The Myths By Helena Maria Viramontes Analysis

Typically, Mexican households hold a rule that being obedient and respectful is not an option. A child is not supposed to question how they are being raised. In a short story written by Helena Maria Viramontes, called “The Moths,” a granddaughter attempts to make sense of why she feels isolated from her family. The story features a Mexican family living in Los Angeles mainly focusing on a fourteen-year-old girl referred to as the granddaughter, her mother Ama, and Amas mother Abuelita, making up three generations that have all endured similar sufferings. Living with an abusive father who spends his time yelling at the granddaughter for not going to church builds up resentment towards her family. Abuelita's house was the granddaughters escape …show more content…
For the first fourteen years of the granddaughter's life, she was trapped in a life that she had no say in. The granddaughters feeling of remorse towards her family would be that she knows that she is different than them. Due to her “bull hands,” she cannot perform feminine activities like her sisters, so she is always being picked on for that. Also, the granddaughter does not want to participate in religion which creates problems with her family. She felt isolated from her own family so she would go to Abuelitas. The connection that the granddaughter has with Abuelita is an unspoken trust that falls between them. Abuelita's house was a safe space for the granddaughter, being involved with nature that allowed her to feel cradled. Being forced to attend church, which was something that she did not feel a connection with, drove her to find that connection elsewhere. The idea of religion made the granddaughter feel alone, so she neglected her obligation of attending, which was one of her father's, Apa, biggest complaints. There was an instance where Apa was yelling at his daughter because she was not attending catechism. Since she did not want to attend she felt as if she was locked up because she did not have a say in her own life. Apa was also abusive which made her feel even more alone. She was stuck in a life in which she had no control that did not let her move on with her