INTRODUCTION

Summary of Maria Concepcion by Katherine Anne Potter

Maria concepcion is the story about the power of a woman. The woman who

got a betrayal forms her husband, Juan Villegas. The story begins when Maria

concepcion turn home. She walks in the white dusty road and felt enjoy. She carried

about a dozen living flows slung over her right shoulder. Maria concepcion is a

religious woman who lived in small house with her husband, Juan Villegas. She had a

neighbour named Maria Rosa who is the beekeeper. Maria Rosa lived with her

godmother. Lupe is the medicine woman. The story continues. When Maria

Concepcion was near home, she heard a laughed man sounds in Maria Rosa’s house.

Maria Concepcion thought that Maria Rosa must have a boyfriend. Maria Concepcion

stopped and looked at Maria Rosa’s house from the space of the hedge. Maria

Concepcion was shocked. She saw her husband and Maria Rosa were laughing

together and looks happy. Maria Concepcion did not stir breathe for some seconds.

Her forehead was cold. But Maria Concepcion was worried if her husband and Maria

Rosa would find her. So that she came out and went home. Maria Concepcion still

thought about what did she looked. She was very angry and said that Maria Rosa was

her enemy now.

At this moment, the Gray untidy head of Givens appeared never over edges of

the newest trench he had caused to be dug in his field of excavations. Given is a chief

in Maria Concepcion’s house. Maria Concepcion now was home and meets Givens.

She did not tell about Juan to Givens. Moreover, Maria Concepcion went out again.

She went to the market for buy tortillas.

Maria Concepcion did not tell Juan that she had found him out. She only kept

saying to herself, “when I was a young girl like Maria Rosa, if a man had caught hold

me of so, I would have broken my jar over his head. Until one day, Juan did not come

and Maria Rosa went with him. Juan had a rifle at his shoulder and two pistols at his

belt. Maria Rose wore a rifle also, slung on her back along with the blankets and the

cooking post. They joined the nearest detachment of troops in the field, and Maria

Rosa marched ahead with the battalion of experienced woman of war, which went

over the crops like locusts, gathering provisions for the army. In the other side, Maria

Concepcion did not weep that Juan left her. Moreover, until the baby born and died

within four days, she still did not weep. During the year that Juan and Maria Rosa

- 1 -

gone, Maria Concepcion were doing her activity as a usual. Lupe started to blame

Maria Rosa, because she went out with Juan. Lupe was proud with Maria Concepcion

behaviour. Lupe used to saw Maria Concepcion at the church and market. Lupe went

to the church with Maria Concepcion. She thought that Maria Concepcion never had

revenge to Juan and Maria Rosa betrayal. She always said that she will ask God for

what she wants in this world. She lived alone and she would not speak a word if she

could help it. Maria Concepcion went oftener to the church, sometimes went to

village at the end of market-day. She worked harder than ever.

One day, Juan and Maria Rosa went home without asking permission of

anyone. They arrived one morning about daybreak. Juan was picked up on sight by a

group of military police from the small barracks. The captain recognized him as head

digger for his good friend, Givens. When Givens meet him, Givens ask why he left

Maria Concepcion and choose Maria Rosa. In fact, Juan and Maria Concepcion were

married at church. Juan said that he never thought to leave Maria Concepcion. He

loves her. In addition, they married at church. But Maria Concepcion is a silent

woman. Maria Concepcion always does what Juan Said. Their life seems boring even

they life at peace. In the other said, Maria Rosa is not silent, she always talks and

active woman. Juan won’t leave Maria Concepcion because he married her at church

and she also won’t leave Maria Rosa because she is different than another woman.

