Garifuna honduran narrative: aproach to novel Marcia y sus desafios (2013) by Xiomara Cacho Caballero

Abstract

In Honduras, one of the most representative ethnic groups is the garifuna people. Their presence in the territory dates back 226 years. In the literary field, the Garifuna writer Xiomara Cacho Caballero stands out nationally and internationally. Her publication Marcia y sus desafíos (2013) is a novel that is constructed from the voice of its protagonist Marcia Audelina Bermúdez Gómez, who tells us about the experiences, sorrows or questions that the garifuna woman faces in Honduran society, against the social and cultural patterns of her own people and society in general. The objective of this study is to investigate its literary expression, to examine the conceptions about identity and women. This type of study is framed under the qualitative approach, to determine the characteristics of the novel. A hermeneutic analysis of the work is developed. Among the main findings is to make visible the presence of women, not only as a literary character, but also as a primordial being in the context of Honduran society. Particularly, in the construction of their own autonomy against the saddling of gender roles and social stereotypes. On the other hand, to highlight literature as a reflection of social problems, the values that society preserves and the importance of writing from the indigenous and afro-descendant peoples of the country.