Essay Questions

How does the theme of family betrayal portray itself in the short story Innocent Erendira by Gabriel Garcia Marquez?

The role of the family as per the expectations of the reader is to guide and develop the ability of children to be dependent in the future. However, it is ironic that Erendira's grandmother is an opportunistic woman who uses her for personal gain. The grandmother takes her from place to place to engage in sex so that she can pay the debt of burning her house. This old grandmother goes beyond the norm of parenthood. There is no sane grandparent who would wish to see her grandchildren engage in prostitution. Nevertheless, in this narrative, things tend to be happening in opposite directions which contradict the expectations of the reader.

Victimhood is evident throughout the short story. How does Gabriel Garcia Marquez use victimhood as a literary device or motif?

Erendira is a victim of abuse in this short story and she is forced into sex slavery by her grandmother. Her grandmother does this inhumane act because the young girl accidentally burnt her house. To ensure that she pays her for the destruction of her house, she makes up her mind to use Erendira as a sex slave to make a living out of it. Erendira is against this act of prostitution but her grandmother is resistant and forces her to do so. The motif of victimization is therefore evident throughout because it is immoral to use someone as a sex slave for personal gains.

Explain how Gabriel Garcia Marquez uses romance as the primary allegory in the short story Innocent Erendira.

The author of this short story portrays the older men in society as abusive because most of them are actively using and dumping young girls such as Erendira for selfish sexual gains. The first man who abused Erendira sexually is fond of giving away money for having sex with virgins. It is also clear that Erendira is taken from one man to the other for sex benefits by her grandmother. However, things are different when Erendira meets Ulises, a young boy who expresses the interest of marrying her. Despite Ulises having sex with Erendira, he wants to have a serious relationship with her and more importantly secures her freedom. Unlike the older men who are sexually exploitative, Ulises takes a different route which is considered humane. Ulises does everything possible until he sets Erendira free from sexual exploitation.