Riverofwomen

Hector Armienta

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Setting :1940’s: San Antonio, Texas
The plot centers around the desire of one woman to escape the rural life of the river, but is
thwarted by both her family and her culture. In the end, the spirit of the river and La Llorona,
claim both her dreams and the life of her only daughter. La Llorona/ The Weeping Woman is a
mythic character from Mexico. It is a fable that anyone who has roots from Mexico knows
very well.

Paula is washing clothes at the river with her
daughter, Elisa. Both Paula and Elisa have
recently moved into a small shack behind a
large house owned by Paula’s mother,
Cayetana, and her mother’s second husband,
Cipriano. With them at the river is Marta. Elisa
tells Marta about her dream-like fascination with
the river, which she calls “magical.”

Marta tells her she must be a River Woman and
begins to recount the story of the spirit woman
La Llorona/the Weeping Woman. Marta soon
leaves. As Paula and Elisa continue their work,
Paula tells Elisa she has never liked the kind of
life borne by women of the river and that
perhaps one day, they will leave.

Cayetana, Paula’s mother, comes down from
the hill to see if the laundry is finished. She tells
Paula that her suitor Don Blas has arrived.
Though Paula is reluctant to see him, she
leaves with Cayetana to meet him.

Elisa is left to finish the laundry. Now alone,
Elisa speaks to the river and confesses an
ominous recurring dream in which a faceless
woman appears and calls to her.

Meanwhile, Don Blas and Cipriano are in the
living room of the house. Cipriano and Don
Blas, who earn their living by ferrying people
across the river, have learned that their
employer is selling his boat. Cipriano discovers
that Don Blas would be entitled to an
inheritance if he were married and attempts to
convince Don Blas that they should buy the
boat together. Cipriano, however, doesn’t have
his half of the required capital. Cayetana and
Paula enter. Cipriano suggests to his wife that
they leave so that Paula and Blas can be alone
to talk. They exit.

Paula tells Don Blas she has not yet decided if
she will accept his proposal of marriage.
Feeling disheartened, he prepares to leave,
but Paula suggests that he stay. Don Blas
mentions he saw a swan at the river, which
reminded him of her. At first, the swan had
fought against the river current but was soon
able to free itself and fly. While Don Blas
speaks, Paula envisions herself as the swan.
Thinking it would impress her, he tells her he
will catch it for her, clip its wings and keep it on
the boat that he and Cipriano now plan to buy.
When Paula reminds him of his promise to take
her away from the river once they marry, Don
Blas insists that he must buy the boat in order
to provide for his new family. Paula becomes
distant, and he decides to leave, promising to
return the next day. As he leaves, Elisa enters.

Paula tells Elisa she has decided they must
secretly leave tomorrow and asks Elisa to
purchase two train tickets for the journey. Elisa
tries to get her mother to change her mind, but
Paula is resolved to leave. Paula goes to a
cabinet, where she has hidden her money
inside a flower pot, and gives Elisa money to
buy the tickets. They leave. Cayetana, who has
been hiding in the shadows, goes to the same
cabinet and takes the rest of the money.

It is the next day. Paula is inside her small, dirt-
floor shack. She is making final preparations to
leave. Elisa enters with a pail of water, which
she has brought to sprinkle down the dirt floor.
Elisa does not wish to leave. Paula tries to
explain to her that they will have a brighter
future elsewhere. Elisa remains cold and
removed. Paula decides to retrieve the rest of
the money and instructs Elisa to wash up
before they leave. As Paula enters the living
room of the main house, Elisa hears the voice
of the woman from her dreams coming from the
river. She leaves the shack. Meanwhile, Paula
searches for the flower pot, which is missing.

Cayetana enters and admits to having taken it.
She tells Paula she has no other choice but to
marry Don Blas. When Paula refuses,
Cayetana reminds her that without any money,
she has no other choice.

The men enter and are jubilant. Cayetana has
given them Paula’s money, telling them it was
money from her great grandmother, which she
recently found after cleaning a flowerpot. With
the money, the men have purchased their
employer’s boat. When Don Blas asks Paula
about his marriage proposal, Paula realizes that
her fate is sealed. She reluctantly consents to
marry him, hoping that by making this sacrifice,
Elisa will find opportunities unavailable to Paula.
Meanwhile, Elisa has approached the river,
where La Llorona awaits her. La Llorona was
Marta. Paula goes to fetch her daughter to tell
her the news. When she reaches the shack,
she can not find her.

She looks out the window and sees Elisa just as
Elisa reaches the arms of La Llorona. Paula
screams. La Llorona and Elisa embrace.

SUMMARY