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
The book’s translator, Ann Wright, notes that Rigoberta Menchú’s use of Spanish reflects the variety of environments in which she learned the language, from time spent with nuns to participation in revolutionary organizations. The translator keeps two terms in Spanish in the text: the first is ladino, which refers to mixed-race people but can also be used in a politically charged manner to indicate people who support an oppressive racial system. The second is compañero, which means “companion” but also acquires a more political meaning (“comrade”) as Rigoberta becomes more involved in political activities
Wright’s discussion of Rigoberta’s language reveals the connections that exist between language and politics. The very existence of the word "ladino" reflects the tensions and hierarchies of power in a mixed-race society, as its double usage refers to external appearance but also to political domination. Furthermore, Rigoberta’s use of Spanish is inseparable from her political convictions, as part of the reason she learned the language was to participate in activism.
Themes
