Literary Response To The Moths By Helena Maria Viramontes

In the short story “The Moths” by Helena Maria Viramontes, the author uses symbolism and characterization to paint the scene of a girl in a literary fiction that has lost her way and ends up finding herself within her Grandmother through the cycles of life. Through the eyes of an unnamed girl we relive a past that has both a traumatic ending and a new leash on life; however, we do not get there without first being shown the way, enter “The Moths”.

"The Death of the Moth," written by Virginia Woolf, explains the brief life of a moth corresponding with the true nature of life and death. In this essay, Woolf puts the moth in a role that represents life. Woolf makes comparisons of the life outside to the life of the moth. The theme is the mystery of death and the correspondence of the life of the moth with the true nature of life. The images created by Woolf are presented that appeal to the eye. For instance, the moth's body during the death is appealing to the eye. The image makes the reader more interested. The essence of true life is energy. As Woolf describes, "I could fancy that a thread of vital light became visible. He was

Watching the hopeless death of the vulnerable moth leaves Woolf contemplating her own life, as she compares the moth to herself, and the human race. The moth, caught in a windowsill, is compared to the outside world by Woolf; while the moth flutters and exhibits life,

Dillard also accomplishes to draw a strong parallel between herself and the symbol of this essay. As Dillard reads by candlelight, a “golden female Moth, a biggish one” flies into her candle, bringing itself to its own demise. Dillard closely analyzes this majestic Moth that has suddenly flapped itself to the center of her world. In paragraph five, after she has witnessed the Moth burn into bits and pieces, Dillard says “that candle had two wicks, two winding flames of identical light, side by side”. Dillard then begins to draw similarities between herself and the ill-fated moth. The moth was “golden” and “biggish” before she had flew into the fire, much like the writer that Dillard was like before she became a victim of writer's block. Dillard also draws a connection to religious figures in paragraph six, when she says “She burned... like a hollow saint, like a flame-faced virgin gone to God.” A parallel that can be

The Moths by Helena Maria Viramontes is a short story about a relationship between a teenage girl and her abuelita. Although, the title seems unfitting for a story about a loving relationship between family members the significance of the moths, in this story, has a much deeper meaning than one would think. Like many other aspects of the piece, the insects have a symbolic meaning in order to convey the author’s feelings during the time of her grandmother’s death. Throughout the story we see the use of multiple descriptions, settings, as well as dialogue in order to pass a message to the audience. The Moths is not only a story about death and brokenness, but a story about cures and peace. Upon further examination of this narrative, the story presents symbolic attributes about the main characters personalities, descriptions, and religious imagery that tell the story about a cure for brokenness, a rebirth of hope, and coming of age.

The Moths symbolize the subjugations/oppression that one may face within life. The narrator, a fourteen year old adolescent girl wants nothing to do with the cultural norms imposed upon her. It is pointed out that she “wasn’t even pretty or nice like my older sisters” her “hands were too big to handle the fineries of crocheting or embroidery” ,and was subsequently ridiculed by being called “Bull Hands”. She also had no interest in religion as she would skip mass and eventually get into trouble with her patriarchal figure Apa (her father). She did not conform to the roles expected of her; she felt alone

In the Time of the Butterflies revolves around the Mirabal sisters, women living in a very patriarchal, “macho” society. Their personal struggles are part of the power of their story, as they stand not only as symbols of rebellion against Trujillo, but at the same time as loving, independent women with husbands and children. Alvarez shows how the resistance against women in politics can even be propagated by the women themselves, as both Mamá and Patria initially express sentiments that women are inferior to men, or else are somehow “purer” and so shouldn’t dirty themselves with politics. In talking to the interview woman in the present day, Dedé says that women “followed their husbands,” but she knows that this is an excuse, as she is the

There are stories that have been written that can be similar and different in many ways. This can be seen through the story, “Death of a Moth” by Virginia Woolf and Annie Dillard. Both writers share a similar topic, though their style of narration can compare and differ in many ways. A theme throughout the story is death. Both authors take on a different view of death. While death can be seen as a haunting experience or the end of a life. There are other interpretations that can be made on this one topic. Both authors have twists in their stories with different ideas, which aid to reveal their narration and expression regarding death.

