D_INTRINSIC ELEMENTS ANALYSIS IN PORTER’S “MARIA CONCEPCION”
Compilation of Students’ Answers
1. Discuss the social setting of the story. In what kind of society does Maria Concepcion live?
1. I think social setting of the Maria Concepcion is around the Mexican revolution because they are
still in Mexico’s primitive cultures. In every place, there is revolutionary war. Maria Concepcion
take place in a Mexican village with dusty road where the maguey thorns and the treacherous
curved spines of organa cactus had not gathered so profusely (Page 224, paragraph 1).
2. Maria Concepcion lives in a culture where women are expected to be obedient to men. This is
shown in when Maria Concepcion was being depicted as the model-wife because she is an
obedient wife and a religious Christian. She was also very obedient to her husband, to the point
that her husband became bored of her because of her obedientness. Besides that, women were not
permitted to hold positions of authority. Their only job is to be wedded to a man an d then took care
of their houselife. This is shown in the part where Maria Concepcion was thinking that Givens
didn't feel like he lost his dignity because he cooked for himself, and he had no wife to serve him.
3. The setting described that Maria is typically a village woman that usually does their daily
activities. Maria lives in a small village during a time when people lived on hunt and women did
not know how to read, Maria lives in a society that the community has power over people and how
the community will protect or reject someone for the sake of the community as a whole as they
allowed Maria Concepcion get away with the murder of her husband mistress, Maria Rosa. The
reason because Maria Concepcion is well respected in the village is because of her
accomplishment and society doesn’t like Maria Rosa.
4. In the short story titled Maria Concepcion (page 224, paragraph 4 and 5), Maria Concepcion lives
in a village . Her small house was half-way up a shallow hill, under a clump of Peru trees, a wall
of organa cactus inclosing it on the side nearest the road. She lives in a religious Christian society,
where the neighbors knows and respect her as an an energetic, religious woman. The prove that
Maria Consepcion lives around the era of Mexican revolution in this story is in page 229 paragraph
7, where her husband Juan Velligas and Maria Rosa go into the battlefield as a soldier and
soldadera.
5. In the short story titled Maria Concepcion (page 224, paragraph 4 and 5), Maria Concepcion lives
in a village . Her small house was half-way up a shallow hill, under a clump of Peru trees, a wall
of organa cactus inclosing it on the side nearest the road. She lives in a religious Christian society,
where the neighbors knows and respect her as an an energetic, religious woman . The prove that
Maria Consepcion lives around the era of Mexican revolution in this story is in page 229 paragraph
7, where her husband and Maria Rosa go into the battlefield as a soldier and soldadera.
6. In the short story titled Maria Concepcion (page 224, paragraph 4 and 5), Maria Concepcion lives
in a village . Her small house was half-way up a shallow hill, under a clump of Peru trees, a wall
of organa cactus inclosing it on the side nearest the road. She lives in a religious Christian society,
where the neighbors knows and respect her as an an energetic, religious woman. The prove that
Maria Consepcion lives around the era of Mexican revolution in this story is in page 229 paragraph
7, where her husband and Maria Rosa go into the battlefield as a soldier and soldadera.
7. The society had simple concept. They more see about something real,and trust what they see. They
tend fight for someone who’s look more weak.
8. Maria Concepcion’s story takes place somewhere in Mexico, probably sometime in the 20th
century. This is evident in the hot and dry environment, the religion which is Catholicism, and the
simple life that the people live. Life at that time is not as complex as now. People go to church, go
to fight in the war, and work for their jefe. The women take care of their husbands, cook, and go to
the market.
9. Maria Conceptión lives in a rural social environment where she is married to a priest. Maria works
as a poultry seller in the market. People knew her as a strong, religious woman. One time Maria
had to live alone because her husband went to war, Juan went with a bee-keeping girl, Maria Rosa,
who also joined to become a soldier. This is the beginning of her husband's infidelity.
10. Maria Concepcion lives in a society where a wife is expected to be mindful (take care and
obedient) to her husband. Her neighbors see her as a perfect woman because she is an energetic
"She had a good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic, religiou s woman." (first page) and
also she's a good Christian. "She was a good Christian, and bought her remedies, bottled, with
printed directions" (first page)
11. The life of Maria Concepcion and Juan looks simple. They both live in a small house in a village.
Their neighbors know them well, especially to Maria Concepcion, the neighbors knew her as a
kind and religious woman. They have a neighbor named Maria Rosa, a young honey farmer girl.
Maria Rosa lives with her godmother.
12. The society Maria Concepcion lived is the society where women is overshadowed by men. The
society is an eye that view person's character by image that appears in the surface. Therefore,
people assume what kind of woman Maria Concepcion or Maria Rosa is, judging by what the
person's do and show in how they act. The time setting shows there is a war occurs. Hence, the
men are away from families. Juan Villegas is away at war along with Maria Rosa. At the time,
women is under the impression of grief. Maria Concepcion seclude herself in order to p rocess her
sadness. Maria Concepcion is out of character, she wasn't energetic anymore due to the misfortune
in her life.
13. Maria Concepcion grew up in a supportive environment. She was well-liked by her neighbors and
was known as a religous and an energetic woman (page 224). However, there was a time when her
village was rocked by a scandal involving his husband's affair with Maria Rosa at the time.
Causing of that problem, she became more reserved and less gentle than usual. Her neighbors who
noticed showed their support for her and it is proven on the page of 238 that "Maria Concepcion
suddenly felt herself guarded, surrounded, upborne by her faithful friends. They were all about her,
speaking for her, defending her, refusing to admit ill of her." In conclusion, it can be stated that,
despite the fact that she was the mastermind of the murder of Maria Rosa, her neighbors rather
protected her and denied those who accused her. This happened because her positive first
impressions in the eyes of her neighbors, as opposed to Maria Rosa's reputation, which is
associated with a strange life and a sinful woman.
14. Maria Concepcion lives in a society that favored close people, active in the Church, rather than
people who live apart from the society. Because the society thinks that well-known people are
better because they believe they know them well. Also, Maria Concepcion was an independent and
tough woman. It was commonly known that if she wished to buy a new rebozo for herself or a shirt
for Juan, she could bring out a sack of hard silver pesos for the purpose." (page 224 last
paragraph). So the society has a good impression for Maria Concepcion. "But she is a w oman of
good repute among us, and Maria Rosa was not." (page 238 par. 1) "But if no one thinks so, how
can you accuse her? Should not a woman's husband know best where she was at all times?"
Another: "Maria Rosa had a strange life apart from us. How do we know who may have wished her
evil?" (page 238 par. 1) This dialogue shows us that society is defending Maria Concepcion about
the murder because Maria Concepcion lived in the middle of society. In contrast, Maria Rosa lived
apart from society.
15. The social setting of this story is embracing Catholic faith of patriarchal system which means men
have power to influence major issues and be the decision-maker in the family and takes place in
Mexico with its cultures. Maria Concepcion and Juan Villegas have done their marriage in
Catholic cultures which have the mindset of divorce is a major offense against God. Maria
Concepcion belongs to Juan Villegas only and the same concept of Juan to his spouse.
2. Discuss both the internal and external conflicts in the story. Think of why Maria Concepcion
could not confront his husband openly?
1. The external conflicts in the story are man vs man and Man vs society. The man vs man conflicts
are between Maria Concepcion with Juan Villegas and Maria Concepcion vs Maria Rosa. In page 2
paragraph 6, Maria Concepcion saw Juan Villegas having an affair with Maria Rosa behind her but
she refuse to confront it with her husband because in her religion, she needs to obey him as a wife
and as a religious person she could not divorce Juan Villegas because it is a sin if she divorce her
husband. At the other side Maria Concepcion also have a conflict with Maria Rosa the mistress of
Juan Villegas. As a wife, Maria Concepcion did not accept that Maria Rosa took away her husband
from her while she is pregnant with Juan Villegas child. The internal conflicts in this story is man
vs self, the characters who have this conflict are Juan Villegas and Maria Concepcion. In page 8
paragraph 4, Juan Villegas choose to had an affair with Maria Rosa even though he knew that he is
married with Maria Concepcion. The reason why is because that when he is with Maria Rosa, he
can do as what he pleases and Maria does not even complain it and she always do what Juan tells
her to do, while when he is with Maria Concepcion, he can not do as what he pleased. She always
talk too much and ask him not to have an alcohol drink during the day. The conflict that Maria
Concepcion has is man vs self just like Juan Villegas has. She knew that her husband is having an
affair behind her with Maria Rosa. Because of this, she become jealous and developed hatreds
towards Maria Rosa. Maria Concepcion know it is a sin to kill someone, but she still choose to kill
Maria Rosa in order to release her anger and hatreds towards her or in order to get her husband
back from Maria Rosa. We could see this in page 13 paragraph 2, where she come to Maria Rosa
place and in a few second she stabbed her from neck to her middle body.
2. The internal conflicts in the stories are how Maria holding up not to confront his husband openly.
She struggled because she thought that the people surrounding them would only blame her,
thinking that she might have done something that made her husband left her. The external conflicts
are how her husband cheated on her and she was put in a hard situation. The stereotype that
women should be obedient Also, why she didn't confront her husband was because she believed
that if she were in Rosa's position, she would have "broken my jar over his head". She blamed
Rosa for not getting out from the scandalous relationship that she had with her husband. Later,
because of her good reputation over the year when her husband left her and Rosa's bad reputation,
the villagers started to defend her, saying that Concepcion is a good woman and it's impossible for
her to kill Rosa. In the end, she got the public on her side. People began to sympathize on her.
3. The internal conflict is Juan Villegas run away from Maria Concepcion with a girl named Maria
Rosa to go to the revolutionary war, but before that, Juan considered that his marriage with Maria
Concepcion is just an ordinary marriage and no long after her marriage with Juan Villegas, she saw
her husband cheating with Maria Rosa. (Page 225, paragraph 5-8). The external conflicts are Maria
Concepcion choose to kill Maria Rosa rather than Juan Villegas that is her husband who leave her
(Page 236, paragraph 2). I think Maria Concepcion does not confront her husband because she is a
religious woman. Maria Concepcion does not want to get divorced with her husband because in her
religion, divorced is a big sin. Maria Concepcion also still loving her husband and feels safe
around him even though she killed Maria Rosa. Maria Concepcion think Juan will come back to
her.
4. The internal conflict is Juan Villegas run away from Maria Concepcion with a girl named Maria
Rosa to go to the revolutionary war, but before that, Juan considered that his marriage with Maria
Concepcion is just an ordinary marriage and no long after her marriage with Juan Villegas, she saw
her husband cheating with Maria Rosa. (Page 225, paragraph 5-8). The external conflicts are Maria
Concepcion choose to kill Maria Rosa rather than Juan Villegas that is her husband who leave her
(Page 236, paragraph 2). I think Maria Concepcion does not confront her husband because she is a
religious woman. Maria Concepcion does not want to get divorced with her husband because in her
religion, divorced is a big sin. Maria Concepcion also still loving her husband and feels safe
around him even though she killed Maria Rosa. Maria Concepcion think Juan will come back to
her.
5. The external conflict is between Maria Concepcion and her husband Juan. The conflict happens
because there are different points of view about the marriage between Maria Conc epcion and Juan.
Maria was proud of her marriage but Juan seems to regret it. We can see from part of the Porter
“She had paid for the license, nearly a year ago, the potent bit of stamped paper which permits
people to be married in the church. She had given money to the priest before she and Juan walked
together up to the altar the Monday after Holy Week.” By paying the license it shows that Maria is
someone who is able to marry inside the church which is not everyone can do like Maria
Concepcion. Juan does not feel the same way as Maria. He doesn’t enjoy his Marriage; from the
part of porter “We were always at peace. I say to her, come here, and she comes straight. I say, Go
there, and she goes quickly… with Maria Rosa it is all different. She is not silen t; she talks. When
she talks too much, I slap her and say, silence, thou simpleton! And she weeps.” the reason why
Juan doesn’t enjoy his marriage and prefers another woman is that he doesn’t like his wife to do all
the things that he exactly said. - The internal conflict is between Maria Concepcion and Maria
Rosa’s image. This conflict happens because Maria Concepcion has internal conflict toward Maria
Rosa’s image, Maria Concepcion gets jealous and does not have any respect toward Maria Rosa.
Someday Maria Concepcion finds out that her husband affairs with Maria Rosa, she is really
shocked and can believe it that her husband having another young woman. “A light, gay scream of
laughter rose from behind the hut; a man's short laugh joined in. "Ah, Maria Rosa has a novio!"