Givens give advice to Juan. Maria Concepcion also a human being. Someday

she can be very angry and she will determined to hurt. Juan still thinks and he went to

Maria Rosa’s home. He was attempting to beat Maria Concepcion by the way of

restabilising himself in his legal household. He found Maria Rosa was dead and he

looks at Maria Concepcion which comes latter. Maria Concepcion took the knife from

her belt and then cleans it. By now, Juan realizes that what actually happened. He try

to calm Maria Concepcion and take the knife away. He wants to protect Maria

Concepcion and they went home. They took a dinner and Juan tries to convince Maria

Concepcion to be calmer. He said that everything will be fine. Suddenly, someone

come to Maria Concepcion’s house and told them that Maria Rosa was died.

- 2 -

DISCUSSION

Analysis Criticism of Maria Concepcion

Criticism can define as the rules and principles which regulate the practice of

the critic; the art of judging with knowledge and propriety of the beauties and faults of

a literary performance, or of a production in the fine arts; as, dramatic criticism. Other

definitions state that criticism is the overall term of studies concerned with defining,

classifying, analyzing, interpreting, and evaluating works of literature. In Maria

Concepcion short story, I can analyze several criticisms which is include on it.

1. Psychological Criticism

Psychological criticism is biographical rather than literary criticism. But

psychological criticism also looks on characters as having motivations, conflicts,

desires, and inclinations similar to those real people. The criticism in Maria

Concepcion is seen in every singe paragraph. The paragraphs is shown Maria

Concepcion’s life with Juan Villegas, her conflict because of her husband betrayal

with Maria Rosa, her motivation and desires to be a strong woman to face her

problem.

The conflict in this story is not only between Maria Concepcion and Juan

Villegas, but also conflict in her self. She tries accepting and kept the problem even

she felt annoyed. It can found in paragraph 14.

“Maria Concepcion did not stir nor breathe for some seconds. Her

forehead was cold and yet boiling water seemed to be pouring slowly

along her spine. An unaccountable pain was in her knees, as if they

were broken. She was afraid Juan and Maria Rosa would feel her eyes

fixed upon them ….. “

The Conflict between her self still felt in paragraph 16, when Maria Concepcion

can believed that Juan and Maria Rosa were dishonest.

“Juan and Maria Rosa! She burned all over now, as if a layer of tiny

fig cactus bristles, as cruel as spun glass, had crawled under her skin.

She wished to sit down quietly and wait for her death ….. “Yes, she is

a whore! She has no right to live”

In the last sentence, “she has no right to live” that is a desire of Maria Concepcion to

kill Maria Rosa.

- 3 -

Conflict still running when Juan Villegas went away with Maria Rosa while

Maria Concepcion’s baby was born even the baby was dead. It found in paragraph 35,

“Maria Concepcion did not weep when Juan left her; and when the

baby was born, and dead within four days, she did not weep ….”

Psychological criticism also found in the next paragraph, when the story shown

Maria Concepction behaviour as a kind woman which always went to the church and

she did her activity as a usual. She never thought about her husband betrayal.

“…she used to see Maria Concepcion at the market or at the church,

and she always said that no one could tell by looking at her now that

she was a woman who had such a heavy grief”

The story also had shown support for Maria Concepcion by Lupe.

“I pray God everything goes well with Maria Concepcion from this

out,” she would say, “for she has had her share of trouble”

Back again in conflict side, in paragraph 55, Juan Villegas told to Givens his

inclinations for choose between Maria Concepcion and Maria Rosa.

“Oh Maria Concepcion! That’s nothing. Look, my chief, to be married

in the church is a great misfortune for a ma. After that he is not

himself any more. ……….I would not harm Maria Concepcion because

I am married to her in the church: but also my chief, I will not leave

Maria Rosa, because she pleases me more than any other woman”

Psychological aspect was found in several end of paragraph, when Maria

Concepcion killed Maria Rosa and Juan Villegas safe Maria Concepcion from those

cases.

“Oh, thou poor creature! Oh, madwoman! Oh Maria Concepcion,

unfortunate! Listen …Don’t be afraid. Listen to me! I will hide thee

away. I thy own woman will protect thee! Quiet! Not a sound!”

And the support from the village people to Maria Concepcion when the officer ask

her about those cases.

