to such sacrifices, Indian children will one day be able to enjoy a peaceful, carefree life. The village’s trust in watchdogs suggests that, although they are temporarily forced to suspend their formal cultural ceremonies in this period of violent conflict, they still maintain their core beliefs in the sacredness of nature.
Themes
The village also prepared weapons to use if ever they found themselves unable to escape. They practiced using machetes, stones, hot water, chile, salt, and even lime against their enemies. When used in a knowledgeable way, these simple methods can blind and stop the enemy, although they are not a match against machine guns. However, Rigoberta notes that their main weapon was the Bible—which, through its stories, helped to educate the villagers.
The use of simple yet effective methods against the enemy suggests that despite their humble attitude, the Maya-Quiché are more resourceful and ingenious than Guatemalan society might give them credit for. Rigoberta’s trust in the Bible reveals that intellectual and emotional conviction can be more powerful than physical weapons.
Themes
