María Concepción

3 Pages 720 Words

The protagonist in Katherine Anne Porter’s story “María Concepción” is María Concepción, herself. She is a young woman, around eighteen years of age, who is married to a man named, Juan Villegas. She finds herself in a situation, in which, she doesn’t know how to handle. The story follows María Concepción through each step of her emotional breakdown after finding her husband cheating on her with another woman and then losing her newly born baby. In the end, Porter shows how her friends loved her and came to her side and rescued her from the situation in which she placed herself.

The reputation of María Concepción is mentioned several times throughout the story, although not always directly. She is described as having a “good reputation with the neighbors as an energetic religious woman who could drive a bargain to the end.” (210). She seemed to be a proud young woman who kept her head high and did what was expected of her. She is described in the eyes of Juan’s chief, Givens, in saying “Her grand manner sometimes reminded him of royalty in exile.” (213). She didn’t seem to have many enemies before her breakdown. Afterward, she seemed to be a completely different person.

She goes through several different stages throughout her breakdown. At first she was angry. She didn’t make her feelings obvious but everyone seemed to know about the affair. The neighbors went around saying that “María Rosa was safer in the army than she would be in the same village with María Concepción.” (214). María Concepción then seemed to go numb, as if nothing had ever happened. “María Concepción did not weep when Juan left her; and when the baby was born, and died within four days, she did not weep. ‘She is mere stone,’” (215). After this, she went back to being angry, but stayed to herself and kept herself busy. She “[…] lived alone. She was gaunt, as if something were gnawing her away inside, her e...