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Prologue
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Summer of the Mariposas, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Sisterhood, Motherhood, and Family
Magic, Myth, and Deception
Gender Dynamics and Female Solidarity
Kindness, Mercy, and Morality
Ancestral and Cultural Appreciation
Summary
Analysis
When the dead man floats into their swimming hole, Odilia and her sisters panic. There are five of them: Odilia is the eldest, followed by 14-year-old Juanita, the twins Delia and Velia, and lastly Pita, the youngest. Getting quickly out of the water, they initially agree they need to contact the authorities. Odilia thinks of how angry Mamá will be when she finds out they have been playing in the dangerous river. Juanita remarks that they will probably get to be on TV when news of the dead man gets around. Mamá, they all know, will not like the publicity, as she is suspicious of everyone.
The Garza sisters’ scattered priorities and ideas highlight their youth. They are accustomed to turning to someone older for direction. As the eldest, Odilia assumes Mamá will blame her for allowing her younger sisters to swim in the Rio Grande, suggesting there is some tension between her own desire for freedom and her sense of sisterly responsibility. Juanita’s preoccupation with appearing on TV again displays childlike thought processes, as the girls are most concerned with how the dead man will affect them. Mamá’s general suspicion suggests a protective nature.
Themes
Velia and Delia wonder if there is enough time to go home and change out of their wet clothes before calling the authorities. Odilia calls them “the pretty ones,” sure to dazzle any audience. Juanita tries to bring the focus back to the dead man. But the twins remain concerned about their television appearance, saying people will think they are poor and their father has abandoned them. At the mention of Papá, Pita wonders if he will see them on TV, and hopes they don’t embarrass him. While Odilia wonders if this would make Papá come home, Juanita expresses her disgust that he abandoned them in the first place.
The girls’ frequent bickering characterizes their sisterhood as fractured but typical. Again, their preoccupation with being on TV shows a lack of maturity, though it is worth noting that Juanita tries to get them to focus on what is important: the dead man. The discussion of Papá suggests that the girls are often thinking of him, wondering where he is and if he thinks of them, too. Odilia and Juanita’s remarks about Papá illustrate the tension and complicated feelings each girl harbors for their father.
Themes
After bickering some more, Odilia rallies her sisters and forms a plan: some of them will pull the dead man out of the water, while others report their discovery to the customs officers. She invokes their sisterly rule: “cinco hermanitas, together forever no matter what!” Juanita objects, claiming that border patrol will throw the man in an unmarked grave, assuming he is an illegal immigrant. Pita becomes upset, and tries to run home, but Juanita stops her. She insists that they will do the right thing. Odilia worries that Juanita is formulating another “hare-brained” scheme, something she does frequently.
Odilia’s attempt at asserting control over her sisters emphasizes her sense of responsibility as the eldest. The “code” of the cinco hermanitas (five little sisters) implies a stronger bond than the girls exhibit, perhaps meaning that the bond has been damaged or strained lately. Juanita’s objection to alerting customs alludes to possible corruption and the authorities’ careless attitude toward Mexican lives. Her demand that they “do the right thing” characterizes her as virtuous but perhaps overzealous.
Themes
Juanita pulls the dead man from the water without her sisters’ help. In response to Odilia calling her crazy, she claims she is compassionate and considerate. The man appears to the girls to be freshly dead, with no obvious signs of trauma; they assume he drowned in the river. Juanita wonders where the man came from and if he has family looking for him, clearly thinking of Papá, who left without telling anyone where he was going. Hoping to slow the rate of decomposition, Juanita removes the man’s shoe and finds a wad of American dollars sealed in a plastic bag.
Juanita takes pride in her compassion as a quality that distinguishes her from her sisters, making her seem sanctimonious. Associating the dead man with Papá again illustrates how his abandonment constantly weighs on the sisters, who have no way of knowing if he is even alive.
Themes
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The dead man’s wallet identifies him as Gabriel Pérdido from El Sacrificio, Mexico. Odilia insists they need to turn everything—including the money—in to the authorities. Juanita argues, saying they need to return him to his family—pictured in his wallet—who must be worried about him. The twins point out that El Sacrificio is near Papá’s childhood home, and his mother—Abuelita Remedios—still lives there. Odilia imagines accidentally encountering Papá, fearing his rejection. She tries to dissuade her sisters from the idea of traveling to Mexico, but they are too excited about potentially visiting their grandmother to pay attention.
Odilia’s efforts to take responsible action come up against Juanita’s stubborn sense of morality, and there is a feeling that this is not the first time the two sisters have had a power struggle. Juanita is still clearly thinking of Papá and how she would want to know if someone found his dead body. The realization that El Sacrificio is near Papá’s hometown further emphasizes his importance in the narrative. Odilia’s fear that they will discover Papá staying with Abuelita shows that she cannot decide if it is preferable for him to be gone or to find him and face his rejection.
Themes
Juanita declares that their discovery of a dead man from Papá’s birthplace is not coincidental, but fate. They are meant to find him and return him to his family, and visit Abuelita Remedios, she says. Odilia speculates that perhaps Abuelita knows what happened to Papá. As the girls fall momentarily silent, Odilia sees a woman in a long white dress on the other side of the Rio Grande. The woman disappears suddenly, and Odilia thinks of La Llorona, the Weeping Woman from folktales who searches rivers for the children she drowned. Odilia shivers and rallies her sisters to go home before it gets dark.
That Juanita describes the dead man’s appearance as “fate” points to a childlike understanding of the world, in which everything makes sense. By helping the dead man reunite with his family, the Garzas will also reunite with a part of theirs (Abuelita). However, this thought process also alludes to the novel’s upcoming mystical elements. The appearance of the woman on the other side of the river further amplifies the feeling of unreality and foreshadows the magical turn the story will take in the coming chapters.
Themes