When she first begins the poem, the sense of sorrow is present. The author speaks of what her brother has done wrong, but she does so with an attitude that shows she does not care about those actions. She speaks like this until the near end, where she openly expresses her endearment for her brother and sheds a more positive outlook onto him. The last stanza demonstrates that, as a person who has made poor decisions, he was a caring brother until the end. It also shows how, regardless of what others think, she will always view him in her own way.

If the average person wanted to stand up to adversity, would they have the courage to do it? In the historical-fiction novel, In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, the four Mirabal sisters (Dedé, Minerva, María, and Patria) stand up to adversity and join a revolution against the tyrannical Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic. In their own time, all of the sisters gain the courage to join the revolution and attempt to remove the Trujillo regime from power. The Mirabal sisters commitment to their cause raises the questions: What is courage, and which sister best exemplifies the qualities of courage and why? Courage is an individual who defends their beliefs and does not fail because of fear. Minerva best exemplifies courage through her selfless composure, resilience, and defiance to the Trujillo regime, and her inspiration to others.

The narrator is totally crushed by the gender discrimination. She longed to be seen by her mother and her grandma. The narrator is heartbroken that her mother loved her brother more than her and failed to notice her. “When she went into Nonso’s room to say good night, she always came out laughing that laugh. Most times, you pressed your palms to your ears to keep the sound out, and kept your palms pressed to your ears, even when she came into your room to say Good night, darling, sleep well. She never left your room with that laugh” (190). Her agony can be easily seen by the way of her narrating. She does not get the affection that she deserves. She really needs the affection from her own mother, but she is not getting it. She compares the love which her mother shows to his brother and herself. This is gender discrimination can be seen with her grandmother too. She hated her grandma as she would always support her brother and find fault with her. Even though what the brother did, no matter what crime. Her mother and grandmother always supported her brother and never supported or showed interest towards

Someone’s sacrifices can say a lot about their character. Minerva Mirabal is no exception. In Julia Alvarez’s In the Time of the Butterflies, Minerva, the protagonist, sacrifices her family, her freedom and her life for the revolution against the antagonist and dictator, Rafael Trujillo (a.k.a El Jefe) along with her sisters, Patria, Dede, and Mate. In the novel, the four sisters, better known as “Las Mariposas” (“The Butterflies”), explain their journey towards joining the revolution before their influential deaths. The sacrifices that they all make, especially Minerva, are the reasons why their rebellion is so effective.

The whole structure of this story suggests a sense of gloom and darkness. Look at how she is described, “…a small, fat women in black…her eyes, lost in the fatty ridges of her face, looked like two small pieces of coal” (Faulkner 315). Her house was dark and dusty. Isolation is apparent from the beginning to end of the story.

The story that is A Sorrowful Woman seems to be a story told from the point of view of a narrator who focuses only slightly on the inner conflict of one of the main charters in the story. The character of which I am speaking is never referred to by name, instead is called she, the woman, mommy, and wife throughout the entire story which lends credence to the conclusion of the viewpoint as being told from the outside. The first indication that the focus of the story will be not of a warm and loving nature is the line “The sight of them made her so sad and sick she did not want to see them again”(1). This is where a hypothesis can begin to be formed as to who the antagonist of the story is, bearing the statement above in

     Death is a difficult subject for anyone to speak of, although it is a part of everyday life. In Virginia Woolf’s “The Death of the Moth”, she writes about a moth flying about a windowpane, its world constrained by the boundaries of the wood holding the glass. The moth flew, first from one side, to the other, and then back as the rest of life continued ignorant of its movements. At first indifferent, Woolf was eventually moved to pity the moth. This story shows that life is as strange and familiar as death to us all. I believe this story was well written and will critique the symbolism, characters, and the setting.