“She prayed for Tom, because like so many hispanos, nuevo mexicanos, whatever he wanted to call himself, something about giving himself over to a woman was worse than having lunch with the devil.”

At this point, Tom has just broken up with Fe. These lines point to the idea that becoming truly close to a woman, as through marriage,represents a death of self for males. “Giving himself” to Fe would be worse than any other fate because it threatens Tom’s conception of his own masculinity. 

“For those with charity in their hearts, the mutilation of the lovely young woman was akin to martyrdom.”

These lines point to the double standards of this community. Caridad’s mutilation is like “martyrdom” because this community both glorifies and objectifies female beauty. Ironically, however, this same community condemned Caridad for sleeping with many men, thus shaming her for using this same body.

“She was beginning to feel like part of a ritual in which she herself participated as an unsuspecting symbol, like a staff or a rattle or medicine.”

Here, Esperanza comments on her lack of true agency in her relationship with Rubén. She compares her body to the objects used in the Native-American Church ceremonies. She feels like a ritual object in their relationship becauseRuben uses her when he needs her but discards her when he does not.