Maria Concepcion stopped short, smiling, shifted her burden slightly, bending forward to see more
clearly through the hedge spaces, shading her eyes. Maria Rosa ran, dodging between beehives,
parting two stunted jasminebushes as she came, lifting her knees in swift leaps, looking over her
shoulder and laughing in a quivering, excited way. A heavy jar, swung by the handle to her wrist,
knocked against her thighs as she ran. Her toes pushed up sudden spurts of dust, her half-unbraided
hair showered around her shoulders in long crinkled wisps. Juan Villegas ran after her, also
laughing strangely, his teeth set, both rows gleaming behind the small, soft black beard growing
sparsely on his lips, his chin, leaving his brown cheeks girl-smooth.” - Maria Concepcion could
not confront his husband openly because she cannot do anything, therefore she keeps silent about
anything that happened to her even Juan decide to go to war with Maria Rosa and lose her child
until she cannot hold her feelings anymore and try to do an action. She secretly plans to kill her
husband’s mistress.
6. The external conflicts in the story are man vs man and Man vs society. The man vs man conflicts
are between Maria Concepcion with Juan Villegas and Maria Concepcion vs Maria Rosa. In page
225 paragraph 6, Maria Concepcion saw Juan Villegas having an affair with Maria Rosa behind
her but she refuse to confront it with her husband because in her religion, she needs to obey him as
a wife and as a religious person she could not divorce Juan Villegas because it is a sin if she
divorce her husband. At the other side Maria Concepcion also have a conflict with Maria Rosa the
mistress of Juan Villegas. As a wife, Maria Concepcion did not accept that Maria Rosa took away
her husband from her while she is pregnant with Juan Villegas child. The internal conflicts in this
story is man vs self, the characters who have this conflict are Juan Villegas and Maria Concepcion.
In page 231 paragraph 4, Juan Villegas choose to had an affair with Maria Rosa even though he
knew that he is married with Maria Concepcion. The reason why is because that when he is with
Maria Rosa, he can do as what he pleases and Maria does not even complain it and she always do
what Juan tells her to do, while when he is with Maria Concepcion, he can not do as what he
pleased. She always talk too much and ask him not to have an alcohol drink during the day. The
conflict that Maria Concepcion has is man vs self just like Juan Villegas has. She knew that her
husband is having an affair behind her with Maria Rosa. Because of this, she become jealous and
developed hatreds towards Maria Rosa. Maria Concepcion know it is a sin to kill someone, but she
still choose to kill Maria Rosa in order to release her anger and hatreds towards he r or in order to
get her husband back from Maria Rosa. We could see this in page 236 paragraph 2, where she
come to Maria Rosa place and in a few second she stabbed her from neck to her middle body.
7. The Internal conflics is when Maria Concepcion lost her happieness. She feel confuse,get
jealous,unrivaled,empty,and her soul is burning. But,she try to make everything look better. • The
external conflicts is Juan disappointed and leave Maria Concepcion and go with Maria Rosa.
8. The external conflict that is evident in the story is man vs man. Juan, Maria Concepcion’s
husband, has been cheating on her with a lady named Maria Rosa (evident in page 226). There is
also an external conflict between Maria Concepcion and the people of the village she lives in.
They see Maria Concepcion as a quiet and guarded individual. They see her as odd, but Maria
Concepcion did not pay any mind to it. The internal conflict in the story is inside Maria
Concepcion. She sees with her own eyes and acknowledges her husband’s shenanigans with
another woman but she does not confront him. She is torn between confronting him and risking her
marriage that was done in the church before God (for she is a good and religious person, evident in
page 224), or just letting her husband do what he wants which is continue cheating on her and her
being hurt by it. I think Maria Concepcion could not confront her husband openly because she has
a fear of God. She doesn’t want to ruin her marriage and knows that if she made her husband pick,
he would pick Maria Rosa over her. Her marriage was done in church. Maria Concepcion also
seems to really love her husband and doesn't want to lose him. This is shown from how when they
got married, she proudly calls herself with her husband's last name. This conflict and feelings that
are stirring inside her made her numb to the world and seen as odd by her fellow villagers (evident
in page 229).
9. -Maria Conceptión & Juan She was very hurt by her husband Juan who had betrayed her. Her
husband had an affair with Maria Rosa, the bee-keeping girl. -He was also hurt by Maria Rosa for
having snatched her husband. In the end, Maria Conception killed Maria Rosa. This can be seen
from the story on the page 228 “Maria Concepcion did not think of telling Juan she had found him
out, but she kept saying to herself, "If I had been a young girl like Maria Rosa, and a man had
caught hold of me so, I would have broken my jar over his head." Her anger was all against Maria
Rosa because she had not done this”. -Maria Conception is in a dilemma, she is hurt by what her
husband has done. However on the other hand she also does not want to lose her husband.
10. Internal conflict : Maria Concepcion's decide to not tells openly to Juan that she found him
cheating on her. "Maria Concepcion did not think of telling Juan she had found him out, but she
kept saying to herself..." (page 28) - External conflict : When Juan have afair with Maria Rosa, the
bee-keeper. "Juan and Maria Rosa, laughing and kissing in the sweetsmelling sunshine."(Page
226). Juan feels that getting married with Maria Concepcion is a misfortune because she is silent,
different with Maria Rosa who pleases him more than her wife. "...to be married in the church is a
great misfortune to a man. After that he is not himself any more. ... With Maria Rosa it is all
different. She is not silent; she talks."(page 231) - She could not confront openly to her husband
because she have her own thoughts about Maria Rosa, but still, she's mad with Maria Rosa because
she's still in the relationship. "Maria Concepcion did not think of telling Juan she had found him
out, but she kept saying to herself, "If I had been a young girl like Maria Rosa, and a man had
caught hold of me so, I would have broken my jar over his head." Her anger was all against Maria
Rosa because she had not done this." (page 228)
11. Eksternal Conflict - Man vs Man Maria Concepcion has a conflict with her husband Juan. Juan
Villegas had another woman, her name is Maria Rosa. Juan had felt that there was something
lacking in Maria Concepcion's personality and Maria Rosa had it. Page 231 (Par 5) Internal
Conflict Maria Concepcion basically a quiet person, then she faced the infidelity of her husband
Juan and Maria Rosa, all that Maria Concepcion could do was keep silent and saw them from a
distance. Maria concepcion acts like nothing happened and she lives her life as usual, even though
she was hurt by her husband and Maria Rosa. Page 226 (Par 3)
12. The internal conflict in the story is the conflict from Maria Concepcion's marriage to Juan. Where
Juan has been legally married in church to Maria Concepcion but Juan is still flirting with another
girl, Maria Rosa. Conflicts that arise because of new people who enter into a married couple. Juan
went with Maria Rosa and had a baby. Leaving Maria Concepcion who is pregnant and her child
dies. Maria Concepcion as the first wife killed Maria Rosa who had taken her husband and thus
she won him back. The external conflict is man and society where Maria Concepcion has
committed the murder of people who are considered by the community as destroyers of their
household. Maria Rosa is a person who is branded badly by people around because she has
damaged and damaged marriage relations. as for Maria Concepcion, she is helped and greatly
protected by the people there because they believe that, in the contest of marriage and the family
must win and kill which is done by Maria Concepcion, as would be considered a natural and
instinctive act of a wife or woman who feels and her family threatened. Maria Concepcion is
considered a good Christian woman and a hard working woman. He is also legally married in the
church. Maria Concepcion couldn't face her husband openly because when Juan left her Maria
became very cold. Even when her child died Maria did not cry, she became quiet. She became an
independent woman and fought stronger for her life.
13. Internal Conflict (man vs man): The internal conflict contained in the story is the marriage
problem of Maria Concepcion with her husband Juan Villegas. Previously, their married life for 18
years was going well. Maria is a wife who loves her husband very much. It says on page 225 that
"She had paid for the license, nearly a year ago...... She had given money to the priest before she
and Juan walked together up to the altar the Monday after Holy Week." However, the world seems
to turn around in her life when she finds out that her husband, Juan has an affair with a young
woman named Maria Rosa, a bee-keeper who lives in her neighborhood. Knowing this, Maria
Concepcion behaviour was changed. She wasn't act that energetic anymore or being mild. This
incident affected her relationship with her husband which makes her can't be open by expressing
her frustrations and her struggling because she was mad deeply in love with her husband, Juan.
Even as soon as she killed Maria Rosa, she immediately bent over, face almost upon his knees
(page 233). All these things she did so that her husband, Juan, could be with her again. External
Conflict (man vs man): The external conflict faced by Maria Concepcion in her life with her
husband, is an affair by Juan and his mistress and Juan's confession that "I will not leave Maria
Rosa, because she pleases me more than any other woman" (page 231). This words changed his
wife's behavior. Maria really loved her husband so much but when she saw a worst traged like this,
she seemed to feel that she had to take things back as they were. She thought that Maria Rosa was
now her enemy which she had to lose in front of Juan. Therefore, after Maria Concepcion killed
Maria Rosa she said "It was all finished. Maria Rosa had eaten too much honey and had had too
much love. Now she must sit in hell, crying over her sins and her hard death forever and ever"
(page 236). This shows that she has a deep grudge against Maria Rosa, and the motive for her
murder was to remove Maria Rosa from her husband's presence so that Juan and her can get back
together again like they used to do.
14. External conflicts 1. Man vs. society = In that society, Maria Concepcion has a good reputation
among her neighbors as a religious woman (-page 224, par.5). Because of that, the neighbors do
not believe that Maria Concepcion kills Maria Rosa (A smiling young mother, Anita, baby at
breast, said: "But if no one thinks so, how can you accuse her? Should not a woman's own husband
know best where she was at all times?" Another: "Maria Rosa had a strange life, apart from us.
How do we know who may have wished her evil?" -page 238, par.1) 2. Man vs. Man = Both Juan
and Maria Concepcion have different perceptions. Juan seems does not to enjoy his marriage. He
feels he cannot be as accessible as before when he is already married. He still wants freedom (Yet
sometimes I looked at her and thought, 'Now I am married to that woman in the church,' and I felt
a sinking inside, as if something were lying heavy on my stomach. -page 231, par. 5). Instead,
Maria Concepcion respects her marriage because she thinks when she is married, she made a
promise to God and the priest to live with a man that she loves. Internal conflicts It starts whe n
Maria Concepcion knows that her husband has another woman, Maria Rosa, but she decides not to
divorce because Maria Concepcion is religious. In the Catholic faith, divorce is one sin that God
forbids (She had a good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic, religious woman. -page 224,
par.5). So she always hides away her anger and jealousy until it bursts. One day, she cannot hold
all anymore. At first, she wants to go to the market. Still, maybe because of all the pain that she
accepts, she dares to go to Maria Rosa's house and kills her (Maria Concepcion, seeing that Juan
was quiet, began automatically to bind the legs of her fowls. It was market-day, and she would be
late. Her movements were quick and rigid, like a doll jerked about on strings. She fumbled and
tangled the bits of cord in her haste, and set off across the plowed, heavy fields instead of taking
the accustomed road. She ran grotesquely, in uneven, jolting leaps between furrows, a crazy panic
in her head, in her stumbling legs. She seemed not to know her directions. -page 232, par. 7-8).
Maria Concepcion could not confront his husband correctly because we think Maria Concepcion is
too in love with Juan. She is an obedient woman (We were always at peace. I say to her, 'Come
here,' and she comes straight. I say, 'Go there,' and she goes quickly. Yet sometimes I looked at her
and thought, 'Now I am married to that woman in the church,' and I felt a sinking inside, as if
something were lying heavy on my stomach. -page 231 par. 5). Maybe she always obeys Juan
because she does not want to lose him and reclaim her position as a wife.
15. The internal conflict : Conflict between man and self This type of conflict can be found in Juan's
character, he does not want to commit sin with God by divorcing his wife. Meanwhile Juan is
losing interest in Maria Concepcion as his wife. This situation puts Juan under pressure. The
external conflict : Conflict between man and man Maria Concepcion & Juan Villegas This couple
has a different concept of marriage. Maria is proudly considered as hacienda, meaning a married
woman in church. Meanwhile Juan feels stressed with this culture to keep his image as a Christian
man to stay living with his spouse. Juan feels attached with the society culture of a married man.
Maria Concepcion & Maria Rosa Maria Concepcion is full of anger towards Maria Rosa since she
figured out that her husband is having an affair with Maria Rosa. Knowing she is more
independent than Maria Rosa and does better than her, Maria Concepcion considers herself that
Juan deserves her better than Maria Rosa. Conflict between man and nature Maria Concepcion &
his husband’s loss of interest in her This situation is uncontrollable for Maria Concepcion knowing
his husband prefers to choose Maria Rosa than her. Conflict between man and society Maria
Concepcion & the society Maria Concepcion feels like she failed to be a wife to Juan Villegas that
he chose Maria Rosa over her. Juan Villegas & the society Among the Mexico culture which is
identically related to Catholic faith, he feels under pressure to divorce his spouse since he does not
want to commit sin with God.
