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Candelaria
The mistress was the woman for whom Rigoberta and Candelaria worked as servants in Guatemala City. She was a racist and manipulative woman who spent most of her time complaining about her maids’ insufficient work. She considered Indians like Rigoberta and Candelaria dirty, lazy, and less deserving of respect than animals. Indifferent to her maids’ feelings, she expected them to “initiate” her sons sexually, as though the family owned the servants’ bodies. The mistress also selfishly refused to give money to Rigoberta’s father when he came to the house. It was only after Candelaria’s forceful intervention that the mistress gave Rigoberta some money, which she deducted from her salary. When Rigoberta was finally paid for her work and announced her resignation, the mistress immediately begged her to stay, claiming that the family loved her and promising that she would raise her salary. This sudden demonstration of affection only highlighted the mistress’s arrogant, domineering attitude: she wanted to have submissive servants at her service, but she couldn’t accept that they might want to leave and that they, too, deserved dignity.
The Landowner’s Wife (The Mistress) Quotes in I, Rigoberta Menchú
The I, Rigoberta Menchú quotes below are all either spoken by The Landowner’s Wife (The Mistress) or refer to The Landowner’s Wife (The Mistress). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 14
Quotes
When I saw the maid bring out the dog’s food – bits of meat, rice, things that the family ate—and they gave me a few beans and hard tortillas, that hurt me very much. The dog had a good meal and I didn’t deserve as good a meal as the dog. Anyway, I ate it, I was used to it. I didn’t mind not having the dog’s food because at home I only ate tortillas with chile or with salt or water. But I felt rejected. I was lower than the animals in the house.
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I was thinking of our humble way of life and their debauched life. I said, ‘How pathetic these people are who can’t even shit alone. We poor enjoy ourselves more than they do.’
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The Landowner’s Wife (The Mistress) Quotes in I, Rigoberta Menchú
The I, Rigoberta Menchú quotes below are all either spoken by The Landowner’s Wife (The Mistress) or refer to The Landowner’s Wife (The Mistress). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 14
Quotes
When I saw the maid bring out the dog’s food – bits of meat, rice, things that the family ate—and they gave me a few beans and hard tortillas, that hurt me very much. The dog had a good meal and I didn’t deserve as good a meal as the dog. Anyway, I ate it, I was used to it. I didn’t mind not having the dog’s food because at home I only ate tortillas with chile or with salt or water. But I felt rejected. I was lower than the animals in the house.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
I was thinking of our humble way of life and their debauched life. I said, ‘How pathetic these people are who can’t even shit alone. We poor enjoy ourselves more than they do.’
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
