69 pages • 2 hours read
Victor VillaseñorRain of Gold
Nonfiction | Biography | Adult | Published in 1991A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaChapters 6-7Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 6 Summary
La Liebre takes over Lupe’s town, kidnapping Lydia and terrorizing the citizens. Lupe can hardly sleep; when she does, La Liebre is all she sees. For a while Socorro focuses on her children rather than her lost husband, but she eventually breaks down, cursing him and his choice to leave. She throws all his clothes out, so Lupe and the neighbor’s salvage what they can for themselves. Lupe sleeps in the colonel’s jacket and then decides to bury it. After securing permission from her mother, Lupe has Victoriano escort her up to the “high country,” where she finds a beautiful setting and tree under which to bury the colonel’s coat (70). When Lupe goes to bury the jacket, however, she finds a small fawn that she likens to the colonel. She adopts the fawn, and he becomes her loyal pet.
In the meantime, Señor Jones sends his family back to the States, realizing that he has little control over the area. Señora Muñoz also announces to Lupe that she will be leaving. She encourages Lupe to continue her studies even if Señora Muñoz is absent. Lupe begins bringing food to Señora Muñoz each morning, not realizing until her mother says something that her teacher most likely stopped getting paid once the Americans lost control. The mothers gather together and confront the town mayor, Don Manuel, about the teacher’s loss of salary. He defends himself by telling them he was just doing what he was told, even though he knows he now looks like a “weak, disgusting turncoat” (72). The mothers in the village come together to support Señora Muñoz. They feed her, pay her, and find her a new place to teach when Señor Jones no longer lets her use the schoolhouse.
Don Tiburcio then pays a visit to Doña Guadalupe and her family, bringing Doña Guadalupe chocolates and Sophia flowers. The family has never had chocolates before, so they savor them immensely. The next night Don Tiburcio proposes to Sophia. In response, Doña Guadalupe says they have to discuss it before she gives him her answer. Sophia worries that she doesn’t love him, and Doña Guadalupe worries that he doesn’t love her. Sophia then defends his love as genuine, and they decide to accept his offer.
Chapter 7 Summary
Families are leaving Lupe’s canyon in droves. Living conditions continue to deteriorate, and eventually Lupe’s family cannot afford their bills. After overhearing his mother cry, Victoriano searches through the Americans’ trash for traces of gold. La Liebre, Señor Jones, and some of their men approach him and accuse him of stealing. Though Victoriano denies it, they physically beat him, and then La Liebre announces he is going to hang him as “an example” (80). They drag him into town, where Lupe sees what is going on and runs to fetch her mom. Doña Guadalupe springs into action as soon as she gets wind of the situation. Doña Guadalupe grabs her father’s gun and a small knife, hides them on her body, and heads directly to her son. While she is running, Doña Guadalupe remembers the bravery and cunning her father once displayed when he saved her from the attack that killed her birth parents. She hopes to exhibit this same demeanor when she finds Victoriano.
When she arrives, there is a huge crowd, and Victoriano is nearly unconscious. Through much prodding, she is allowed to give Victoriano her blessing. While she does this, she cuts him down from the noose and gives him her gun. In the meantime, La Liebre kills the midwife’s husband for talking back to him, causing the crowd to get angrier and angrier. Once Doña Guadalupe confirms that Victoriano is ready to run, she throws up her arms to shield him and he starts to run away. He realizes immediately that they will go after his mother instead of him if he leaves, so he shoots La Liebre in the face, killing him. As soon as La Liebre is dead, Victoriano runs for his life, escaping the soldiers’ raining bullets. La Liebre’s next in command takes over and prepares Doña Guadalupe and Don Manuel, who petitioned on her behalf, for hanging. The villagers mob the soldiers, overwhelming them by their sheer number. Doña Guadalupe and Don Manuel’s attackers run in fear as the village sings in unison, relieved by this victory.
Chapters 6-7 Analysis
The strongest theme of these two chapters is concentrated into the following quote: “They saw that they could get things done if they united” (74). Many of the issues in this section, and in previous sections, are solved by working together instead of in isolation. The downside of working alone is reflected in the fate of Old Man Benito. Had he waited for assistance, he may have lived and profited instead of dying foolishly. However, in all instances where those faced with problems do engage assistance, the result it always positive. For example, Victoriano and Lupe work together to find a burial spot, and then to bury, the colonel’s jacket. Had Lupe approached this task alone, she may have been raped or killed by the invading armies or simply been unable to properly bury the jacket. As a team, they not only accomplish their task but enjoy doing so. In the case of Señora Muñoz, when she attempts to forge forward alone, she finds herself starving and unable to continue her passion. Yet when she allows the village mothers to support her, she is able to continue being a vital presence in the community. If these examples don’t weigh heavily enough, the town’s successful mass swarming of the invading soldiers to save Doña Guadalupe and Don Manuel undeniably demonstrates the power of uniting for a cause.
