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 discusses the position of women in Guatemala. She explains that a woman’s connection with the earth is central, since both the earth and women are capable of giving life. Men, on the other hand, do not share this special link and responsibility. Rigoberta also discusses the difficulties she has faced as a political leader in groups of men. Some men refused to follow a woman’s orders, and Rigoberta was also forced to punish some of them for refusing to let their wives join the fight. Rigoberta insists that women leaders must not seek domination over their male compañeros but must always be willing to engage in dialogue with them.
Rigoberta expresses her commitment to social equality not only through her words, but also through her behavior. She aims to foster an atmosphere of comradeship in the political groups she is part of, which includes the difficult task of engaging in dialogue to solve conflict. In this way, she teaches others not by imposing her authority, but by allowing stubborn men to change their attitudes on their own. In so doing, they do not blindly obey orders—rather they’re given the choice to participate in creating a more equal society.
Themes
In this regard, Rigoberta explains she has learned a lot from both her mother and women from other countries. She has concluded that women tend to put their own needs and problems asides in order to take care of others. This is harmful to women, who need to learn to solve their own problems and make their voice heard.
In society, women face a special dilemma: although they are encouraged to take on the role of a caretaker, especially in a domestic setting, these qualities do not necessarily translate positively to the political sphere. Women thus need to transfer this caring attitude toward themselves: to pay attention not only to others’ problems, but also to their own. This can have broad social consequences, as it gives voice to women-specific problems that may be largely ignored in society.
Themes
Despite some of the achievements of the political movements that Rigoberta is part of, she recognizes that a deep change within society has not yet taken place. However, Rigoberta opposes the creation of a women-based activist group, arguing that women face the same exploitation as men. She believes that it is crucial for men to be present when specific problems related to women are discussed, in order for them to learn about the subject: only through such education can the activists have the true revolutionary impact they hope to achieve. Men should have just as broad an understanding of machismo as women themselves.
Rigoberta notes that women suffer from two separate but interconnected problems: economic exploitation (which they share with men) and gender-based inequality. Rigoberta’s emphasis on dialogue between genders suggests that focusing on one problem over the other is insufficient, as it silences the specific mechanisms of oppression that affect women.
Themes
However, Rigoberta notes that machismo is a problem so deeply engrained in societies around the world that, although the situation can be improved, the problem is unlikely to ever be entirely eradicated. She adds that true leadership stems from practical experience, not from formal education.
Rigoberta’s trust in dialogue signals that, in the same way she has expanded her perspective by learning about economic exploitation, she believes that men can expand their perspective by learning about women-specific problems. This will make them more empathetic and more capable of truly committing to social equality.
Themes
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Rigoberta discusses the topic of marriage, which, despite being a much-celebrated moment in Indian communities, is also associated with grief and suffering, due to high child mortality. After discussing this issue with other women, Rigoberta realized she was not the only who has doubts about getting married, for fear of what might happen to her children—especially because her involvement in politics means she’s at risk of being murdered and leaving her children orphans.
Rigoberta’s discussion with other women shows that no one in the community is truly content with suffering. Although other women might have been silent up until this point, they agree with Rigoberta that their community’s child mortality rate is unacceptable—and they, too, have doubts about marriage and childbearing.
Themes
Rigoberta concludes that, for the moment, she prefers to devote herself to the political cause and to her people, before focusing on her own happiness and the issue of marriage. Part of her fear about getting married, she admits, derives from having seen so many compañeros die, and anticipating the grief she would feel if her husband died in similar circumstances.
Rigoberta’s decision not to marry suggests that she is bending some of her Maya-Quiché community’s norms concerning women’s roles: she believes that her job in society is greater than the domestic sphere, and that, like so many other men, she should be free to devote herself to the political struggle.
Themes
