I, Rigoberta Menchú

by

Rigoberta Menchu

The old lady Character Analysis

This 90-year-old lady, whom Rigoberta meets during her educational activities in the countryside, is remarkable for her bravery and resilience. Although her entire family has been murdered by the army, she resolves to confront soldiers face-to-face when they enter her village. Ultimately, she succeeds in scaring the cowardly soldiers away, because they believe that she might be part of a guerilla. This courageous deed reveals that everyone—including the supposedly weakest members of society—is capable of contributing positively to poor Indians’ political struggle against the army, in possibly unpredictable ways.
Get the entire I, Rigoberta Menchú LitChart as a printable PDF.
I, Rigoberta Menchú PDF

The old lady Character Timeline in I, Rigoberta Menchú

The timeline below shows where the character The old lady appears in I, Rigoberta Menchú. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 19: Attack on the Village by the Army
Tolerance vs. Resistance Theme Icon
Class, Race, and Inequality  Theme Icon
One day, an old lady arrived. At the age of 90, she was extraordinarily old for these communities, since most... (full context)
Class, Race, and Inequality  Theme Icon
...but no human scream. Then, around five in the morning, after hours of hiding, the old lady suddenly joined the group, ecstatic. Suspicious of the fact that she survived, the villagers wondered... (full context)
Tolerance vs. Resistance Theme Icon
Class, Race, and Inequality  Theme Icon
Ancestors, Tradition, and Community Theme Icon
The old lady recounted her story: she explained that the soldiers avoided the trap in front of her... (full context)