Elvia Alvarado Character Analysis

In Elvia Alvarado’s memoir Don’t Be Afraid, Gringo: A Honduran Woman Speaks from the Heart, she expresses the struggles that people such as herself, and numerous other Honduran citizens face every day. Elvia Alvarado was a Honduran woman, who was considered a peasant. She was born into a poor family in the countryside of Honduras. The book retails stories from Alvarado’s life and the obstacles she is forced to overcome in hopes of achieving a better life for herself and the people around her. She faces oppression due to her social class, ideals, and especially her gender. At the same time though, she is able to find support through these communities. While the odds are stacked against Elvia Alvarado, she is able to continuously preserve,

Alvarado was born into a poor social class where her father did not own any land. Land is a major issue for Honduran people because only a few wealthy people owned all the land, and everyone else was forced to work for these large landowners. The inequality stretches further because majority of these landowner do not have legal right to the land, which is where Alvarado’s participation in groups that fight for the return of their land begins. Social class plays another big role is oppression with the lack of healthcare and education. The lack of healthcare significantly affects the campesinos in that there is a lack of nearby hospitals. If a person is to become in need of a doctor, it is common for the person to die before they can even complete the journey to town. However, even if they were to make it in town by early morning, sometimes the hospital is booked for the entire day. Along with healthcare, the government also poorly aids education. As expressed by Alvarado, “even though elementary school is free, we still have to pay for uniforms, books, and materials… we have to pay for the bus fare too… Many of the high schools charge a monthly fee. In my town they charge $7.50 a month (59)…” Due to the high price of school, it is uncommon for children to make it past the sixth grade. This lack of support for children to go to school hinders their only chance

It is the small victories along the way that keep pushing Alvarado to not giving up on her dreams. The first is her children and her aspirations to give them a better life. The idea that if she works hard and stands up for what is right, then her children and future generations will prosper from it. Despite it ultimately cutting her off, the church is also a driving force. Once Alvarado got involved with the church, it gave her the ability to surround herself with other motivated individuals. She used the community she gained from the church to continue fighting for what she believed was right. Finally the support she received from lawyers and doctors gave her hope that it was not just the campesinos that were striving for a more equal life, but it was also people from other social classes. In some of Alvarado’s closing words, “I used to think you has to be poor to be part of this struggle. But there are people in Honduras who aren’t poor, yet they’re on out side. They’re well-educated people – doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers – who identify with the poor (145).” Elvia Alvarado continues to strive for equality for the campesinos because she keeps hope that there are people on her side. There are people in Honduras, there are people in Europe, and there are even people in America, who she believes