3. Discuss Maria Concepcion (the protagonist of the story), Juan, and Maria Rosa. In analyzing
the characters, in addition to the description of physical appearance and various roles they
play, examine their characteristics too. Are they round or flat, static or dynamic characters?
1. Maria Concepcion: A woman who was well-known as a hard-worker woman cause she was carried
a dozen living fowls slung over her shoulder in the morning (page 224 paragraph 2) and was 18
years younger than her husband, Juan Villegaz. (page 224 paragraph 5) She has a slim fit and
proportion of the body even though she is pregnant. She describes herself as a person that always
has a positive life and thoughts. She is calm and doesn't talk too much. (page 224 paragraph 3) She
is also has a good image as an energetic woman and a person who has faith in a religion. (page 224
paragraph 5) She is also known as a woman who foolishly overvalues a man and puts him on a
pedestal cause she has been paid a license with Juan also has been taken out money for the priest a
year before her marriage. (page 225 paragraph 1) She is an obedient woman cause when Juan told
her to give the knife, she obeyed. (page 234 paragraph 2). Maria Concepcion is a dynamic
character because as we can see at the beginning, she was known as a woman that loves to work
and is also religious, and she is strong and not perturbed by the problems that she had but after she
knew that her husband was cheated on her with a 15 years old girl named Maria Rosa, she began to
feel that the grief that was experienced by her makes her uneasy even though she doesn't show it to
the public. Juan Villegaz: A man that describes himself that he is a person who likes freedom
cause when he was married to his wife, Maria Concepcion, he is cheating with another girl who
was still underage named Maria Rosa. (page 225 paragraph 6). He is a patriarchal man cause he
likes to make himself the first power holder especially against the woman. It can be seen when He
says that he would not leave Maria Rosa cause she pleases Juan more than any woman no
exception his wife, Maria Concepcion. (page 231 paragraph 2). Juan Villegaz is a static character
because as we can see from the beginning until the end, Juan's character is unchanged and he stays
on his feet. Maria Rosa: A woman who was well-known as a 15 years old girl who works as a beekeeper in a hut with her grandmother named Lupe. (page 224 paragraph 4). She is shameless
because when she knew that Juan has been married to Maria Concepcion, she was still in a
relationship with Juan until her death. (page 226 paragraph 3). Maria Rosa is a flat character
because she is calm and looks so innocent. Other than that, her characters are uncomplicated and
do not change throughout the course of a work.
2. Juan seems to have a high selfish nature and still didn’t know about her wife, Maria Concepcion,
as herself and seen from some of the things he did to Maria made himself like a coward. At the
beginning, he's an extremely scum person. He cheated on Concepcion just because Maria Rosa was
"..different. She is not silent, she talks. And she's just a girl whom I do as I please". He is such a
scum man. But at the end, he looks like a dynamic character as he had undergone a change in
personality or attitude toward Maria from the beginning to the end of the story. Maria Concepcion
can be described as a dynamic character because she’s made a transformation at herself, from a
hardworking, religious until she finally showed the jealousy, and anger that helped Maria's
transformation to herself against her husband Juan. Maria Rosa herself can be described as a
dynamic character because she underwent few changes to her character. From a young, pure
woman who only knew how to do bee-keeping to a woman who made a husband cheated with her.
3. Maria Concepcion is a young Mexican Indian girl. She is a traditional and catholic girl. Maria
Concepcion lives an isolated life of prayer and hard worker, so Maria Concepcion has a good
reputation in society as an energetic and religious woman (page 224, paragraph 5). Maria Rosa is
the beekeeper lived with her old grandmother (page 224, paragraph 4). Maria Rosa is an
independent and woman who joins the Mexican revolution to established women’s right. Maria
Rosa is pretty and shy child that only fifteen years old when she became Juan’s mistress (Page
224, paragraph 4). Juan Villegas is an overgrown child. Juan is the head digger at the excavations
at the buried city (Page 224, paragraph 1). Juan is a man that want freedom and does not care
about sins. Juan confidence that he could manage the two women.
4. Maria Concepcion is a young Mexican Indian girl. She is a traditional and catholic girl. Maria
Concepcion lives an isolated life of prayer and hard worker, so Maria Concepcion has a good
reputation in society as an energetic and religious woman (page 224, paragraph 5). Maria Rosa is
the beekeeper lived with her old grandmother (page 224, paragraph 4). Maria Rosa is an
independent and woman who joins the Mexican revolution to established women’s right. Maria
Rosa is pretty and shy child that only fifteen years old when she became Juan’s mistress (Page
224, paragraph 4). Juan Villegas is an overgrown child. Juan is the head digger at the excavations
at the buried city (Page 224, paragraph 1). Juan is a man that want freedom and does not care
about sins. Juan confidence that he could manage the two women.
5. Maria Concepcion Physical appearance : - She has black eyes, shaped like almonds that set far
apart. - Sunken eyes and thin body (After finding out about her husband being unfaithful and
leaving her for his duty as a soldier, Maria Concepcion has been living alone ever since. Her eyes
become sunken and her body becomes thin due to being stressful (page 229 “She was thin, as if
something was gnawing her away inside, her eyes were sunken, and she spoke no more than was
necessary.”)). The roles : - Protagonist Maria Concepcion is a hard-worker woman who is
seemingly proud of her marriage. She is the protagonist and the dynamic character of the story
since most of the story centers around her. Maria Concepcion is also the character who brings a
change in herself and in the whole story including its ending. Her character changes from a
religious woman with morals to a woman who seeks revenge after finding out that her husband is
being unfaithful to her. Characteristics : - Hard-worker and action-oriented Maria Concepcion is
seen as a hard-worker woman as she is seen doing many works in the story such as selling and
carrying a dozen of fowls to the market. (page 224, paragraph 2). -Faithful to her husband Maria is
seeming to be someone who is very committed when it comes to a partner and marriage. (page
225, paragraph 1) - Quiet Maria is respected among the villagers where she lives. She only talks
when it is necessary especially after living alone for some time (page 229, paragraph 9). Her
husband complained about his wife for being quiet to Gavins (page 231, paragrap h 5). - Religious
Maria is deeply devoted to her belief (page 229, paragraph 3). It is seen when she has some sort of
argument with Lupa about praying (page 229, paragraph 7-8). After her husband left for his duty,
Maria goes to the church more. Juan Villegas Physical appearance : - Black hair (page 230,
paragraph 6) - Wide mouth (page 230, paragraph 6) Role : - Protagonist’s love interest Antagonist - Round Juan Villegas is Maria Concepcion’s husband, protagonist’s love interest, and
also one of the antagonists of the story along with his mistress, Maria Rosa. He works in an
archeological site under his boss, Givens. He verbally puts his wife down in front of his boss and
friends (page 231, paragraph 5). Characteristics : - Dislikes commitment Juan’s dislike for
commitment is seen in his statement where he says “Oh, Maria Concepcion! That's nothing! Look
you, mi jefe, to be married in the church is a great misfortune to a man”. (page 231, paragraph 5). Immature Juan’s actions and words are mostly immature. He thinks that he can get away from
anything without thinking about any consequences that could affect his decision afterward. He
states that he does not slap Maria Concepcion due to the fact that they are married in the church
(page 231, paragraph 5). His young age could also be a factor why (page 231, paragraph 7). Careless Juan is the epitome of being careless. He does not think twice before making a decision.
He takes everything easy. The fact that he is prideful for having romantic relationships indicates
how careless and impulsive Juan Villegas is as stated in (page 231, paragraph 7) “Juan's expression
was the proper blend of sentimental triumph and melancholy. It was pleasant to think of himself in
the ro1e of romantic hero to two such desirable women”. Maria Rosa Physical appearance : - Has a
petite body We can determine that she has a petite body through what she wears “Maria Rosa
balanced her jar on one hip, and swung her long, full petticoats with every step.” (page 226,
paragraph 3) - Pointed chin (page 225, paragraph 7) - Dark-red mouth (page 225, paragraph 7) Black long lashes (page 225, paragraph 7) Role : - Antagonist - Static Not much is known about
Maria Rosa, especially her internal thoughts. She is a 15-year-old woman who is described as
pretty by the people around her. Her agreement to have a relationship with a married man is what
makes her character an antagonist. Antagonist tends to do their wrongdoings in secret. We can
conclude that she does most of her things with Juan in secret to avoid some conflicts. All readers
likely agree that her character is surely unlikeable. From all of these points, Maria Rosa has
become the source of the conflict in the story. Characteristics : - Talkative and submissive
According to Juan, Maria is a talkative woman who is sometimes against Juan’s command. (page
231, paragraph 5) - Homewrecker She surely knows that Juan is a married man but the fact that she
has no problem or guilt having a romantic relationship with Juan clearly shows that she is a
homewrecker.
6. Maria Concepcion: A woman who was well-known as a hard-worker woman cause she was carried
a dozen living fowls slung over her shoulder in the morning (page 224 paragraph 2) and was 18
years younger than her husband, Juan Villegaz. (page 224 paragraph 5) She has a slim fit and
proportion of the body even though she is pregnant. She describes herself as a person that always
has a positive life and thoughts. She is calm and doesn't talk too much. (page 224 paragraph 3) She
is also has a good image as an energetic woman and a person who has faith in a religion. (page 224
paragraph 5) She is also known as a woman who foolishly overvalues a man and puts him on a
pedestal cause she has been paid a license with Juan also has been taken out money for t he priest a
year before her marriage. (page 225 paragraph 1) She is an obedient woman cause when Juan told
her to give the knife, she obeyed. (page 234 paragraph 2). Maria Concepcion is a dynamic
character because as we can see at the beginning, she was known as a woman that loves to work
and is also religious, and she is strong and not perturbed by the problems that she had but after she
knew that her husband was cheated on her with a 15 years old girl named Maria Rosa, she began to
feel that the grief that was experienced by her makes her uneasy even though she doesn't show it to
the public. Juan Villegaz: A man that describes himself that he is a person who likes freedom
cause when he was married to his wife, Maria Concepcion, he is cheating with another girl who
was still underage named Maria Rosa. (page 225 paragraph 6). He is a patriarchal man cause he
likes to make himself the first power holder especially against the woman. It can be seen when He
says that he would not leave Maria Rosa cause she pleases Juan more than any woman no
exception his wife, Maria Concepcion. (page 231 paragraph 2). Juan Villegaz is a static character
because as we can see from the beginning until the end, Juan's character is unchanged and he stays
on his feet. Maria Rosa: A woman who was well-known as a 15 years old girl who works as a beekeeper in a hut with her grandmother named Lupe. (page 224 paragraph 4). She is shameless
because when she knew that Juan has been married to Maria Concepcion, she was still in a
relationship with Juan until her death. (page 226 paragraph 3). Maria Rosa is a flat character
because she is calm and looks so innocent. Other than that, her character is uncomplicated and do
not change throughout the course of a work.
7. -Maria concepcion : she is smart,brave,cheerful,loyal,quite person,and hard working. • She can be
Dynamic character,because she change and grow as the story unfolds. She was happy because of
she can married with Juan. But,after Juan cheating,she become more misterious. • she can be rou nd
characters,because she had more complex traits. -Juan is fake and egois. • He can be the round
character,because he can’t choose between Maria Concepcion and Maria Rosa. That’s show he had
complex trait. - Maria Rosa : cheerful,no shame,and fake. She is the flat characters,because she
have same traits,no change.
8. Maria Concepcion: Maria Concepcion is the main character of the story. She's a married woman
who is religious and energetic. She has a husband named Juan. At the beginning of the story,
Maria is carrying an unborn child. She's described to have an easy body shape. Her nature is
entirely contented, calmly filled with a sense of the goodness of life. Unfortunately, her husband
cheated on her. She was struggling when she found out about that and thinking of revenge for the
other woman who interrupted her marriage life. She is a round and dynamic character, having
more than one characteristics and also evolving through the story. - Juan: Juan is introduced as the
husband of Maria, the main character. Juan has a soft black beard-growing sparsely on his lips and
his chin. In the story, he was having an affair with Maria Rosa. Juan shows a lot of distasteful
action from being unable to do his duty as a husband, comparing his wife to another woman, and
becoming a drunkard. Juan is a flat character, having only simple characteristics like a proud
person and a cheater. However, he is dynamic, shown by how he evolves through the story from
when he was cheating on his wife to when his mistress is dead. - Maria Rosa: Maria Rosa is a beekeeper who lived with her old godmother, Lupe. She's fifteen years old and looked pretty and shy.
Her appearance is described to have a pointed chin, dark-red mouth, long black lashes and appears
with a soft smile. She developed a romantic relationship with Juan despite knowing that he's
married to Maria Conception. As her role in the story is a third person in Maria Conception &
Juan's marriage life, Maria Rosa ended up being murdered by Maria Conception. Maria Rosa is a
flat and static character, only shown to be young, gullible, and have no evolution or change
throughout the story.
