Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Summer of the Mariposas, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sisterhood, Motherhood, and Family
Magic, Myth, and Deception
Gender Dynamics and Female Solidarity
Kindness, Mercy, and Morality
Ancestral and Cultural Appreciation
Summary
Analysis
It takes the sisters hours to find the right path again in the dark. While they walk, they discuss what happened with Tonantzin in the nagual’s cave. Odilia is grateful that her sisters finally believe her story about La Llorona and the ear pendant’s powers. Velia wonders whether Mamá knows the lullaby she used to sing them is magical. Juanita speculates that the song has been passed down from mothers to their children for centuries to protect them. They bicker about the helpfulness of Teresita’s prophecies, which reminds them of the lechuzas—the witch owls. They search for cover and find the old barn Teresita’s husband mentioned.
With her sisters finally believing her story about La Llorona and the magical world in which they find themselves, Odilia and her siblings come a step closer to unity. The idea of specialized knowledge being passed down from mothers to children invokes an appreciation for cultural tradition, pointing out that the song’s longevity is proof of its usefulness.
Themes
Odilia and Juanita investigate the barn first. It is clearly abandoned, with large holes in the roof and random tools scattered about. Better than nothing, the girls decide to rest there for the night. Odilia lies awake, thinking of their old life and of Mamá, afraid and alone. Suddenly, she sees large creatures flying across the sky. Six of them perch on the edge of a gap in the roof, peering down at the girls. Odilia is confident the lechuzas have found them, so she wakes her sisters and tells them to form a protective circle so she can tie a silk string with seven knots while praying, as Teresita instructed.
As their journey continues, thoughts of Mamá weigh more heavily on Odilia, perhaps because she is maturing, better understanding how they have abandoned Mamá. Her guilt seems to draw the lechuzas to the girls’ location, as later in the chapter, they attempt to shame the girls for their wicked behavior. For this encounter, the sisters try to present a united front, demonstrating growth.
Themes
As soon as Odilia removes the silk thread from her pocket, the lechuzas attack, screeching into the barn. They are as big as vultures, with scraggly hair and gaunt human faces. They descend upon the girls in a fury, clawing and pecking at them while shouting in voices stolen from Mamá, La Llorona, Cecilia, and others. They call the girls evil children and demand that they repent. One lechuza snatches the silk thread from Odilia’s hands. Velia and Delia flee from the barn, shrieking. The twins’ apparent abandonment makes Odilia feel utterly defeated.
Compared to the nagual, who intended to sacrifice the girls for his own gain, the lechuzas’ goal seems to be shaming the sisters for their bad behavior. Using voices stolen from important women is as effective as it is eerie, especially when it comes to their impersonation of Mamá, who is already the subject of her daughters’ guilt. It is significant that Odilia feels the most hopeless when the twins seem to abandon the others. Sisterhood is integral to Odilia’s faith, and she truly believes they can do anything if they work together.
Themes
The lechuzas concentrate their efforts on the remaining three sisters. They taunt each girl with her particular insecurities, mocking Pita’s chubbiness and Juanita’s self-righteousness. The one with Mamá’s voice criticizes Odilia for leaving Mamá and failing to keep her sisters safe. Just when all hope seems lost, Velia and Delia return wielding tools that look like baseball bats. Odilia and Juanita take the opportunity to arm themselves with a rake and a pitchfork. Together, the sisters fight back, eventually killing all the lechuzas.
The lechuzas have weakened the sisters by separating them, and they continue to attack the remaining girls individually, knowing they are weaker on their own. These personal attacks again aim to shame the sisters by focusing on their character flaws. In later chapters, the Garza girls will wonder if the lechuzas were right about them, demonstrating how insidious self-doubt and cruel criticism can be. Again, the sisters conquer the lechuzas through teamwork.
Themes
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Odilia feels no remorse for killing the lechuzas, and she’s distressed to see that more are on their way, descending on the barn. Having lost the silk thread, she takes the silk bow from Pita’s favorite dress, promising to buy her a new one when they are safe. While her sisters battle the second wave of lechuzas, Odilia ties seven knots side by side in the silk while praying. The lechuzas kick up a dusty whirlwind within the barn that steals the girls’ breath, but it slows as Odilia continues her prayers. By the final knot, the remaining lechuzas fall dead on the floor, vanishing as dawn breaks.
Fully united and with greater confidence in themselves, the sisters work in tandem to defeat the remaining lechuzas. That Pita must sacrifice her favorite dress from childhood may be symbolic of her budding transition into maturity. The whirlwind is reminiscent of Charybdis, which drives Odysseus’s men toward the six-headed monster Scylla (who parallels the lechuzas, according to the author). The lechuzas are also compared to the Sirens, whose power comes from their voice. By ignoring the lechuzas’ ranting and protecting one another, the Garzas defeat the witch owls.
Themes
