Summer of the Mariposas

“It was just easier to let my sisters think they’d won.”

Odilia’s resignation at her sisters’ antics reveals the motherly role she takes in their lives. Instead of pushing to have her way for the sake of ego, she decides to be complacent with their wishes for the sake of group harmony. The quote also shows her wisdom and understanding that her sisters’ plan will eventually require her insight.

“To my surprise, I felt the weight of an ear pendant on my right ear even before I reached up and touched it.”

Even though Odilia spoke to the ghost of La Llorona in person, she does not quite believe in the spirit’s magic until she feels the second ear pendant bestowed upon her. At that point, she decides to take La Llorona’s advice and follow the adventure through to the end.

“It wasn’t about listening to her, it was about singing along with her, about being in the moment with her.”

While driving and listening to Tejano music icon Selena, the sisters get along for the first time in the book. Odilia describes the act of singing along as an activity that unites them. She clarifies that it is less about Selena the icon and more about the feeling of togetherness that the music inspires.

“Efraín, the young man in the tuxedo, took the birthday girl in his arms and they all stood looking expectantly at the car door, as if waiting for the past to hit them in the face when it opened.”

This quote reveals the parallel struggles between Odilia’s family and the Pérdido family. Both families are slightly lost, broken, and deeply affected by the past.

“Don’t add too much cream to the tacos.”

This phrase becomes the Garza sisters’ mantra, adopted from their mother. Odilia first evoked this family saying to advise her sisters not to overdo it or unnecessarily embellish to complete their journey in Mexico. Again, Odilia’s use of this authoritative phrase shows her maternal role among her sisters.

“It says it right there. She is a person of interest in the investigation of our disappearance.”

When the Garza sisters see their picture in the papers and read about their mother’s interrogation, they realize how their disappearance has affected and may continue to affect their mother. At this juncture, Juanita admits the journey may not have been a good idea. Though temporarily enraptured by the attention they are receiving in the news, the twins also begin to have their doubts about the journey. This is an important turning point, as the sisters begin to think about how their actions affect others.

“I felt I could learn something from the woman in the moon. From now on, I would look over my shoulder at every turn. I would make sure I knew who or what was lurking around me, waiting to harm us when we least expected it.”

Odilia’s trials and tribulations in the magical realm teach her that she must be vigilant at home as well. From this point on, Odilia’s faith in her intuition becomes stronger, serving her well as she strives to protect her sisters and her family.

“For a moment, I felt sorry for the old, broken-down woman whose loneliness had turned her into a bruja—a fate worse than death, a fate I wouldn’t wish on anyone, least of all Mamá.”

Cecilia reveals that she captured the Garza sisters because she has no family, no husband, and no children of her own. She has dreamed of having many daughters. Despite Cecilia’s poor behavior, Odilia feels sorry for the old witch. Odilia realizes that Cecilia’s greatest enemy is her loneliness. This revelation evokes sympathy for Odilia’s mother, who is now entirely alone.

“It was the sound of death looming over me and my sisters, who were still unconscious on the ground beside me.”

This quote foreshadows the spectacular and perilous journey ahead of Odilia and her sisters. It represents a turn in the text from magical realism to dark fairytale. The quote also shows Odilia’s keen sense of intuition and hypervigilance, as she is often aware of danger well before her sisters are. It is implied this intuition stems from her connection to her cultural heritage.

“It’s almost as if she knew someday her lullabies would keep us safe from harm, so she made sure she sang to us every night.”

The sisters consider the songs their mother sang to them as children in a new context, realizing that those same songs later saved them from evil spirits. McCall again highlights the power of family and cultural tradition. Remembering the ways of the past, from their immediate family or their ancestors, becomes paramount to the Garza sisters’ survival.

“La Llorona said we must remain noble and kind. We should grant mercy when it is asked of us.”

One of the sisters’ main challenges is sticking together in the face of adversity, which ties into the book’s theme of the burdens of misogyny and the need for Solidarity Among Women. Once the sisters learn to trust each other, their journey becomes much easier.

