Key Facts
full title ·
I, Rigoberta Menchu: An Indian Woman in Guatemala
author · Edited by Elisabeth Burgos-Debray, from interviews with Rigoberta
Menchu
type of work · Autobiography
genre · Memoir; testimonial; bildungsroman
language · Spanish
time and place written · 1982; Paris
date of first publication · 1983
publisher · Editorial Argos Vergara
narrator · Rigoberta Menchu
point of view · The narrator speaks in both plural first person and first person. This
fluctuates, based on the events being described. The narrative remains with
Rigoberta, although she describes events she could not witness with panoramic
detail. As a narrator, Rigoberta represents a highly subjective, limited view of
the other characters.
tone · Confessional; sentimental; explanatory
tense · Past; switches to present when describing traditions
setting (time) · 1959–1982
setting (place) · The mountains and coast of Guatemala; Guatemala City;
Mexico
protagonist · Rigoberta Menchu
major conflict · Various Indian tribes, including the Quiches, of which Rigoberta is a
member, are repeatedly exploited by the Spanish-speaking ladino population of
Guatemala until they begin defending themselves in a movement led by Rigoberta
and her family. Rigoberta's determination to pursue knowledge goes against some
of the conventions of her people and limitations placed on her because of her
gender. Rigoberta struggles to stand up for herself and her
people.
rising action · When ladino landowners begin to stake their claim on the Altiplano,
where Rigoberta and her people live, the Indians refuse to give up their land
and begin defending their territory using makeshift weapons and traps. Rigoberta
is empowered by her experience working as a maid in Guatemala
City.
climax · The capture and burning of Rigoberta's brother, Petrocinio, fortifies
Rigoberta's family's fight against the Guatemalans, causing Rigoberta's father
to organize the storming of the capital, which results in his death and the
persecution of Rigoberta and her family.
falling action · After the murder of her parents, Rigoberta views being an activist as
her calling in life. She renounces marriage and embraces her work as a
revolutionary in Guatemala and abroad.
themes · The power of language; the cost of progress; the virtue of hard
work
motifs · Tradition; community; storytelling
symbols · The lorry; Rigoberta's corte; the Old
Woman
foreshadowing · The death of Nicolas, Rigoberta's little brother, at the finca stirs a
well of anger within Rigoberta, sparking a desire to rebel, which foreshadows
the rebellion that takes place within the Indian community after Rigoberta and
her family witness the burning of Petrocinio, another of Rigoberta's younger
brothers. Rigoberta's first visit to Guatemala City, which is both frightening
and instructive, foreshadows her experience there as a maid, when she is again
scared but enlightened.
· Rigoberta's negative feelings toward the landowner on the finca mimic
the feelings she holds toward the mistress when she becomes that landowner's
maid a few years later.
