Symbols
What do the narrator's "bull hands" symbolize throughout the story?
Her lack of traditional femininity and her rebellion against typical female gender roles.
What is the author's first name?
Helena
What is one of the main themes in the story?
Answers: Death, family Relationships, Identity, Change, Suppressed voice.
Who is Ama?
The narrator's mother.
True or False: The narrator begins respecting her grandmother and does until the end of the story.
True
True or False: Abuelita uses natural, plant-based remedies like chayotes to help heal the narrator.
True
What does the Roman Catholic church building symbolize to the narrator?
It symbolizes forced obedience, restriction, and patriarchal control, which contrasts with the freedom she feels when she doesn't attend.
When is the theme of Family Pressure most strongly shown in the story?
When the narrator's father berates her and forces her into going to church.
At the beginning of the story, how did the narrator act?
The narrator acted violent, and disrespectful to all of her family.
What would the narrator's father complain constantly about?
The narrator not attending mass every Sunday.
True or False: The room where Abuelita passes away is brightly lit with harsh, artificial light symbolizing a lack of privacy.
False
What year was The Moths first published?
1985
What does the story say about the theme of grief and mourning?
It suggests that grief is a heavy, painful process that ultimately requires a safe, quiet space to be released.
Whose house would the narrator go to after acting as if she were going to mass?
Abuelita's house.
When the narrator is leaving the chapel, what does she not do?
What do the dried chiles hanging in the kitchen symbolize about Abuelita’s environment?
They symbolize traditional Chicana heritage and a deep cultural connection to her ancestors.
The author grew up in East Los Angeles, but her heritage is...
Latino and Chicano
How did the theme Coming of Age show itself in the story?
The narrator transforms from a rebellious child to a self sufficient, mature adult.
What is the name of the market in the story?
Jay's Market
The death of her grandmother.
What do the moths emerging from Abuelita's mouth symbolize at the end of the story?
Transformation, rebirth, and the release of her grandmother's soul.
What does the author aim to address in her writings?
Work addresses intersections of race, gender, and culture within literature
How is the theme of spirituality shown outside of organized religion?
True spirituality is shown through the narrator’s natural, loving, and magical rituals at her grandmother’s house, rather than inside the forced walls of the Catholic church.
How do the narrator's sisters contrast with her character?
They conform easily to traditional roles and mock the narrator for her rebellious and non-conforming attitude.
True or False: Ama is present in the room at the end of the story.
False