A Theme and Symbolism in The Short Story The Moths

Helena Maria Viramontes’ “The Moths” recounts a story between a granddaughter and a grandmother who both offer an emblematic association between one another. The story is in a first individual account, told by the narrator, and her experience dealing with her ill grandmother while confronting sexual and religious persecution in her very own home. The narrator is extremely removed from her own family principally on the grounds that she doesn't meet the interests that her parents have inserted for her. There is a theme of resurrection all through the story told by the narrator by symbolizing the centrality of the moths. 

The narrator’s instability and lack of personal acceptance cause her to lose grip on both her faith and family. The distinctive symbolism of moths in Helena Maria Viramontes' short story 'The Moths' symbolizes the association between life and death. The narrator faces both sexual and religious abuse in her home. At first, the narrator appears as though she was a youthful and juvenile youngster, getting a periodic beating now and again, that she is 'used to.' This was somewhat because of the way that the narrator did not act as a young lady should. The narrator expresses that she was not 'even pretty or decent like her more seasoned sisters,' or 'do the young lady things that they could do.' This was obvious in the scene where the narrator was distraught at her sisters for calling her 'Bull Hands,' so she slammed them with a sock loaded up with bits of 'rugged blocks' (Viramontes 32). This was viewed as how a young lady ought not to act before her sisters, and soon enough, she received a beating from her mother. In the house, the father anticipated that all his children should submit to him, as well as submit to Christianity, and attend Church each Sunday. The narrator's lack of motivation to go to Church each Sunday drives the dad to continually whine to the narrator's mom on how unpleasant she had brought up their daughters. Her dad was diligent in advising the narrator that she should go to church to 'save her goddamn sinning soul,' or she was not allowed to go out (Viramontes 34). 

The narrator is confronting sexual and religious persecution since she is constrained into a strict framework in which she doesn't maintain, and since she doesn't follow as intended, she is viewed as a belligerent girl. The narrator is exceptionally far off from her family as though she is a pariah in her very own home since she doesn't have indistinguishable qualities from her family, aside from her extremely large hands. However, she does have an uncommon association with her grandmother. At the point when the narrator needs to deal with her ill grandmother, she has a moment of acknowledgment as to how close they truly are. The grandmother is the mother figure to the narrator, as this is the person who the narrator identifies with the most. Viramontes sets up he nurturing symbolism of how the affectionate the grandmother and the granddaughter are by saying how the granddaughter “could not look into her eyes,” as though she was extremely terrified of her grandmother. In traditional families, grandmothers are typically an inviting and open person, practically like a second mother to an individual, yet in the story, the grandmother is much like the primary mother, as she deals with the narrator whenever she is harmed or abused. The symbolism of the narrator making chile in the story shows the annoyance and dissatisfaction the narrator has for her parents. The narrator portrays making chile as a kind of custom that she and her grandmother often have together. As the narrator peels the garlic, she “scraped hard to destroy the guilt, and her tears were gone.” The chile that the narrator gets ready speaks to her incautious frame of mind towards her parents, and that she rubs the blame of having her dad always shouting at her mom for her very own incidents and faults. (Viramontes 37). 

It is prevalent throughout the story that the narrator lacks faith. Faith is something that the narrator needs, or rather, desires as she just sees herself as this defiant child. Despite this, she imparts a unique cling to her grandmother, as opposed to dealing with her as a commitment. In the last scene, the narrator watches her grandmother as she gradually passes away and cries with “sobs emerging from the depths of anguish,” at long last understanding that she really had an extremely close relationship with her grandmother, building up a kind of regard. The narrator had always felt her grandmother's grey eyes looking out for here, similar to a security net, for each move she had made. There is a running theme of resurrection present inside the moths, particularly the gray moths. The moths are symbolized differently throughout the story when the narrator depicts her grandmother laying down with her “eyelids never closed all the way,” which symbolizes a moth and how they are nocturnal beings, never truly sleeping at night time. Throughout the story, the narrator portrays her grandmother as having these grey eyes looking out for her, and at the time of her grandmother's unavoidable passing, there were “small, gray moths that came from her soul and out through her mouth, fluttering to light,” and flying over her. The grey moths at the time of her grandmother's passing symbolize the association among life and death, just as a form of resurrection. In certain cultures, grey moths symbolize a kind of profound vessel for a soul. For this situation, when the grandmother passed away, there were grey moths flying over her, as though they were pulled in to her glorious light, removing her soul and, in a way, resurrecting her. The moths left her grandmother's body as though they were removing her soul to another domain. The narrator discusses the sun and how it sets during each night, only to return for the following day. This time, her grandmother had passed away, and at the time of acknowledgment, she sees that 'endings are inevitable,' and that they are 'necessary for rebirths' (Viramontes 36). Much the same as the rebirth of the sun, her grandmother has resurrected into a moth and will proceed onward to the light. 

The language in this short story is an imperative factor in delighting reality as the narrator dictated. Viramontes utilizes Hispanic language to quickly recognize the Latin culture. The language is critical in introducing the feeling of injury and endurance that Hispanic women are exposed to, with Viramontes portraying 'scars' on both the backs of the narrator and Abuelita. The word “grey” is utilized a few times to show a stagnate agony. Then orange is utilized to symbolize resurrection, which thus, makes the central theme. Before Abuelita passes away, the narrator uses the sun to delineate resurrections: “There comes a time when the sun is defiant. Just about the time when moods change, inevitable season of a day, transition from one color to another, that hour or minute or second when the sun is finally defeated, (sunset) finally sinks into the realization that it cannot with all its power to heal or burn, exist forever, there comes an illumination where the sun and earth meet, a final burst of burning red-orange furry reminding us that although ending are inevitable, they are necessary for rebirths.” The moths are utilized to depict this rebirth. Just as the moth is attracted to the light, we rise towards a bright light in death. The idea of magical realism is utilized to depict Abuelita's resurrection as the moths bring her spirit through the entryways of heaven. 

The theme of 'The Moths' is created basically by the character, struggle, and language of the story. The portrayal enlivens the underlying strife as Abuelita medical attendants the narrator physically, yet in addition mentally into grasping her own concealed feelings. There will be times in our lives where conflict is required to further demonstrate the difficult encounters we experience so we can have our own spiritual awakening.