Maria Concepcion

One theme would be the primitive laws of justice with which Maria is protected by the villagers. When she attacks Juan's woman and steals her baby, the community gathers around her even though she's commited murder.

Another easily researched theme is that of "strength in women." Maria triumphs in a culture that is unkind and unfair to women, but she stands up against weak men, those who've betrayed her, and is ultimately victorious in beating the things or people who wish to beat her down. This gives you a feminist theme, and even a political theme depending on the approach you'd like to use.

The location of the story is symbolic; Mexico represents revolution in this novel, and in other novels the author has written. Like those involved in the Mexcian Revolution, the women in these novels revolt against their living situations, against oppression. Another symbol often used is that of religion, an immportant part of Maria's culture, but also one of the reasons that she finds herself in rebellion against confinement and the inability to make her own decisions.