To me, this book was one of the harder ones to read. Not for the same reasons as Jorge Luis Borges, but because of how graphic the subject matter was at times. Because of this, I did find it hard to pick up, but I don't know if this was due to the length of the novel during the late-mid semester burnout or the intense, nonfiction subject matter. In particular, the section in the middle of the book where Rigoberta's father went in and out of prison, requiring her to work round the clock to try to help pay for his release was really heartbreaking. It reminded and made me appreciate the little things that we take for granted here like access to legal support and fair trials. We also have the right to fight for our opinions and the ability to form/take part in unions, which is obviously a large part of the struggle in Rigoberta's community in Guatemala.
What surprised me a lot in the novel was Menchu's discussion of religion and her Christian affiliation. I was surprised at her strong faith in following the bible. This could partly be due to my naivety on the subject of Guatemala's Indigenous religious history, but it was interesting how so much struggle within her community was due to racism and suppression, which I heavily attribute as part of the history of Christianity and Catholicism in Latin America. The line about using the "bible as the main weapon" (158) really stuck out to me, as when I picture the conquistadores of the day, this is something that I also considered them doing by pushing their religious doctrine on the existing communities. The realities of Menchu's life were also very grey and intertwined. Parts of her life show severe struggles from the class and race war, such as the fight for land, whereas others give her more opportunities, like learning Spanish and following a "western" religion. Her life seems to negotiate between the positives and negatives of historical religious suppression in Latin America, which I found really interesting.
Overall, I don't have much to say about this novel and writing this post was a bit of a struggle. Given the subject matter and its shocking nature, I couldn't find much to "critique" or "analyze" about this novel, it was more about just sitting and learning.
Question for the class: What did you think about Menchu's relationship with religion? Did it surprise you? How do you think this impacted her outlook and struggles throughout her life experiences dictated in the novel?