“Your mother didn’t do anything wrong. Your father left because he’s a louse, a good-for-nothing who cares more about himself than his own wife and daughters.”

Abuelita Remedios’s validation that neither the Garza sisters nor their mother did anything wrong highlights the book’s message about the importance of solidarity in the face of misogyny. It also marks a turning point in the plot, in which Abuelita Remedios allies herself with her estranged granddaughters, disavowing her son. This disavowal, and the sisters’ subsequent realization of their father’s failures, eventually helps the girls reject him altogether.

“The way I see it, we didn’t fail Papá, he failed us. He’s the adult here.”

After learning their father is divorcing their mother, Odilia’s sisters express deep remorse for misbehaving and wonder how any parent could love children who behave so poorly. Odilia pushes back against this idea of conditional love, indicating that a parent should love their children no matter what. In Odilia’s eyes, their father is wrong for abandoning his children. This sense of self-respect propels Odilia, and eventually her sisters, to hold their father accountable for his mistakes, again emphasizing the importance of female solidarity against misogyny.

“The truth is, adults don’t always make sense. They don’t always do what’s right. Sometimes, they are like children themselves, doing whatever they want.”

Abuelita Remedios encourages her granddaughters not to blame themselves for their parents’ mistakes. She debunks the myth that all parents are perfect.

“The mother is the earth, the creator. Every part of her is alive...She is the river, the flower, the bud. She is the regenerator. Her faith in her offspring is always alive.”

Aztec goddess Tonantzin reminds the Garza sisters of their indigenous Mexican ancestors’ worldviews, such as respect for Mother Earth as well as their mother. Through this saying, Tonantzin also reminds the girls that their mother’s love is unconditional.

“Without night there would be no rest, no room for growth. It is just the way things are.”

Tonantzin implies that the Garza girls must face life’s challenges as opportunities for growth. This concept manifests as the Garza girls face their fear of fractured family life by rejecting their father’s warped understanding of family togetherness.

“I need you to remind the mother that she is the flower, the bud, the giver of life. She needs to be honored with love and redemption.”

Odilia initially believes that Tonantzin refers to Odilia’s own mother’s need to honor herself and her potential. She later realizes that it is La Llorona who needs redemption, love, and peace. The misidentification illustrates the close parallels between La Llorona and the Garza sisters’ mother, both Misunderstood Women who are blamed for things that are not their fault.

“A vision, to always remember who you are, where you came from, as you develop a better future.”

McCall portrays cultural legacy as integrally connected to self-efficacy, giving Odilia a well of strength to draw from in challenging times. Through Tonantzin’s words to Odilia, coupled with the sustainable cultural practices described in the sisters’ vision of Tenochtitlan, McCall implies the progressive potential of cultural awareness to better the world.

“Yes, restoring that which was once lost.”

At the end of their journey, the Garza sisters do not bring their father back or return the family to the way that it was. Instead, the sisters restore their family’s sense of unity and self-sufficiency.

“The courage and wisdom you have acquired through this ordeal, this odyssey, will serve you well as you grow into womanhood.”

Tonantzin shows Odilia that the skills learned on her journey did more than help her survive her trip; they armed her with the tools to survive in life.

“Your Mamá is a Mariposa too, tenacious and fierce, but generous with her love.”

Tonantzin assures Odilia that just like her and her sisters, their mother must undergo a personal journey of her own to make real change in her life. She completes this transformation when she earns her GED and gets a new job.

“I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel her presence all around me.”

By the end of the book, Odilia learns to release her skepticism and worry and trust her strength. She also learns to recognize and appreciate the long lineage of women in her family and cultural heritage with whom she now feels a sense of solidarity.

“After a while, however, my wounds began to heal, and I found that I didn’t cry unexpectedly anymore.”

Through her odyssey, Odilia learns to confront her feelings instead of hiding them. By fully embracing her emotional state, she is able to assuage and eventually let go of her grief over her father’s abandonment.