9. Maria Concepcion Is a religious woman, wife of Juan Villegas who works as a chicken seller. She
has a sharp chin and a deep red mouth, she is also very obedient to her husband and immediately
does what she has to do. She is a Round and Dynamic character because she brings some surprises
and conflicts inside and outside Maria Conception Juan Villegas is the husband of Maria
Concepcion, who is also a former soldier leaving Maria Concepcion for Maria Rose. Juan is a
Static character where he triggers the development of other characters such as Maria Concepcion.
Maria Rose is a beekeeper. he is described as having a beautiful face which finally made Juan
leave his wife. Maria rose I think is a flat character, because we are not given much information
about her by the author and we don't feel very connected to this character. Maria Rose also has no
character development at all, thus making her classified as a flat character.
10. Maria Concepcion's appearance: She has black eyes “Instinctive serenity softened her black eyes”
(Page 224) She’s also pregnant. (Page 224) After she’s giving birth, the baby dies within four
days. (Page 229) She was a hard-working woman, religious, faithful but throughout the story, she
has changed a lot, and by that she is a round character because of how different she is in the first
and the end of the story. She is also a dynamic character because in the story Maria completely
changes from a religious and faithful woman into a rageful woman that only wants revenge. She
was so dominant than before. - Juan Villegas's appearance: He has nice white teeth with a soft
black beard around his mouth and his chin. His cheek looks very smooth. “Juan ran after her, also
laughing strangely, his teeth set, both rows gleaming behind the small, soft black beard -growing
sparsely on his lips, his chin, leaving his brown cheeks girl-smooth.” (Page 225) He is an
unfaithful kind of man who betrayed Maria Concepcion. Maria Concepcion is really proud of their
marriage as she owned a hacienda big Juan doesn't feel the same way as she is. “After the
wedding, she had called herself Maria Concepcion Guiterrez de Villegas, as though she owned a
whole hacienda.” (Page 225) He doesn't enjoy the marriage, he just wants to be free, that’s why he
decided to have another woman which is Maria Rosa. After Maria Rosa dies, there’s no happiness
in his face. Only bitterness that can he feel. “as Maria Rosa would go into her grave. He felt his
veins fill up with bitterness,” (Page 238) - Maria Rosa's appearance: she has a pointed chin, darkred lips, long black lashes “Her pointed chin and the dark-red mouth moved in an uncertain way as
if she wished to laugh again; her long black lashes flickered” (Page 225) She’s a young fifteen
years old bee-keeper. Her appearance is the trigger of the conflict in this story. Juan Villegas also
brings her to the war rather than his spouse.
11. Maria Concepcion � She is a kind, hard worker, energic and religious woman. “….She had a good
reputation with the neighbors as an energetic, religious woman.” (page 224) Maria Rosa � She is a
beautiful and shy young woman, but she has a bad reputation among the neighbors. “…Maria
Rosa, a pretty, shy child only fifteen years old.” (page 224) Juan � He is Maria conception’s
husband, he has soft black beard growing sparsely on his lips, his chin, and his brown cheeks girl smooth, but he is an unfaithful man. “…soft black beard growing sparsely on his lips, his chin,
leaving his brown cheeks girl-smooth.” (page 225) He say that “With Maria Rosa it is all
different…. She is just a girl with whom I do as I please…. I will not leave Maria Rosa, because
she pleases me more than any other woman." (page 231) It shows that he is not enough with just
one woman. In this story, I think Maria Concepcion plays the main character. She is a dynamic
character because her character has changed significantly. She changed from a well -known,
hardworking, religious young woman to a hateful woman. She became thin as if something was
gnawing at her, her eyes were sunken, and she spoke only as necessary.
12. --Maria Concepcion-- Maria Concepcion is a peasant young woman who married with Juan
Villegas. She has instinctive serenity softened her black eyes, shaped like almonds set far apart,
and tilted a bit endwise. She walked with the free, natural, yet guarded, ease of the primitive
carrying an unborn child. She walks around with about a dozen living fowls slung over her right
shoulder. She describes as a happy, energetic, and religious woman in the beginning of the story.
But the nature of her character change slowly from the point she found out about his husband's
affair with Maria Rosa. She is surrounded with grief and gloom covered by numbness as she
withdrawn from the society. She is a dynamic character as her personality gradually shifted
followed by numerous incident in her life throughout the story. --Juan-- He is the husband of
Maria Concepcion who had an affair with Maria Rosa. He works for Givens in this work of
uncovering the lost city of their ancestors. Juan is a little past eighteenth year, same as his wife. He
is a man who act like other men. He act as what men of his age and live in this period of time
would act. Although he was unfaithful, other man or his friend never tells he is doing something
wrong. Some friends reminds him about the consequences of his infidelity, but never state that he
was doing something wrong. He is adventurous man, she cheated on his wife to fulfill his
unreleased desire of a little adventure. He is a flat character, he is good mannered man, he wasn't
violent toward his wife (married by church), but never satisfy by the married at the first place. He
created a little adventure by cheating with other woman, but still treated his wife gently until the
very end. From having a happy life until his marriage bumps into a chaos, the nature of Juan
characters remains still. --Maria Rosa-- Maria Rosa is a bee-keeper lived who lived with her old
godmother, Lupe, the medicine-woman. She had an affair with Maria Concepcion's husband, Juan
Villegas. Maria Rosa appears as a pretty shy child, she is only fifteen years old. She is a flat
character, although the way Maria Concepcion -the protagonist of the story- see Maria Rosa
character was changed before and after she found out about the affair between Maria Rosa and his
husband, the people around and the narrator describes her as a character who always seen having a
bad reputation.
13. Maria Concepcion: - Maria Concepcion is an 18 years old girl with black eyes shaped like
almonds. (pg. 224) She has short hair, as illustrated on page 227. - Everyone looks at Maria
Concepcion as a well-mannered person who has a good attitude by Givens, Juan's chief. ("Her
grand manner reminded him of royalty in exile" pg. 228). She had a good reputation with the
neighbors as an energetic, religious woman ("Maria Concepcion went more often to church" pg.
229) - Maria Concepcion is a jealous person. ("Her forehead was cold, and yet boiling water
seemed to be pouring slowly along her spine" "She was afraid Juan and Maria Rosa would feel her
eyes fixed upon them, and find her there, unable to move." pg. 225-226) - After being left by her
husband, Maria Concepcion became an emotionally numb person. She was not crying after all of
the things that happened to her. ("She is mere stone," said old Lupe. Pg. 229) - But after all, Maria
Concepcion couldn't handle her tears. She realizes how things were terrible enough f or her to
experience it. Concepcion cried silently in tears. ("From time to time, she would lift the corner of
her rebozo to wipe her face dry;" Pg. 233) - Maria Concepcion has a vengeful characteristic where
she killed Maria Rosa ("For the long knife she wore habitually at her belt was in her hand. But
instead, she threw it away." Pg. 233, "When I got to Maria Rosa, she was lying all tangled up, and
from her neck to her middle, she was full of knife-holes." Pg. 236) Maria Concepcion is a
protagonist and dynamic character that suddenly an unexpected thing happened caused by the
protagonist. The unpredictable scene of Concepcion killing Maria Rosa made the reader's emotions
go up and down. Juan Villegas: - An 18 years old boy who is a good worker ("He is a good
worker. He never intentionally did harm in his life" pg. 228) - Freedom, indecisive man; Juan is a
married person, yet he still wants freedom. He doesn't want to be with only Maria Concepcion. He
still wants to try to be with every woman. ("on his many infidelities to Maria Concepcion." Pg.
228) Juan also had a fling with Maria Rosa ("Yet sometimes I looked at her and thought, 'Now I
am married to that woman in the church,' and I felt a sinking inside as if something were lying
heavy on my stomach. With Maria Rosa, it is all different." Pg. 231) - Another proof that he is a
free man is; he walked home from the military without permission from the authority, making him
a deserter. (Pg. 229 par.11-12) - His characteristic is also shown when Concepcion holds a knife
with blood all over her. The thought he would die made him afraid and realized right away. ("He
watched her approach with superstitious horror" Pg. 233) He tried to save his wife, either because
he didn't want to get caught that Juan and Maria Rosa were having an affair, or he sincerely
wanted to help his wife. Juan Villegas has a dynamic character of the unpredictable thing that he
does. He was having an affair with another woman, yet he helps his wife cover his wife's case.
Maria Rosa: - Maria Rosa is 15 years old girl known as the bee-keeper who lived with her old
godmother, Lupe. She was a pretty shy child. (pg. 224) - Maria Rosa has a pointed chin and darkred mouth with long black lashes (Pg. 225) Maria Rosa didn't have many appearances in the story,
and she has a flat character where readers only know a bit of her.
14. 1. Physical descriptions and the role (s) of the characters a) Maria Concepcion Maria Concepcion
Guiterrez de Villegas is a wife to Juan de Dios Villegas. • She has a strapping and ideal posture of
a woman. Under her clean bright-blue cotton rebozo her straight back outlined itself strongly.
(Page 224 paragraph 3); The shape of her body was easy, the swelling life was not a distortion, but
the right, inevitable proportions of a woman. (Page 224 paragraph 3) • She has black-almondshaped eyes. Instinctive serenity softened her black eyes, shaped like almonds set far apart, and
tilted a bit endwise. (Page 224 paragraph 3) • She has strong hands. …, save for the movement of
her strong hands fanning the blaze which cast sparks and small jets of white smoke, (Page 234
paragraph 4) b) Juan Villegas Juan Villegas is a husband to Maria Concepcion and works for a
man named Givens at the buried city. • He has a trim, soft, thin black beard. …, both rows
gleaming behind the small, soft black beard growing sparsely on his lips, his chin, (Page 225
paragraph 7) • He has a brown tone of the skin. …, leaving his brown cheeks girl -smooth. (Page
225 paragraph 7) • He has impressive legs. His feet were bare, the beautifully arched and muscled
feet of the Indian, with long, flexible toes. (Page 230 paragraph 4) • He has black hair. His black
hair, pressed damply to his forehead, (Page 230 paragraph 5) c) Maria Rosa Maria Rosa is a bee keeper that lives with her old godmother, Lupe. She is a neighbor to Juan and Maria. • She has
half-unbraided-long crinkled wisps hair. …, her half-unbraided hair showered around her
shoulders in long crinkled wisps. (Page 225 paragraph 6) • She has a pointed chin and dark -red
mouth. Her pointed chin and dark-red mouth moved in an uncertain way, (Page 225 paragraph 7) •
She has long black lashes. ; her long black lashes flickered with the tiny quick -moving lights in her
half-hidden eyes. (Page 225 paragraph 7) 2. Characteristics (personality traits) a) Maria
Concepcion • Obedient I say to her, ‘come here,’ she comes straight. I say, ‘Go there,’ and she
goes quickly. (Page 231 paragraph 6) • Energetic and religious She had a good reputation with the
neighbors as an energetic, religious woman. (Page 224 paragraph 5); If Maria Concepcion had not
gone so regularly to church, lighting candles before the saints and receiving holy communion at
the altar every month, … (Page 229 paragraph 2) • Intelligent and diligent Givens considered her
exceptionally intelligent. (Page 228 paragraph 9); She would have enjoyed resting for a moment in
the dark shade by the roadside, but she had no time to waste drawing cactus needles from her feet.
Juan and his Jefe would be waiting for their food in the damp trenches of the buried city. (Page
224 paragraph 1); “By permission, I will now go to the market.” (Page 228 paragraph 5) • Bold,
strong, and unruly …, twisting off the head with the casual firmness one might use with the top of
a beet. (Page 228 paragraph 1); She carried about a dozen living fowls slung over her right
shoulder, … (Page 224 paragraph 2); When she learned about her man and that shameless girl she
did not weep. Later, when the baby was born, and died within four days, she did not weep. "She is
mere stone," said old Lupe, … (Page 229 paragraph 1) • Spiteful She knew no more rancor against
that pitiable thing, lying indifferently on its new mat under the fine silk -rebozo. (Page 236
paragraph 1); All her being was a dark, confused memory of an endless loss, of grief burning in the
heart by night, of deadly baffled anger eating at her by day, until her feet were as heavy as if she
were mired in the muddy roads during the time of rains. (Page 232 paragraph 9) b) Juan Villegas •
Disloyal …; but also, mi jefe, I will not leave Maria Rosa, because she pleases me more than any
other woman." (Page 231 paragraph 6) • Boastful He swung his arm wide in a free circle up soaring toward the prison window, where forlorn heads poked over the window -sill, hot eyes
following the lucky departing one. Two or three of them flipped a hand in response, with a gallant
effort to imitate his own casual and heady manner. (Page 230 paragraph 7); Glittering epithets
tumbled over one another like explosions of a rocket. All the scandalous analogies from the animal
and vegetable worlds were applied in a vivid, unique, and personal way to the life, loves, and
family history of the harmless young officer who had just set him free. But Juan cared nothing for
this; his gratitude to his jefe excluded all other possible obligations. (Page 231 paragraph 3) • Rude
…, attempting to beat Maria Concepcion by way of re-establishing himself in his legal household.
