Speaker
Description
Malainie O’Brien
Professor Konedareva
Introduction To Language And Culture Studies
11 April 2024
One Question, Many Answers: Who was La Malinche?
La Malinche was a Nahua woman who represents a wide array of values. What brought about this controversy was her work for Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador. La Malinche acted as an interpreter between the indigenous communities and the conquistadors, ultimately helping the Spanish.
La Malinche is credited for facilitating much of the successes of the colonizers, and for this she is the subject of both praise and ridicule. She is widely regarded as a traitor to her people, and blamed for the atrocities that followed Spanish colonization. To some, she is a victim who was forced to use her knowledge for Spanish gain. To others, she is a hero, symbolizing a trailblazer who broke societal restrictions placed on women. The subject of La Malinche is multi-faceted, and asking what she represents will not receive a clear answer.
The scope of this paper will focus on the historical period of La Malinche and how her influence is perceived in modern day society. The objectives of the paper are to reexamine the case of La Malinche through a modern lens with cultural and historical context. The paper’s purpose is to analyze the various perspectives of what La Malinche symbolizes, and how these interpretations reflect cultural values.
The research approach is to gain understanding of each of the main arguments regarding what La Malinche stands for. Understanding the historical context of her life is critical in understanding what factors influenced her mindset. Not only does it provide clarity to La Malinche’s decisions , but also to how she was treated by her own society and by the conquistadors.
Research will consist of factual articles regarding the history surrounding the symbol, as well as opposing interpretations of these facts. The paper will first state what is known about the symbol, then deconstruct each approach to this data, and then provide commentary as to how these perceptions reveal insight into the values of the culture. Supportive tools include examples of how La Malinche is symbolized linguistically, for example in phrases such as “malinchista”. The paper will feature how the cultural symbol is present in art and literature. Other supportive tools may include commentaries and quotes related to the cultural values present in the story of La Malinche.
Bibliography
Anderson, Gracie. “Was La Malinche, Indigenous Interpreter for Conquistador
Hernán Cortés, a Traitor, Survivor or Icon?” Smithsonian.Com, Smithsonian Institution, 30 July 2021, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/was-la-malinche-indigenous-interpreter-conquistador-hernan-cortes-traitor-survivor-or-icon-180978321/.
Candelaria, Cordelia. “La Malinche, Feminist Prototype.” Frontiers: A Journal of
Women Studies, vol. 5, no. 2, 1980, pp. 1–6. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3346027.
Mohammed, Farah. “Who Was La Malinche? - JSTOR DAILY.” JSTOR DAILY, 1
Mar. 2019, daily.jstor.org/who-was-la-malinche/.
Petty, Leslie. “The ‘Dual’-Ing Images of La Malinche and La Virgen de Guadalupe in
Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street.” MELUS, vol. 25, no. 2, 2000, pp. 119–32. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/468222.
