Henessey Hussey

Professor G.D. Peters

Professor Serhiy Metenko 

FIQWS Killer Stories – Writing

19 October 2022

     Through Maria Conceptión, Porter displays Juan not fulfilling his responsibilities as the husband of Maria Conceptión by having a runaway affair with young Maria Rosa. Porter uses characterization to show a man’s entitlement to have his own way without facing the consequences of his abrasive actions. 

      Porter illustrates men providing the bare minimum of their responsibilities and human decency in their marriage,while expecting the utmost gratitude and compensation through Juan assuming that Maria Concepcion could have no grudges against him. Juan explains to his boss, Givens, that, “‘Oh, Maria Concepcion! That’s nothing. Look [his] chief, to be married in the church is a great misfortune for a man. After that he is not himself anymore. How can that woman complain when [he] do not drink even at fiestas enough to be really drunk? [He] do not beat her; never, never. [They] were always at peace.’”(Page 103) Juan expresses that getting married to Maria Conceptión in front of the church has limited his wants and freedom as a man by being trapped in his responsibilities as a husband when he really wants to have all the women he wants and drink as much alcohol as he wants. Porter characterizes Maria Concepcíon to be a burden on her husband, Juan, by illustrating their marriage to be the shackles on his feet. This is a use of irony since Maria and Juan were married in a church, a holy place that’s based on faith and sign of honor in their community. While Juan is unfaithful in their marriage, tarnishing its image and Maria’s perception of love and marriage. Porter actively displays that Juan cares more about his freedom and having reckless fun than about his marriage with María Concepción or her feelings in general. William L. Nance’s Katherine Anna Porter & the Art of Rejection states that, “Juan Villegas, like the vast of southern men, is an overgrown child.” Nance associates Juan’s refusal of being a man in his marriage and his duties to the immaturity of a child. This childness can be perceived through Juan whining about not putting his hands on Maria and not being a drunk. Juan emphasizes at the end of the quotation how Maria Comcepcion cannot “complain when [he] do not drink even at fiestas enough to be really drunk? [He] do not beat her; never, never. [They] were always at peace.” Juan explains that since he’s not an abusive alcoholic husband and believes he provides peace to Maria, that he should not be held to any other expectations or responsibilities attached to his marriage or maria. Also, Juan believes that Maria Concepcion should be grateful for the kind of husband that he is, despite being unfaithful.  Porter characterizes Juan to feel deserving of compensation and pride in himself for these minimal actions for a husband. 

      Porter expresses that men are solely focused on fulfilling their desires and obtaining some sort of power at the expense of the individuals surrounding them through Juan taking advantage of Maria Rosa. Juan is expressing to his boss, Givens, that he has his affair with Maria Rosa due to that, “‘…With María Rosa it is all different. She is not silent; she talks. When she talks too much, [he] slap her and say, Silence, thou simpleton! And she weeps. She is just a girl with whom [he] do as [he] please. You know how she used to keep those clean little bees in their hives? She is like their honey to [him]… [he] will not leave María Rosa, because she pleases [him] more than any other woman.’”(Page 103) Porter Reveals that one only likes messing with Maria Rosa because she’s an impressionable, young girl that he can easily control and manipulate in his favor. Porter uses Maria Rosa to symbolize Juan’s escape from Maria Concepción by illustrating that he cannot have his own way with Maria Concepción due to her strong nature. Due to Juan lacking authority in his household, marriage, job, and village, he seeks and exercises his need for authority on Maria Rosa, since she doesn’t have any else to rely on. Juan uses metaphors to call Maria Rosa his honey from a bee hive, referring to Maria Rosa just being a sweet treat for him to snack on as he runs away from responsibilities. Porter portrays Juan’s entitlement for receiving his needs and wants at whatever cost, even if it means using and taking advantage of Maria Rosa’s body and nativity.

      Porter exhibits men’s initial sexist beliefs of how women should be content with whatever a man can or is willing to provide them in the marriage through Juan being characterized as smug on the way back to the village from jail. Givens tries to break down to Juan that his wife, Maria Concepcíon, will find out about the affair and he’ll soon face the consequences of his action, but, “Juan’s expression was the proper blend of masculine triumph and sentimental melancholy. It was pleasant to see himself in the role of hero to two desirable women. He had just escaped from the threat of a disagreeable end. His clothes were new and handsome, and they had cost him just nothing.”(Page 103) Porter expresses that Juan thinks that everything is going to be fine when he returns home and can still have both Maria Concepcion and Maria Rosa, displaying a man’s entitlement to have everything go their way and not suffer any consequences from his careless actions and abrasion. That is emphasized in Porter’s description of masculine triumph of Juan and through Juan labeling himself a hero, in which he is unaware of the dishonor that his name carries in his town, and him being gifted new clothes after his rescue feeds his delusion of life going his way. From Gale Research’s Short Stories for Students, “Juan’s attitude is stereotypically sexist. He thinks his own cheating is understandable and, at least to some degree, acceptable, while it is highly unlikely he would tolerate the same behavior in his wife.” (Page 143,Gale) Gale conveys that Juan feels that his indelities and childish behavior is justified for his nature and needs as a man. Juan’s mindset of Maria Concepcion needing to be satisfied with his actions because of him being a man demonstrates Juan’s sexist beliefs and entitlement.

     Porter presents men avoiding their liabilities to pursue self empowerment through Juan’s treatment of Maria Rosa Maria Concepcion when he returns back to the village. When Juan is dropped off back into the village, “It was almost noon before he returned to visit Maria Rosa. He found her sitting on a clean straw mat, rubbing fat on her three-hour-old son. Before this felicitous vision Juan’s emotions so twisted him that he returned to the village and invited every man in the ‘Death and Resurrection’ pulque shop to drink with him. Having thus taken leave of his balance, he started back to Maria Rosa, and he found himself unaccountably in his own house, attempting to beat Maria Concepcion by way of reestablishing himself in his legal household.”(Page 104) Porter conveys Juan sees his child conceived by Maria Rosa and no longer perceives Maria Rosa as an escape from his responsibilities as a man or as a father. Because of Maria Rosa‘s new life position, Juan no longer saw Maria Rosa as the young girl that he could have his way with whenever he pleases, she was now his responsibility that he did not want part of. Porter portrays Juan’s entitlement and need to exercise his power as a man to fuel his fragile masculinity through his attempt to beat Maria Concepción into submission, but fails because his title as her husband and as man no longer has any value over Maria Concepcion or their household. Juan that yearned and sought out power, now has lost his power over both women that he onced desired, losing the freedom and authorization he felt entitled to as a man.

Overall, Katherine Anne Porter displays men’s self righteous behavior and insensitivity towards the lives and feelings of the individuals in their environment, especially women. Porter demonstrates this through Juan Villegas being unfaithful in his marriage with Maria Concepcion and grooming of Maria Rosa for the sake of his entitlement to having freedom as a man.

Citations: 

Gale Research, Short Stories for Students, 2017

William L. Nance, Katherine Anne Porter & the Art of Rejection, 1964