(Page 232 paragraph 3) • Demeaning to women "Women are good things, but not at this moment.”
(Page 231 paragraph 10) c) Maria Rosa • Shy But she often purchased a jar of honey from young
Maria Rosa, a pretty, shy child only fifteen years old. (Page 224 paragraph 4) • Shameless So, he
and his soldadera, now as lean as a wolf, and burdened with a child daily expected, set out with no
ostentation and walked home. (Page 229 paragraph 11) • Ingenious bee-keeper Lupe had no talent
for bees, and the hives did not prosper. (Page 229 paragraph 3) 3. Category that the character falls
into: flat or round, dynamic or static • Maria Concepcion: Round and dynamic • Juan Villegas:
Round and static • Maria Rosa: Round and dynamic We think that Maria Concepcion and Maria
Rosa are both round and dynamic characters. They have many characteristics that develop with the
story and cannot be concluded in just one or two phrases. While Juan's characters are also
described along with the story, but from the beginning, we know that he is not a man with good
characteristics. Starting from how he flirts with Maria Rosa and continues his affair with her.
15. Maria Concepcion Characteristics: Good Christian Hard worker & independent Tough woman as
she earns money for her and her husband lives Obedient wife Polite Silent woman Physical
Appearance: Strong arms Has black eyes Roles : Respected by the society Has good reputation
among the neighbors Maria Concepcion is a round and dynamic character Juan Villegas
Characteristics: Crave for freedom Dominant Arbitrary Physical Appearance: Has soft black beard
Has brown colored skin Roles : As a betrayal husband and a cowardly man at the same time. Juan
Villegas is a flat and dynamic character Maria Rosa Characteristics: Cheerful Dependant Talkative
Shy Physical Appearance: Pretty Has pointed chin Dark-red mouth Long black lashes Roles : A
young woman who is completely blind of love and a selfish woman. Maria Rosa is a flat and static
character gua tandain
4. Read carefully page 231(par.5-8) then compare it with page 238 (9-11). What can you infer
about Juan from these paragraphs?
1. After reading page 238 and par. 9-11, I can infer that Juan feel that after Maria Rosa died, his life
became less colorful and don't have the spirit to live the life again. And after reading page 231 and
par. 5-8, I can infer that Juan feel that with Maria Rosa, he can have the excitement and the spirit
to live, unlike with Maria Concepcion, he feels that his life is too boring. also, he feels that he can
balancing his life with by having one wife and one affair.
2. From what we can infer about Juan, he's an egoistic, rough person. He never feels enough with
what he has. He also thinks about himself as a man who is surrounded by the most desirable
women in his village. Based on page 231, we know that he's a man who loves to partying and
drinking. But at the same times, he hates how quiet Concepcion is towards him. Yes, Concepcion
is a good, obedient and religious woman. The ideal woman in their society. But also because of
that, it makes her seems way too indifferent to her husband to the point Juan says that "..different.
She is not silent, she talks." about Rosa. Page 231 shows us an "angry", egoistic Juan who is
complaining about his wife. But in page 238, after the loss of his lover, Rosa, he seems down, loss
of energy, thinking that the fiery days and nights with Rosa that he used to had will no longer be
able to be experienced. He changes. And he finally goes back to his house with his legal wife,
making it a victory for her wife.
3. On page 231 Juan can be seen as a man who has no manners ad a man who doesn't have dignity
and instantly left Maria with another mistress to go to an army. "She stood and regarded Givens
condescendingly, that diverting white man who had no woman to cook for him, and, moreover,
appeared not to feel any loss of dignity in preparing his own food" "Less than a week after this the
two culprits went away to war, Juan as a conimon soldier, Maria Rosa as his soldadera" (Page 5,
paragraph 3) On page 238 Juan can be seen as a man who tries to calm Maria for his own sake so
Maria can forget what Juan did to her. "Oh, thou poor creature! Oh, thou dear woman! Oh, my
Maria Concepcion, unfortunate! Listen! do not fear! Hear me! I will hide thee away, I, thy own
man, will protect thee! Quiet! Not a sound!" (Page 10, paragraph 11)
4. On page 231 Juan can be seen as a man who has no manners ad a man who doesn't have dignity
and instantly left Maria with another mistress to go to an army. "She stood and regarded Givens
condescendingly, that diverting white man who had no woman to cook for him, and, moreover,
appeared not to feel any loss of dignity in preparing his own food" "Less than a week after this the
two culprits went away to war, Juan as a conimon soldier, Maria Rosa as his soldadera" (Page 5,
paragraph 3) On page 238 Juan can be seen as a man who tries to calm Maria for his own sake so
Maria can forget what Juan did to her. "Oh, thou poor creature! Oh, thou dear woman! Oh, my
Maria Concepcion, unfortunate! Listen! do not fear! Hear me! I will hide thee away, I, thy own
man, will protect thee! Quiet! Not a sound!" (Page 10, paragraph 11)
5. Before Maria Rosa’s death, Juan thought of marriage as something that killed a man inside as he
stated “Oh, Maria Concepcion! That 's nothing! Look you, mi jefe, to be married in the church is a
great misfortune to a man. After that he is not himself anymore”. The idea of getting married in the
church is apparently against his free-spirited behavior. He saw Maria Concepcion as a “boring”
woman who was not giving him any thrills unlike what Maria Rosa did. Unlike Maria Concepcion,
Maria Rosa was not silent according to Juan. At this stage of the story, Juan thought that life was
still being kind to him. Therefore, he took the issue of him being unfaithful easily. He believed that
when the right time came, he would solve the issue he had between these two
women.
After knowing that Maria Rosa was dead, Juan simply began to lose excitement in
life. He realized that reality had beaten him to the punch and life was now dull. Juan knew that
there was no way out but to forget about her. I came to the conclusion that “we can avoid reality
but we can not avoid the consequences of reality”.
6. After reading page 238 and par. 9-11, I can infer that Juan feel that after Maria Rosa died, his life
became less colorful and don't have the spirit to live the life again. And after reading page 231 and
par. 5-8, I can infer that Juan feel that with Maria Rosa, he can get the excitement and the spirit to
live, unlike with Maria Concepcion, he feels that his life is too boring. Also, he feels that he can
balancing his life with by having one wife and one affair.
7. he is a man who wants more than he has. He chose to cheat because his wife doesn’t seem to
please him even though she follows every order that he has. However, she chose a María Rosa
because she please him more than Maria Concepción. At the end Maria Rosa life and Juan felt
something left his soul, feel sad and empty.
8. From page 231, Juan shows the distasteful attitude of comparing his wife with another woman. It
was not an act that a husband was supposed to do. Instead of admitting what he did was wrong, he
acted arrogantly and triumphantly thinking that he finally achieved his selfish goal to live a leisure
life. His arrogant and selfish thinking lead to his destruction as its explained on page 238. After
Maria Rosa's death, Juan felt hopeless. He hardly finds guidance to bring his feet back to the
ground. He is covered in wound. He looked exhausted. It was an ending of someone who plays
with an affair that should be expected.
9. On page 231, we see Juan who is arrogant and doesn't care about Maria Concepcion and prefers
Maria Rosa. Juan who is used to the obedient Maria Concepcion, here prefers Maria Rosa because
he feels that Maria Rosa is more 'entertaining' than the boring Maria Conception. While on page
238 we see that after the death of Maria Rosa, Juan is now full of adversity. Now he had lost the
entertainment, the fun life, and realized that what would await him was only a boring village life.
10. In the page 231 Juan seems to be like a man who seems fearless and kind of ignorant person,
especially when he tell about Maria Rosa. In the page 238 Juan looks very different from the
previous page. Juan feel the sadness deep in his heart knowing that Maria Rosa was gone. He feel
no excitement at all unlike in the previous page that he don't regret being abusive to Maria Rosa,
but now Juan feel that he really lost Maria Rosa.
11. From two parts of the story, we can conclude that Juan really felt the joy in his life had
disappeared, because on page 231 Juan explained that Maria Rosa has a cheerful personality and
on page 238 Juan couldn't longer feel that joy because Maria Rosa died.
12. Juan has an ambiguous nature, sometimes he is like the protagonist who saves his wife Maria
Concepcion who has killed the woman he loves. He helped her and protected Maria Concepcion
and calmed her down. But in the end he felt very sad when Maria Rosa left and never came back.
Where when he helps and helps Maria Concepcion he becomes someone who really becomes her
husband Maria Concepcion who will be ready to protect her. When Maria Rosa died Juan tried to
live with reality and live with Maria Concepcion because they have a legally valid marriage.
13. On page 231, Juan compares both Maria Concepcion and Maria Rosa. He had two different views
between the two girls. Maria Concepcion is a girl he will not harm because of the marriage;
meanwhile, Maria Rosa can please Juan more than any other woman. Meanwhile, on page 238,
Juan felt no excitement left on his body. After Maria Rosa's death, he felt tired and exhausted with
the thought that Maria Rosa would never come back. The two different pages conclude that Juan is
an indecisive man. From the start, Juan didn't want to let go of both of them because of his
unreasonable reason. This made him look very hesitant with Maria Rosa and Maria Concepcion.
14. On page 231(par.5-8) Juan always compares Maria Concepcion and Maria Rosa (I say to her,
'Come here,' and she comes straight. I say, 'Go there,' and she goes quickly. Yet sometimes I
looked at her and thought, 'Now I am married to that woman in the church,' and I felt a sinking
inside, as if something were lying heavy on my stomach. With Maria Rosa it is all different. She is
not silent; she talks. When she talks too much, I slap her and say, 'Silence, thou simpleton!' and she
weeps. She is just a girl with whom I do as I please. -page 231, par. 5). It proves that Juan thinks
Maria Rosa is better than Maria Concepcion. On page 238 (9-11), after Maria Rosa dies, Juan feels
empty. He realizes that he cannot be together with Maria Rosa again. No one can please him again,
and that is the reality (Juan's exaltation had burned down. There was not an ember of excitement
left in him. He was tired; the high sense of adventure was faded, Maria Rosa was vanished, to
come no more forever. Their days of marching, of eating, of fighting, of making love, were all
over. To-morrow he would go back to dull and endless labor, he would descend into the trenches
of the buried city as Maria Rosa would go into her grave. -page 238, par.9)
15. Juan in page 231 is such an abusive man, betrayal, and selfish by wanting all he wants without
considering Maria Concepcion and Maria Rosa positions. Meanwhile in 238, Juan is inferred as a
coward, loser, and a lost man since he has to deal with the fact Maria Rosa is dead and has to go
back with his real wife, Maria Concepcion
5. There is a strong connection between the social setting and the resolution. How does the
social setting in this story connect to the way the story is resolved?
1. The relationship between social settings is connected through the beginning of the story to the end
of the story, starting from the character changes from the beginning of the story, through the many
conflicts With Maria and Juan and their surroundings that help connect this story. In page 231
“Juan's expression was the proper blend of sentimental triumph and melancholy. It was pleasant to
think of himself in the role of romantic hero to two such desirable women. His present situation
was ineffably perfect. He had just escaped from the threat of a disagreeable end.” The expression
from Juan It’s look like Juan feels he hasn't done anything wrong as long as he doesn't get caught
until Maria knows it herself.
2. The connection between both social setting and resolution are how the story employs how strongly
Maria Concepcion were portrays as a religious woman and have a good reputation in her
community but her own husband who also has another mistress feels like he didn't like their
marriage that leads her to change herself from a happy cheerful woman into a self frown looking
woman that wants to kill Maria Rosa because she wants to satisfy her excitement of her needs or
wants to cool of her temper to kill Maria Rosa to get her husband back. and took Maria Rosa's son.
The setting connect to resolved issues by Maria Concepcion how she was jealous by her husband
and then having a anger that force herself to kill the mistress and took the child of the mistress
away. "She had a good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic, religious woman" (Page 1,
paragraph 5) (on how Maria Concepcion has a good reputation from her friends). "Oh, Maria
Concepcion! That 's nothing! Look you, mi jefe, to be married in the church is a great misfortune
to a man. After that he is not himself any more" (Page 8, paragraph 4) (on how Juan didn't like
their marriage). Maria Concepci6n took the almost forgotten son of Maria Rosa in her arms. "He is
mine," she said clearly; " I will take him with me." (Page 15, paragraph 4) (on how Maria
Concepcion took Maria Rosa's child to take care by herself).