“Other voices broke in. A toothless old man said: “she is a woman of

good reputation among us, and Maria Rosa was not. “ A smiling

young mother, Anita, baby at breast, said: if no one thinks so, how can

you accuse her? It was the loss of her child and not of her husband

that changed her so ……”

- 4 -

2. Feminist Criticism

The criticism is a part of Gender Criticism which examines how literature

reflects sexual identity or orientation. Feminist criticism itself are literary depictions

of women, assumptions about woman generated by male writers, the recurring pattern

in literature of male dominance, female passivity, and sexism in literature as it

reflects the societies that fostered it.

In Maria Concepcion’s story, the feminist criticism can analyze by the reflection

of Maria Concepcion’s life in woman society and her struggle to face problem. The

reflection of woman life is shown in the first and second paragraph, which tells the

woman activity as a usual.

“Maria Concepcion walked carefully, keeping to the middle of the

white dusty road, where the maguey thorns and ……”

And the second paragraph,

“She carried about a dozen living fowls slung over her right shoulder,

their feet fastened together ……”

The feminist criticism in this story explains the woman position when she is a

religious woman and married her husband at the church.

“…how can that woman complain when I do not think even at fiestas

enough to be really drunk? ……we were always at peace. I say to

here, Come here, and she comes straight. I say, Go there, and she goes

quickly.

We can see that the position of woman who had married at the church. Woman

should follow her husband and always be the good wife.

3. Social Criticism

Social criticism is similar to historical criticism in recognizing literature as a

reflection of its environment. In this story, I can analyze the relation between an

attitude of a woman and the society views. Maria Concepcion is a good and religious

woman. As I said before, Maria Concepcion tries to hide her suffering. She went to

the church and prays for God. The society thought that Maria Concepcion is very

kind woman. It shown on paragraph 36, when Lupe said to herself

“During the year that Juan and Maria Rosa were gone Maria

Concepcion sold her fowls and looked after her garden and her sacks

……”

- 5 -

Even Maria Concepcion tries to be strong to face it; the betrayal absolutely can

influence her life. Maria Concepcion becomes a covert woman; she only went to

church even sometimes she went to the villagers at the market day. It found in

paragraph 41.

“Afterward everyone noticed that Maria Concepcion went oftener to

church, and even seldomer to the village to talk the other women ……”

in the paragraph 44,

“But Maria Concepcion lived alone, she was gaunt, as if something were

gnawing her away inside, her eyes were sunken, and she would not speak

a word if she could help it ……”

And the last, the social criticism found in the relationship between Maria Concepcion

and her society. The villagers care for Maria Concepcion when the officer asks her

about killing Maria Rosa.

“Other voices broke in. A toothless old man said: “she is a woman of

good reputation among us, and Maria Rosa was not. “ A smiling

young mother, Anita, baby at breast, said: if no one thinks so, how can

you accuse her? It was the loss of her child and not of her husband

that changed her so ……”

No one believe that Maria Concepcion can kill Maria Rosa, because she is a good

woman even the truth is Maria Rosa was killed by Maria Concepcion.

- 6 -

CLOSING

Conclusion of Analysis criticism in Maria Concepcion

The story of Maria Concepcion can analyze by using Psychological, feminist

and social criticism. Those kinds of criticism in most appropriate criticism for this

story. It caused the story of Maria Concepcion is a story which most involve a

psychological aspect of a woman who got betrayal from her husband. The feminist

criticism refers to the position of Maria Concepcion as woman who had married with

Juan Villegas at the church. The character of Maria Concepcion describe as a kind

woman who always adhere to her husband. And the last criticism is social criticism

which is referring to the point of view from the society toward Maria Concepcion’s

life and their support to her.

Even there are several criticism that can be used to analyze such as mimetic

criticism, structural criticism, etc, the most element of criticism that can be found in

the story is about psychology, feminist and social aspect. Therefore, I can conclude

that the Maria Concepcion story analyze by Psychological, Feminist, and Social

Criticism.

- 7 -