Analytical Essay – The Moths by Helena Maria Viramontes
“The Moths”, a short story written by Mexican writer Helena Maria Viramonstes
tells us the story of three generations of Hispanic women, separated by their aspirations
in life and their individual outlooks about the future. The narrator in this story, a young
misunderstood girl, must deal with the death of her grandmother. Her Mama Luna, who
she believes is the only person who truly understands her and who knows her for who
she really is. Her grandmother, who has healed her from more than scarlet fever, has
taken care her and has shown her appreciation for her true talents is now at the end of
her life and she has been given the task to be with her as she dies a slow death from
cancer.
In this short story, Helena Maria Viramontes has created a vivid and complex
storyline that speaks to a wide range of themes, from grief and loss to resilience, gender,
race, and class. Using symbolism, Viramontes knitted these themes together to create an
engaging and thought-provoking story that leaves the readers a bit perplexed and full of
questions with its ending. In this essay, I will analyze the symbolic significance of the
moths, as we explore the role of gender, race, and class in Viramontes’ narrative.
The symbolic significance of the moths is intricate and complex. The moth is a
physical representation of the protagonist's spiritual journey, as it breaks free from its
cocoon and finds its wings. This reflects the protagonist's journey, as she discovers her
own inner strength and begins to find her place in the world. Moreover, the moth also
serves as a metaphor for the protagonist's connection to her family and her heritage. The
protagonist's grandmother sees the moth as a sign of hope and resilience, and the
protagonist, in turn, begins to appreciate and embrace her Hispanic heritage. Thus, the
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moth is symbolic of the protagonist's journey of self-discovery and her reconnection with
her culture and family. Ultimately, Viramontes uses the moth to create a powerful
metaphor for the protagonist's spiritual and cultural journey.
Another important theme used in Viramontes’ short story is that of gender roles
and gender oppression as it relates to her Hispanic culture and family background. She
relates the oppression of women in Hispanic culture as directly linked to family traditions
which are difficult if not impossible to overcome. This theme of the oppression of women
and how the women in her family must learn to overcome the influences of tradition and
sexist culture is explored all throughout the short story. The moths at the end of the story
represent the practices that damage and destroy women, and how the women in her
family are only freed from such dictatorship after death.
The narrator and other characters in this story, the mother, and the sister,
experience the same themes of grief, loss, and resilience, and the author examines how
these themes are evident in the characters’ journeys. Throughout the story, the characters
experience a range of emotions related to grief and loss, from sadness and longing to
acceptance and strength. In “The Moths”, the narrator reveals her feelings of loss and
sadness as she watches the moths and thinks about her grandmother’s death. This short
story demonstrates the ways in which grief, loss, and resilience can shape the lives of
individuals and how these themes can be explored in literature.
“The Moths” is an excellent example of how the analysis of literature can uncover
important cultural, social, and political concepts. On the surface, it is a story about a young
girl who is struggling with the world around her and her own identity. However, upon
further examination, it is easy to discover the greater themes and ideas present in the
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text. We learn about the struggles that face the Hispanic community, the idea of family
and community support, and the power of language and stories. The Moths is an excellent
example of how analytical essays offer insight into the greater ideas of literature while
improving the reader’s understanding and appreciation of the text. The rite of passage
from youth to maturity for the narrator as she says goodbye to her grandmother and tries
to reconcile and come to terms with her heritage, traditions, gender roles established by
her cultural background, patriarchal impositions of her father, who imposes his authority
with both psychological and physical violence, raising his voice and physically attaching
them, while everyone else becomes mostly silent., and even religion, rejecting some of
the catholic ways imposed to her.
It is impressive how Helena Maria Viramonster was able to capture so much in
such short pages. This coming-of-age story includes so much symbolism, besides the
moths, the water is also very important in the story. Water is used by the author in a very
crucial form, symbolizing birth, when watering the plants and symbolizing death when the
grandmother is facing their final hour as the narrator reminisces about returning to the
water in the womb. This vivid image also relates to the images of baptism and the purifying
of the soul through water used in the catholic church.
The protagonist finally finds the strength to cry over the death of her grandmother,
for herself, for the loss of her childhood, and for becoming an adult; even for her Ama, her
mother, who has demonstrated being unable to protect her from her father’s abusive
behavior and continual beatings. The author foresees a hopeful future leaving the door
open for compromise. The young narrator finally understands why Ama has denied her
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daughters of the warmth and love they were craving. She wanted to make them stronger
and ready to survive in an aggressive and hostile world.
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Works Cited
Denney, Ashley (2010) "Cultural Reclamations in Helena Viramontes’ “The Moths”," The
Oswald Review: An International Journal of Undergraduate Research and Criticism
in the Discipline of English: Vol. 12 , Article 6.
https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/tor/vol12/iss1/6
Mambrol, N. (2021, May 30). Analysis of helena maria viramontes's the Moths. Literary
Theory and Criticism. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from
https://literariness.org/2021/05/30/analysis-of-helena-maria-viramontess-themoths/
Viramontes, Helena María, 1954-. (1985). The moths and other stories. Houston : Arte
Publico Press
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