3. The connection between both social setting and resolution are how the story employs how strongly
Maria Concepcion were portrays as a religious woman and have a good reputation in her
community but her own husband who also has another mistress feels like he didn't like their
marriage that leads her to change herself from a happy cheerful woman into a self frown looking
woman that wants to kill Maria Rosa because she wants to satisfy her excitement of her needs or
wants to cool of her temper to kill Maria Rosa to get her husband back. and took Maria Rosa's son.
The setting connect to resolved issues by Maria Concepcion how she was jealous by her husband
and then having a anger that force herself to kill the mistress and took the child of the mistress
away. "She had a good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic, religious woman" (Page 1,
paragraph 5) (on how Maria Concepcion has a good reputation from her friends). "Oh, Maria
Concepcion! That 's nothing! Look you, mi jefe, to be married in the church is a great misfortune
to a man. After that he is not himself any more" (Page 8, paragraph 4) (on how Juan didn't like
their marriage). Maria Concepcion took the almost forgotten son of Maria Rosa in her arms. "He is
mine," she said clearly; " I will take him with me." (Page 15, paragraph 4) (on how Maria
Concepcion took Maria Rosa's child to take care by herself).
4. The relationship between the social setting and the final resolution of the story is the importance of
a person's social and religious status. In this story, these two things play an enormous role. They
put those two points even above humanity itself. That was proven by Maria Concepcion, who
ultimately killed someone but is not judged by the surrounding community because she is a well known person. And Maria Rosa, who was not liked in that society, was being killed.
5. There is a strong connection between the social setting and the resolution. How does the social
setting in this story connect to the way the story is resolved? *The strong connection between the
social setting and the resolution in this story is : In this story, as we read a novel, we pay our
attention to how the setting affects the mood of the story and also how it affects the lives of the
characters. 1. Maria Concepcion lives in Mexico.* It is obvious from the characters’ name and the
terms used in the story, such as jefe, rebozo (a long flat garment worn mostly by Mexican
women), jacal, etc. Maria Concepcion also mentioned that her home country is Guadalajara,
which is located in western Mexico. Based on the story, Maria Concepcion is living in a society
dominated with Christian values.* Mexicans are known as a religious society in page 224 & 229, it
is clearly depicted that she has a good reputation as an obedient Christian in her village. *Proof :
pg. 224 (She had a good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic, religious woman.) *proof :
pg. 229 (If Maria Concepción had not gone so regularly to church, lighting candles before the
saints and receiving holy communion at the altar every month,......) 2. Patriarchal society * In that
village, men have a higher and predominant position than women. Men could do anything they
want, no matter it is right or wrong, and women have to be obedient. * This concept can be proven
from the scene when Juan Villegas is having an affair with Maria Rosa, the bee-keeper, but
Maria Concepcion cannot do anything to confront his mistake openly or to divorce her husband at
the moment, instead she has to be a submissive woman (Maria Conception, p. 225-226) to
still get a place in her society, even though she lost her husband and later on her baby, at once.
*proof : pg. 225 (When he seized her, he clenched so hard that her chemise gave way and slipped
off her shoulder.), * proof : pg. 226 (1. Maria Concepción came out of the heavy darkness which
seemed to en- wrap her head and bind her at the throat, and found herself walking on- ward,
keeping the road by instinct, feeling her way delicately, her ears strumming as if all Maria Rosa's
bees had hived in them. Her careful sense of duty kept her moving toward the buried city where
Juan's chief, the American archeologist, was taking his midday rest, waiting for his dinner.) (2. "I
hope you've brought me a nice fat one." He selected a fowl from the bunch dangling nearest him as
Maria Concepción, wordless, leaned over the trench. "Dress it for me, there's a good girl. I'll broil
it.") 3. The resolution * The story is resolved with the villagers protecting Maria Concepcion
despite they suspect that she murdered Maria Rosa. * It is related to the fact that they are religious
and patriarchal society. To them, reputation for being religious is very valuable. Maria Concepcion
is seen as a virtuous woman because she is a devoted Christian, she gets married in a church, she
is an obedient wife, and she is hard-worker. The fact that she still obey her husband and hide her
anger about his affair almost completely, make the villagers belief her even more than Maria Rosa,
a blessing in disguise for her. In short, she is an exemplary woman. Maria Rosa is the opposite of
Maria Concepcion. That is when the villagers said that they didn't believe Maria Rosa life beca use
they think she have a strange life and rarely interact with them. *proof : pg. 238 ( A toothless old
man said, "But she is a woman of good repute among us, and Maria Rosa was not." A smiling
young mother, Anita, baby at breast, said: "But if no one thinks so, how can you accuse her?
Should not a woman's own health! husband know best where she was at all times?" Another:
"Maria Rosa had a strange life, apart from us. How do we know who may have wished her evil?"),
*proof : pg. 238 (Maria Concepción suddenly felt herself guarded, surrounded, up borne by her
faithful friends. They were all about her, speaking for her, defending her, refusing to admit ill of
her. The forces of life were ranged in- vincibly with her against the vanquished dead. Maria Rosa
had for- feinted her share in their loyalty. What did they really believe? How much had old Lupe
seen? She looked from one to the other of the circling faces. Their eyes gave back reassurance,
understanding, a secret and mighty sympathy.) * Patriarchal value is internalized by Maria
Concepcion; she too blamed and killed Maria Rosa for the wrongdoing that her husband
committed. While she cannot directly punish his husband she can at least take the spirit of life
from his husband's soul by killing Maria Rosa that he loves. And it works better than she thought
because in the end of the story, her husband become quite and lifeless *Proof : pg. 238 -239 (He
entered the jacal, and, without waiting to light a candle, threw off his clothing, sitting just within
the door. He moved with lagging, half-awake hands, seeking to strip his outwearied body of its
heavy finery. With a long groaning sigh of relief he fell straight back on the floor, almost instantly
asleep, his arms flung up and out in the simple attitude of exhaustion.) * The protection given by
the villagers for Maria Concepcion is to reinforce the existing social order and or system in that
society. A system that upholds reputation, pity, and male domination. *Proof : pg. 238
6. The strong connection between the social setting and the resolution in this story are : In this story,
as we read a novel, we pay our attention to how the setting affects the mood of the story and also
how it affects the lives of the characters. 1. Maria Concepcion lives in Mexico.* It is obvious from
the characters’ name and the terms used in the story, such as jefe, rebozo (a long flat garment
worn mostly by Mexican women), jacal, etc. Maria Concepcion also mentioned that her home
country is Guadalajara, which is located in western Mexico.Based on the story, Maria Concepcion
is living in a society dominated with Christian values.* Mexicans are known as a religious society.
In page 224 & 229, it is clearly depicted that she has a good reputation as an obedient Christian in
her village. *Proof : pg. 224 (She had a good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic,
religious woman.) *proof : pg. 229 (If Maria Concepción had not gone so regularly to church,
lighting candles before the saints and receiving holy communion at the altar every month,......) 2.
Patriarchal society * In that village, men have a higher and predominant position than women.
Men could do anything they want, no matter it is right or wrong, and women have to be obedient. *
This concept can be proven from the scene when Juan Villegas is having an affair with Maria
Rosa, the bee-keeper, but Maria Concepcion cannot do anything to confront his mistake openly or
to divorce her husband at the moment, instead she has to be a submissive woman (Maria
Conception, p. 225-226) to still get a place in her society, even though she lost her husband and
later on her baby, at once. *proof : pg. 225 (When he seized her, he clenched so hard that her
chemise gave way and slipped off her shoulder.), * proof : pg. 226 (1. Maria Conce pción came out
of the heavy darkness which seemed to en- wrap her head and bind her at the throat, and found
herself walking on- ward, keeping the road by instinct, feeling her way delicately, her ears
strumming as if all Maria Rosa's bees had hived in them. Her careful sense of duty kept her
moving toward the buried city where Juan's chief, the American archæologist, was taking his
midday rest, waiting for his dinner.) (2. "I hope you've brought me a nice fat one." He selected a
fowl from the bunch dangling nearest him as Maria Concepción, wordless, leaned over the trench.
"Dress it for me, there's a good girl. I'll broil it.") 3. The resolution * The story is resolved with the
villagers protecting Maria Concepcion despite they suspect that she murdered Maria Rosa. * It is
related to the fact that they are religious and patriarchal society. To them, reputation for being
religious is very valuable. Maria Concepcion is seen as a virtuous woman because she is a devoted
Christian, she gets married in a church, she is an obedient wife, and she is hard-worker. The fact
that she still obey her husband and hide her anger about his affair almost completely, make the
villagers belief her even more than Maria Rosa, a blessing in disguise for her. In short, she is an
exemplary woman. Maria Rosa is the opposite of Maria Concepcion. That is when the villagers
said that they didn't believe Maria Rosa life because they think she have a strange life and rarely
interact with them. *proof : pg. 238 ( A toothless old man said, "But she is a woman of good
repute among us, and Maria Rosa was not." A smiling young mother, Anita, baby at breast, said:
"But if no one thinks so, how can you accuse her? Should not a woman's own health! husband
know best where she was at all times?" Another: "Maria Rosa had a strange life, apart from us.
How do we know who may have wished her evil?"), *proof : pg. 238 (Maria Concepción suddenly
felt herself guarded, surrounded, upborne by her faithful friends. They were all about her, speaking
for her, defend- ing her, refusing to admit ill of her. The forces of life were ranged invincibly with
her against the vanquished dead. Maria Rosa had for- feited her share in their loyalty. What did
they really believe? How much had old Lupe seen? She looked from one to the other of the
circling faces. Their eyes gave back reas- surance, understanding, a secret and mighty sympathy.)
* Patriarchal value is internalized by Maria Concepcion; she too blamed and killed Maria Rosa for
the wrongdoing that her husband committed. While she cannot directly punish his husband she
can at least take the spirit of life from his husband's soul by killing Maria Rosa that he loves. And
it works better than she thought because in the end of the story, her husband become quite an d
lifeless *Proof : pg. 238-239 (He entered the jacal, and, without waiting to light a candle, threw off
his clothing, sitting just within the door. He moved with lagging, half -awake hands, seeking to
strip his outweariedbody of its heavy finery. With a long groaning sigh of relief he fell straight
back on the floor, almost instantly asleep, his arms flung up and out in the simple attitude of
exhaustion.) * The protection given by the villagers for Maria Concepcion is to reinforce the
existing social order and or system in that society. A system that upholds reputation, pity, and
male domination. *Proof : pg. 238
7. *The strong connection between the social setting and the resolution in this story is : In this story,
as we read a novel, we pay our attention to how the setting affects the mood of the story and also
how it affects the lives of the characters. 1. Maria Concepcion lives in Mexico.* It is obvious from
the characters’ name and the terms used in the story, such as jefe, rebozo (a long flat garment
worn mostly by Mexican women), jacal, etc. Maria Concepcion also mentioned that her home
country is Guadalajara, which is located in western Mexico. Based on the story, Maria
Concepcion is living in a society dominated with Christian values.* Mexicans are known as a
religious society. In page 224 & 229, it is clearly depicted that she has a good reputation as an
obedient Christian in her village. *Proof : pg. 224 (She had a good reputation with the neighbors as
an energetic, religious woman.) *proof : pg. 229 (If Maria Concepción had not gone so regularly to
church, lighting candles before the saints and receiving holy communion at the altar every
month,....) 2. Patriarchal society * In that village, men have a higher and predominant position
than women. Men could do anything they want, no matter it is right or wrong, and women have to
be obedient. * This concept can be proven from the scene when Juan Villegas is having an affair
with Maria Rosa, the bee-keeper, but Maria Concepcion cannot do anything to confront his
mistake openly or to divorce her husband at the moment, instead she has to be a submissive
woman (Maria Conception, p. 225-226) to still get a place in her society, even though she lost her
husband and later on her baby, at once. *proof : pg. 225 (When he seized her, he clenched so hard
that her chemise gave way and slipped off her shoulder.), * proof : pg. 226 (1. Maria Concepción
came out of the heavy darkness which seemed to enwrap her head and bind her at the throat, and
found herself walking on- ward, keeping the road by instinct, feeling her way delicately, her ears
strumming as if all Maria Rosa's bees had hived in them. Her careful sense of duty kept her
moving toward the buried city where Juan's chief, the American archeologist, was taking his
midday rest, waiting for his dinner.) (2. "I hope you've brought me a nice fat one." He selected a
fowl from the bunch dangling nearest him as Maria Concepción, wordless, leaned over the trench.
