In her narrative, I, Rigoberta Menchú, Rigoberta Menchú tells her life story and that of other Indians in Guatemala to convey the oppression and struggle suffered during the Guatemalan genocide. Rigoberta supports this claim by creating a binary depiction of good vs evil and relating that to the native Indians vs the ladinos. This dichotomization results from Rigoberta’s mistreatment by the ladinos she’s encountered and worked for. Rigoberta’s main influence while creating this polarity is her family. Rigoberta’s father and mother were designated as leaders of their community and the movement. The gruesome deaths her mother, father, and brother endure are the final straw for Rigoberta as she states, “This reinforced my decision to fight.” Using these events, Rigoberta Menchú draws her …show more content…
Such influences that she adopts are grounded in teachings of Christianity and speaking of the Spanish language.
The first time this binary depiction is created is during the election in the finca. After the election, Rigoberta and her family think, “…he was the President of the ladinos, not ours at all.” The oppression Rigoberta and the Indians are under within this election and the continuation of this oppression is evident through the fact that the owner tells them who to vote for, but in Spanish, not her native tongue Quiche. The coercion forced upon the Indians by the ladinos also causes the reader to condole with the Indians and view the ladinos in a negative light. At this point, Rigoberta is introduced to this conflict of continuing and embracing her culture, or learning