The Hungry Woman expresses Chicano sentiments along with certain gothic elements. At first when looking at the character lists, I noticed similarities with characters in Bless Me, Ultima. Medea is listed as a curandera similar to Ultima, Chac-mool, a young boy, similar to Antonio, and Luna, Medea’s lover, has the same name as the Lunas in Bless Me, Ultima. I started reading the play with these similarities in mind, thinking that the play will follow much of the same plot and events. As I went further into the play, I began to realize there were very little similarities.

I didn’t really view Medea as a curandera like Ultima. Medea was presented as more of a revolutionary who loves women and is going through psychiatric problems resulting from her exile from her homeland that she helped to free. With little mentions of herbs and medicines, Medea wasn’t the typical Chicano curandera character. Chaco-mool shared similarities in that he and Antonio both had innocence and both were trying to search for their identity. However, unlike Anaya, Moraga didn’t entirely focus on the child’s search for his self-identity, but rather on Medea’s reflection of her life and identity. The end of the play did include more of Chac-mool and his separation from his mother, but most of the play focused on Medea’s relationship with Luna and Jason. Furthermore, the big conflict throughout the play involved relationships, unlike in Anaya’s book, involved religion/belief system.

Although I found little comparison between The Hungry Woman and Bless Me, Ultima, they both contained Chicano and gothic elements. Elements of the gothic were present throughout the play. Reading the text, I imagined an eerie sense of atmospheric darkness in most of the scenes. “Psychiatric ward scenes are represented by a deadening silence and the glare of hospital lights” (pg.7) is an example of this gothic atmosphere Moraga paints. A psychiatric ward, interrogation room, nightclub, and many of the other scenes, give off much darkness and mystery, which adds to the gothic element.

Furthermore, the play included specific gothic elements. La llorona and Edgar Allen Poe both were mentioned in this play, and both have very gothic auras. Mama Sal says, “She got such a lonesome llanto. Es el llanto de La Llorona.” (pg.37) La llorona serves as Chicana gothic because it is very much a Chicano legend that undoubtedly has dark and supernatural characteristics. Also, Medea says “My hair the silky darkness of a raven’s, the cruelty of Edgar Allen Poe’s own.” (pg.41) Edgar Allen Poe serves as American gothic because he is the author that most likely pops into a person’s mind when thinking about gothic in the United States. Hence, in conclusion, The Hungry Woman and Bless Me, Ultima are two different Chicano stories, but both containing elements of the gothic.