"Dress it for me, there's a good girl. I'll broil it.") 3. The resolution * The story is resolved with the
villagers protecting Maria Concepcion despite they suspect that she murdered Maria Rosa. * It is
related to the fact that they are religious and patriarchal society. To them, reputation for bei ng
religious is very valuable. Maria Concepcion is seen as a virtuous woman because she is a devoted
Christian, she gets married in a church, she is an obedient wife, and she is hard-worker. The fact
that she still obey her husband and hide her anger about his affair almost completely, make the
villagers belief her even more than Maria Rosa, a blessing in disguise for her. In short, she is an
exemplary woman. Maria Rosa is the opposite of Maria Concepcion. That is when the villagers
said that they didn't believe Maria Rosa life because they think she have a strange life and rarely
interact with them. *proof : pg. 238 ( A toothless old man said, "But she is a woman of good
repute among us, and Maria Rosa was not." A smiling young mother, Anita, baby at br east, said:
"But if no one thinks so, how can you accuse her? Should not a woman's own health! husband
know best where she was at all times?" Another: "Maria Rosa had a strange life, apart from us.
How do we know who may have wished her evil?"), *proof : pg. 238 (Maria Concepción suddenly
felt herself guarded, surrounded, up borne by her faithful friends. They were all about her,
speaking for her, defending her, refusing to admit ill of her. The forces of life were ranged in vincibly with her against the van- quished dead. Maria Rosa had for- feited her share in their
loyalty. What did they really believe? How much had old Lupe seen? She looked from one to the
other of the circling faces. Their eyes gave back reas- surance, understanding, a secret and mighty
sympathy.) * Patriarchal value is internalized by Maria Concepcion; she too blamed and killed
Maria Rosa for the wrongdoing that her husband committed. While she cannot directly punish his
husband she can at least take the spirit of life from his husband's soul by killing Maria Rosa that he
loves. And it works better than she thoughtbecause in the end of the story, her husband become
quite and lifeless *Proof : pg. 238-239 (He entered the jacal, and, without waiting to light a candle,
threw off his clothing, sitting just within the door. He moved with lagging, half-awake hands,
seeking to strip his outweariedbody of its heavy finery. With a long groaning sigh of relief he fell
straight back on the floor, almost instantly asleep, his arms flung up and out in the simple attitude
of exhaustion.) * The protection given by the villagers for Maria Concepcion is to reinforce the
existing social order and or system in that society. A system that upholds reputation, pity, and
male domination. *Proof : pg. 238
8. The social setting in the story is most people are religious and are very strict with the church rules.
they think and thought that marrying in the church is very crucial and should not be break. But the
reality is that there are some people that are forgettable or don’t care about the rules of their
religion. In my opinion, they only think that Mary and the truth is only a normal duty, even though
it is crucial and has many meanings and every step of the ceremony.
9. The story, which is set in Mexico in the 20th century, indirectly draws a connection with the
context of the social setting with what actually happened in Mexico. The state of Mexico itself is a
country with a strong and majority Catholic religious influence. On the other hand, Catholicism is
a religion that opposes infidelity. And from the information we got, at that time of the 20th
century, the rights of women in Mexico were very limited. As in the case of work, women are not
given the opportunity to work in an office. These things really helped Porter in playing the story
by bringing elements of the state of Mexico at that time. The way she brings an element of
Catholicism helps the reader understand how painful the situation was for Maria Concepcion when
she found out her husband has been cheating on her, but Maria lived in an environment that limited
her space to rebel.
10. The connection is that because her husband went to war, she was left alone back in the village. Her
husband had the fullest freedom to do anything. Yet, he used it to "mingles " with another woman.
Which resulted in Maria Concepcion finding that woman and killing her.
11. The neighbors see Maria Concepcion as an energetic and religious woman. “She had a good
reputation with the neighbors as an energetic, religious woman.” (Page 224). This means that the
social setting is on Maria Concepcion’s side. She thinks that she’s better than Maria Rosa. None of
the neighbors defend Maria Rosa, even Lupe who is always with her. “What she had not see n she
could not describe, thank God! No one could harm her because her knees were stiff and she could
not run even to seize a murderer.” (Page273) She decided to murder Maria Rosa because she knew
that society is on her side and she worried that she is replace by Maria Rosa.
12. At the end of the story, the police were unable to arrest Maria Concepcion for the murder of Maria
rosa because there was no evidence. People who know Maria Concepcion defend her. It's because
the neighbors know Maria Concepcion as a good and religious woman. She has a good reputation.
In contrast, Maria Rosa has a bad reputation among her neighbors. Therefore, the neighbors don't
believe that she was the one who killed Maria Rosa. (page 238) Other voices followed. A toothless
old man said, "But she is a woman of good repute among us, and Maria Rosa was not." .. "Maria
Rosa had a strange life, apart from us. How do we know who may have wished her evil?"
13. The story ends with the decision of the neighbors not accusing Maria Concepcion as a murderer.
Later, Maria Concepcion is allowed to keep Maria Rosa's baby since Maria Rosa no longer around.
The resolution is definitely affected by the social setting of the story. The social condition in the
story is that women is always under the society observant. The society always sees people through
the act they've done. The connection between the social settings and the resolution lays on how
society determines Maria Concepcion was good because she has a good reputation while Maria
Rosa was not.
14. In the story, Maria Concepcion is described as a young woman who always goes to the church, "...
If Maria Concepcion had not gone so regularly to church, lighting candles before the saints and
receiving holy communion at the altar every month..." (page 229). From this condition, we can see
that everybody there also believes that she is a nice woman. However, Maria Concepcion
murdered Maria Rosa, but she was not arrested at the end of the story. This is because the society,
the villagers there, believe that Maria Concepcion will not do such a thing "...But she is a woman
of good repute among us, and Maria Rosa was not." (page 238). There was also no evidence
enough that proof Maria Concepcion is the murderer. Even Lupe did not say anything about the
murderer, although she knows something, "...then she knew some one had been there and was
running away" (page 236). "I am an old woman; I do not see well; I cannot hurry on my feet. I did
not see any one leave the clearing..." (page 236).
15. Because Maria Concepcion lived in the middle of the society, active in the Church, also society
has a good impression for her, the society is defending Maria Concepcion about the murderer case.
Even Lupe, who helped Maria Rosa give birth, lied that she did not see anything about t he culprit
to save Maria Concepcion. "But she is a woman of good repute among us, and Maria Rosa was
not." "But if no one thinks so, how can you accuse her? Should not a woman's own husband know
best where she was at all times?" Another: "Maria Rosa had a strange life apart from us. How do
we know who may have wished her evil?"(page 238 par. 1) It shows that society chose to defend
Maria Concepcion whether she murdered Maria Rosa because society thinks that Maria
Concepcion is much better than Maria Rosa, who lived apart from society.
16. At that time in Mexico with the Catholic faith as the dominant culture, marriage was considered as
a holy thing for a man and woman to have in church. In Maria Concepcion's story, cheating and
divorcing is considered as something that is against God’s rules to committing sins. Besides,
someone is considered as a successful husband or wife if their spouse becomes loyal to them. In
this story it is mentioned that the society must be thinking about Maria Concepcion’s failure in
taking care of her marriage since Juan is having a mistress, Maria Rosa. Since Maria Concepcion
did her marriage in Catholic culture, she was aware that she couldn’t divorce her husband so she
was unconsciously motivated to kill Maria Rosa in order to get her husband back.
6. Mention and explain the irony in the story.
1. The irony from this story is a Juan and Maria together but they didn’t know about their self -it’s
depicted that the transformation of Maria is starting because of Juan, and from Juan he can
describe as the first one that starting the conflict between them but at the end, she didn’t feel like
she lost her dignity but not for Juan due to the conflict that Juan started from this story, the
character of Maria changes according to the trigger, he should need to learn himself clearly before
starting a marriage life.
2. The irony of this story is that Juan is a man who wants to seek freedom so that's why he doesn't
even care if he has a mistress (Maria Rosa) even though he already married religiously wi th Maria
Concepcion, but After Maria Concepcion kills her mistress (Maria Rosa) Juan started support her
(Maria Concepcion) even knowing the fact that her wife kills his mistress, but knowing that he
doesn't want her wife to punished he'll decide to support his wife more when the society asked
what happen to Maria Rosa. "Si, si, it is all settled. I shall not go away again. We shall stay here
together, you and I, forever." (Page 12, paragraph 2) "Pardon, Brother," said the leader. "Some one
has killed the woman Maria Rosa, and we must ask questions of all her neighbors and friends." He
paused, and added with an attempt at severity, "Naturally!" "Naturally," agreed Juan. "I was a good
friend of Ma" (Page 12, paragraph 8).
3. The irony of this story is that Juan is a man who wants to seek freedom so that's why he doesn't
even care if he has a mistress (Maria Rosa) even though he already married religiously with Maria
Concepcion, but After Maria Concepcion kills her mistress (Maria Rosa) Juan started support her
(Maria Concepcion) even knowing the fact that her wife kills his mistress, but knowing that he
doesn't want her wife to punished he'll decide to support his wife more when the society asked
what happen to Maria Rosa. "Si, si, it is all settled. I shall not go away again. We shall stay here
together, you and I, forever." (Page 12, paragraph 2) "Pardon, Brother," said the leader. "Some one
has killed the woman Maria Rosa, and we must ask questions of all her neighbors and fr iends." He
paused, and added with an attempt at severity, "Naturally!" "Naturally," agreed Juan. "I was a good
friend of Ma" (Page 12, paragraph 8).
4. The first irony of this story is that the names of the two women whom Juan closed are the same.
They are the Marias. We found it ironic because they both do not reflect good manners even when
their names are sanctified. The second irony is that this story emphasizes religion, especially
Christianity. It is ironic that they are so obedient to religion and to avoid divorce in marriage (as
the Catholic Church tenet), they even legalize the killing of someone. Finally, what makes this
story even more ironic is that in the end, Juan does not get anything from his bad deeds. Maria
Concepcion, adopted Maria Rosa's child after she killed the mother of the child with her bare
hands. In addition, Juan, who made all the things that happened, must also be involved in raising
the child.
5. The Irony - It is the contrast between what appears to be and what really is.- Verbal irony: when
someone says one thing but really means the opposite. [Example : pg. 233 ("Oh, thou poor
creature! Oh, thou dear woman! Oh, my Maria Con cepción, unfortunate! Listen! do not fear! Hear
me! I will hide thee away, I, thy own man, will protect thee! Quiet! Not a sound!") There, Juan
didn't say them to reassure Maria Consepcion worryness but because he was afraid for his own
safetyness] - Situational irony: when there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen,
and what really does happen. [Example : pg. 232 (Having thus taken leave of his balance, he found
himself unaccountably back in his own house after his long absence, attempting to beat Maria
Concepción by way of reestablishing himself in his legal house hold. Maria Concepción, knowing
what had happened in the with hut of her enemy, knowing all the events of that unhappy day,
refused to be beaten by Juan drunk when Juan sober had never thought of such a thing. She did not
scream; she stood her ground and resisted; she even struck at him. Juan, amazed, only half
comprehending his own actions, stepped back and gazed at her questioningly through a leisurely
whirling film which seemed to have lodged behind his eyes.)] 2. The other irony * Maria
Concepcion herself is a personification of irony. She is pious, religious, and have good reputation,
but : *1. She was considered way too obedient and quite by her own husband that it makes him get
bored by her composed attitude. Because her husband is a man that wants a woman that talk back
and react when he disrespect or even physically hurt that woman. It makes him excited in some
way we cannot understand. [Prove: pg. 231 (I say to her, 'Come here,' and she comes straight. I
say, 'Go there,' and she goes quickly.)] 2. She poorly manages her emotion to the point that she
killed Maria Rosa. It's not fully her fault though because when Juan ridicule her she have to keep it
together due to the standard in the society that a wife must be perfect and never talks about her
husband's disgrace. She then felt betrayed because her efforts never recognized by her husband and
he choose another woman that can "entertain" him. At that point her emotional dam broke, making
her felt bitter anger toward those two and finally take Maria Rosa's life along with Juan's
happiness. [Prove: pg. 231(With Maria Rosa it is all different. She is not silent; she talks. When
she talks too much, I slap her and say, 'Silence, thou simpleton!' and she weeps. She is just a girl
with whom I do as I please.)] The villagers only punishes Maria Rosa by protecting her murderer
but does nothing to Juan. Irony that we found here, in the naming of the two characters, are: *
Maria Concepcion and Maria Rosa. Juan once was thinking highly of himself as he was able to
dominate two valuable women [prove : pg. 231 (It was pleasant to think of himself in the rôle
romantic hero to two such desirable women.)]; one gave him reputation and the other one
happiness. By the end of the story he was heavily crippled by the fact that his wife is capable of
killing his mistress. [Prove : pg. 233 (For the first time in his careless, utterly unafraid existence
Juan was aware of danger. This was danger.) And pg. 235 (He could not fathom this woman, or the
mysterious fortunes of life grown so instantly tangled where all had seemed so gay and simple. He
felt, too, that she had become unique and invaluable, a woman without an equal in a million
women, and he could not tell why.)] * The other irony is that the power Juan held based on the
patriarchal & religious society comes with the price that he never expected before. The fact is that
patriarchal society not only harmful for women but also men. Here Juan carelessness for
underestimate his own wife, that gives him a good reputation among the villagers, makes him
unable to tell the truth because when her wife's crime got found his reputation will get tarnished
too. So in the end, he have to support his wife story even if he knew she is the real culprit. [Prove :
pg. 233 (Maria Concepción would be dragged away between two gendarmes, with him helpless
and un armed, to spend her days in Belem Prison, maybe.)
