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
Rigoberta recalls her father’s insistence on behaving in a respectful way—not in order to receive praise from the community, but to honor their ancestors. He attributed bad habits to modern society and insisted on keeping many traditions hidden from the rich and powerful, as well as from religious officials.
It is precisely Rigoberta’s father’s trust in his ancestors’ legacy that gives him strength. Instead of following the successes and defeats of current historical actors, he ties his convictions to the stability of the past—which can neither be modified nor destroyed, as long as Indians keep it secret.
Themes
Reflecting on these views, Rigoberta also recalls her grandfather, whom she believes is still alive at the age of 106. Her grandfather described being forced to work as a slave for white men. He shared his memories of the past, blaming the chemicals in modern food for reducing life expectancy in the community. He also cursed the Spaniards, identifying them as the root of their problems, since they were the first to steal the Indians’ land and to rape the elected queens in the community.
Rigoberta’s father and grandfather both blame modern society for many of the ills affecting the community. However, given her grandfather’s description of slavery, it appears that modernity is not all bad: it has also brought some social progress, however minimal.
Themes
Rigoberta remembers her father as a kind, calm man, whom she is very proud of. Despite being an orphan, he remained optimistic and serenely committed to his work. She recalls different trips they took together, to the capital as well as to other rural regions. On one of these trips, they reached a community of Indians who benefited from a lot of different crops but who did not have access to tortillas. The children there only ate bananas and had swollen bellies from malnutrition. This convinced Rigoberta of the importance of her community’s maize and lime, which were sacred for giving the people strength and resistance. She also recalls her father fainting on the trip back, and fearing, for the first time in her life, that he could die.
One of the qualities Rigoberta admires most in his father is his capacity to endure suffering while remaining committed to important tasks, be it his family’s survival or defending the rights of an entire people. Rigoberta’s comment about the sacredness of lime suggests that her community’s ceremonies are based on an understanding that certain elements of nature which, beyond their spiritual importance, might have an actual impact on people’s health. These considerations highlight the community’s reliance on nature in both physical and cultural ways.
Themes
Whenever Rigoberta had problems, she confided in her father more than her mother. Her father defended her from everyone—including, sometimes, members of her own family (for example, if Rigoberta would not defend herself when her brothers hit her). Her father also encouraged her to present her views in gatherings, teaching her to express herself in public.
Despite Rigoberta’s father’s focus on enduring suffering, he also teaches her that not all harm is acceptable: she should learn to defend herself in situations in which she has the power and ability to do so. This upbringing prepares Rigoberta to be a strong leader, capable of standing up for herself even in the face of opposition.
Themes
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