Hunger

Hunger is present throughout the novel as a symbol of poverty and a potent influence of behavior. As a child, Magda says her "hunger is bigger than my shame" (32) when she figures out that faking choking can garner a few extra bites of food, and later the offer of food by a prisoner is enough to encourage Magda to release him from cell. As a teenager, hunger and the offer of food is enough to entice Magda to participate in Gordo Chuy's vaguely sexual ritual involving watching a film with him while he masturbates and mouths along with the actors' lines, which eventually leads to her being driven from her pueblo. It is an ever-present sensation for Magda, as evidenced by her fixation with food during the pilgrimage she makes with her mother and Chucha to the golden zone. While her mother and aunt are focused...