6. There are many irony in this story, some of them are: 1. The Irony - It is the contrast between what
appears to be and what really is.- Verbal irony: when someone says one thing but really means the
opposite. [Example : pg. 233 ("Oh, thou poor creature! Oh, thou dear woman! Oh, my Maria Con
cepción, unfortunate! Listen! do not fear! Hear me! I will hide thee away, I, thy own man, will
protect thee! Quiet! Not a sound!") There, Juan didn't say them to reassure Maria Consepcion
worryness but because he was afraid for his own safetyness] - Situational irony: when there is a
discrepancy between what is expected to happen, and what really does happen. [Example : pg. 232
(Having thus taken leave of his balance, he found himself unaccount- ably back in his own house
after his long absence, attempting to beat Maria Concepción by way of re - establishing himself in
his legal house hold. Maria Concepción, knowing what had happened in the withe hut of her
enemy, knowing all the events of that unhappy day, refused to be beaten by Juan drunk when Juan
sober had never thought of such a thing. She did not scream; she stood her ground and resisted; she
even struck at him. Juan, amazed, only half compre- hending his own actions, stepped back and
gazed at her questioningly through a leisurely whirling film which seemed to have lodged behind
his eyes.)] 2. The other irony * Maria Concepcion herself is a personification of irony. She
is pious, religious, and have good reputation, but : *1. She was considered way too obidient and
quite by her own husband that it makes him get bored by her composed atitude. Because her
husband is a man that wants a woman that talk back and react when he disrespect or even
physically hurt that woman. It makes him excited in some way we cannot understand. [Proove: pg.
231 (I say to her, 'Come here,' and she comes straight. I say, 'Go there,' and she goes quickly.)] *2.
For a perfect example of a wife and woman, she poorly manages her emotion to the point that she
killed Maria Rosa. It's not fully her fault though because when Juan ridicule her she have to keep it
together due to the standard in the society that a wife must be perfect and never talks about her
husband's disgrace. She then felt betrayed because her effrots never recognized by her husband and
he choose another woman that can "entertain" him. At that point her emotional dam broke, making
her felt bitter anger toward those two and finally take Maria Rosa's life along with Juan's
happiness. [Proove: pg. 231(With Maria Rosa it is all different. She is not silent; she talks. When
she talks too much, I slap her and say, 'Silence, thou simpleton!' and she weeps. She is just a girl
with whom I do as I please.)]* The villagers only punishes Maria Rosa by protecting her murderer
but does nothing to Juan. Irony that we found here, in the naming of the two characters, are: *
Maria Concepcion and Maria Rosa. Juan once was thinking highly of himself as he was able to
dominate two valuable women [proove : pg. 231 (It was pleasant to think of himself in the rôle
romantic hero to two such desirable women.)]; one gave him reputation and the other one
happiness. By the end of the story he was heavily crippled by the fact that his wife is capable of
killing his mistress. [Proove : pg. 233 (For the first time in his careless, utterly unafraid existence
Juan was aware of danger. This was danger.) And pg. 235 (He could not fathom this woman, or the
mysterious fortunes of life grown so instantly tangled where all had seemed so gay and simple. He
felt, too, that she had become unique and invaluable, a woman without an equal in a million
women, and he could not tell why.)] * The other irony is that the power Juan held based on th e
patriarchal & religious society comes with the price that he never expected before. The fact is that
patriarchal society not only harmful for women but also men. Here Juan carelessness for
underestimate his own wife, that gives him a good reputation among the villagers, makes him
unable to tell the truth because when her wife's crime got found his reputation will get tarnished
too. So in the end, he have to support his wife story even if he knew she is the real culprit. [Proove
: pg. 233 (Maria Concepción would be dragged away between two gendarmes, with him helpless
and un armed, to spend her days in Belem Prison, maybe.)
7. *There are many irony in this story, some of them are: 1. The Irony - It is the contrast between
what appears to be and what really is.- Verbal irony: when someone says one thing but really
means the opposite. [Example : pg. 233 ("Oh, thou poor creature! Oh, thou dear woman! Oh, my
Maria Con cepción, unfortunate! Listen! do not fear! Hear me! I will hide thee away, I, thy own
man, will protect thee! Quiet! Not a sound!") There, Juan didn't say them to reassure Maria
Consepcion worriness but because he was afraid for his own safetyness] - Situational irony: when
there is a discrepancy between what is expected to happen, and what really does happen.
[Example : pg. 232 (Having thus taken leave of his balance, he found himself unaccount - ably
back in his own house after his long absence, attempting to beat Maria Concepción by way of reës tablishing himself in his legal house hold. Maria Concepción, knowing what had happened in the
withe hut of her enemy, knowing all the events of that unhappy day, refused to be beaten by Juan
drunk when Juan sober had never thought of such a thing. She did not scream; she stood her
ground and resisted; she even struck at him. Juan, amazed, only half compre- hending his own
actions, stepped back and gazed at her questioningly through a leisurely whirling film which
seemed to have lodged behind his eyes.)] 2. The other irony * Maria Concepcion herself is a
personification of irony. She is pious, religious, and have good reputation, but : *1. She was
considered way too obidient and quite by her own husband that it makes him get bored by her
composed atitude. Because her husband is a man that wants a woman that talk back and react when
he disrespect or even physically hurt that woman. It makes him excited in some way we cannot
understand. [Proove: pg. 231 (I say to her, 'Come here,' and she comes straight. I say, 'Go there,'
and she goes quickly.)] 2. She poorly manages her emotion to the point that she killed Maria Rosa.
It's not fully her fault though because when Juan ridicule her she have to keep it together due to the
standard in the society that a wife must be perfect and never talks about her husband's disgr ace.
She then felt betrayed because her effrots never recognized by her husband and he choose another
woman that can "entertain" him. At that point her emotional dam broke, making her felt bitter
anger toward those two and finally take Maria Rosa's life along with Juan's happiness. [Proove: pg.
231(With Maria Rosa it is all different. She is not silent; she talks. When she talks too much, I slap
her and say, 'Silence, thou simpleton!' and she weeps. She is just a girl with whom I do as I
please.)] The villagers only punishes Maria Rosa by protecting her murderer but does nothing to
Juan. Irony that we found here, in the naming of the two characters, are: * Maria Concepcion and
Maria Rosa. Juan once was thinking highly of himself as he was able to dominate two valuable
women [proove : pg. 231 (It was pleasant to think of himself in the rôle romantic hero to two such
desirable women.)]; one gave him reputation and the other one happiness. By the end of the story
he was heavily crippled by the fact that his wife is capable of killing his mistress. [Proove : pg.
233 (For the first time in his careless, utterly unafraid existence Juan was aware of danger. This
was danger.) And pg. 235 (He could not fathom this woman, or the mysterious fortunes of life
grown so instantly tangled where all had seemed so gay and simple. He felt, too, that she had
become unique and invaluable, a woman without an equal in a million women, and he could not
tell why.)] * The other irony is that the power Juan held based on the patriarchal & religious
society comes with the price that he never expected before. The fact is that patriarchal society not
only harmful for women but also men. Here Juan carelessness for underestimate his own wife, that
gives him a good reputation among the villagers, makes him unable to tell the truth because when
her wife's crime got found his reputation will get tarnished too. So in the end, he have to support
his wife story even if he knew she is the real culprit. [Proove : pg. 233 (Maria Concepción would
be dragged away between two gendarmes, with him helpless and un armed, to spend her days in
Belem Prison, maybe.)
8. Juan expected to have a good life, a happy life with a María Rosa even though he is married in the
church with Maria Conceptión. he thinks that his wife that he married in the church wouldn’t know
that he cheated, because she is known to be very quiet. But at the end at the almost end of the
story, Maria Conceptión found out and she took the child of his husband and Maria Rosa. Then he
spend the night sad and felt that he lost everything, and María Rosa was not there in his life again,
there’s only emptiness and loneliness in Juan’s life.
9. "If I had been a young girl like Maria Rosa, and a man had caught hold of me so, I would have
broken my jar over his head." - situational irony The fact that Maria Rosa loves her husband. “To
be married in the church is a great misfortune to a man.” (Page 231) - Verbal irony Great
misfortune → contradicts. "Let me tell you, Juan, Maria Concepcion will someday take your head
off with that sharp knife she uses on the fowls. Then you will remember what I have said." (Page
231) - Verbal Irony Givens describes how Juan would realize it, when it was too late.
10. The irony of this story is that people living in the village knows Maria as a god-fearing strong
woman. But, later on, she would commit a murder.
11. Juan did not really like marrying with Maria Concepcion. Maria Concepcion did not receive a
loving from his husband but instead a betrayal from her husband because he think that his wife
does not please him as much as Maria Rosa. (Dramatic Irony) 2. Maria Concepcion was a
portrayed as a religious woman that often go to church, but her image as a religious woman was
actually denied by her act of killing Maria Rosa. The worst is that she did not get caught by the
local that she is the one who kills Maria Rosa because her image covers her killing act. (Situational
Irony)
12. Situational Irony Maria Concepcion was a religious woman, she has always prayed to God and
asked for what she wants, but bad things happen in her life instead. Page 229 (Par 5-8) Dramatic
Irony Everyone didn't know that Maria Concepcion had killed Maria Rosa, because what people
know Maria Concepcion is a religious and quiet woman. Page 237 (Par 5)
13. Maria Concepcion is described as an unpredictable or dynamic character. She is sometimes a loyal,
religious, and hard-working woman, but certain events cause her to exhibit such opposite traits as
jealousy, anger, and resentment. Basically what Maria Conception did was wrong. Killing was
wrong, but Juan and the people around them protected Maria Concepcion as if what she was doing
was right. However, because according to the people around Maria Concepcion, she is a good,
religious and hardworking woman, even if she kills Maria Rosa, it should be done because of the
instinct of a woman and a wife to protect her marriage to Juan.
14. Situational Irony 1. "After the wedding she had called herself Maria Concepcion Guiterrez de
Villegas, as though she owned a whole hacienda." (page 225). This is situational irony because
Maria Concepcion thought she owned a whole hacienda, or a large plantation since she was happy
with her marriage. However, her husband was not loyal to her and decided to go with Maria Rosa.
She got envy and she realized that her marriage is in trouble. 2. "every one noticed that Maria
Concepcion went more often to church" (page 229) "...Everybody knew that his wife was a quiet
woman" (page 237). Everyone in the village thought that Maria Concepcion was a lovely woman,
but actually, she murdered Maria Rosa because of her anger and jealousy. Verbal Irony "...Listen!
do not fear! Hear me! I will hide thee away..." (page 233) Juan told Maria Concepcion not to fear
anything. However, he knows that Maria Concepcion murdered Maria Rosa, feeling afraid.
15. There is situational irony, verbal irony, and dramatical irony in this prose. The situational irony is
when Maria Concepcion thinks that Givens should feel the loss of dignity because he doesn't have
a woman to cook for him and prepare his food. (Page 228 paragraph 4). But it turns out that Givens
is not bothered, feels inferior, or loses self-esteem because of that situation. Instead, he is already
getting usual by that, we can know from his asking Maria Concepcion to bring him other fowls for
the next day. The further situational irony is when the others wondered how Maria Concepcion
was not weeping when she learned about her disloyal husband and dead baby. (Page 229 p aragraph
1). But she indeed doesn't grieve. The verbal irony is when Lupe says to Maria Concepcion, "And
will you get it, you think, Maria Concepcion?" asked Lupe, tittering cruelly and smelling the
mixture clinging to the wooden spoon. "Did you pray for what you have now?" (Page 229
paragraph 7). She doesn't think that Maria Concepcion will receive what she asked or pray for
what she already has currently. The other verbal irony is when Juan says to Givens that he doesn't
feel afraid to be shot, but he does. (Page 231 paragraph 2). The dramatical irony is when we know
at the end that Maria Concepcion is happy for what she has done and feel happiness. (Page 239
paragraph 3 and 4). She shouldn't have that kind of feeling after killing someone. She even doesn' t
grief or feel guilty, even just a bit. Usually, someone will feel sorrow, anger, disappointment,
remorse, and other unpredictable negative feelings after doing such a terrible thing of killing
someone.
16. The irony in this story is that Maria Concepcion has to get her lover back from Maria Rosa by
killing her. This can be considered as an irony because the unconscious decision she made by
killing her can get Juan’s love back to her.