Mexican Gothic

by

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican Gothic: Chapter 23 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Noemí is allowed to visit Catalina without supervision, now that she knows the family’s secrets. Catalina seems much more lucid than normal—probably the work of Marta’s tincture. In the middle of their conversation Catalina freezes. “He knows something is wrong,” she says, then lies down and refuses to say anything else. 
The women are finally able to meet freely now that they’re both totally ensnared. Catalina’s warning is ominous, foreshadowing the chaos in the coming chapters.
Themes
Sexism, Female Independence, and Power Theme Icon
Francis takes Noemí to try on her wedding dress. Though the dress is clearly old and has yellowed, that’s not what repulses Noemí. To her, the dress represents the youthful fancies of another girl—a dead girl. Perhaps two. It reminds her of a dead snake’s skin and of an ouroboros. Florence forces her to put on the dress so that alterations can be made before the ceremony.
The reuse of the same wedding dress represents a cyclical trauma, like the ouroboros. For generations women have been forced to wear this dress before being subjected to various horrors, like rape, murder, or the ritualistic ingestion of their dress.
Themes
Sexism, Female Independence, and Power Theme Icon
Life, Death, and Rebirth Theme Icon
Quotes
Noemí tries on the shoes and veil, too, but they don’t suit her well. Florence tells her so. Noemí mocks her: if Noemí looks displeasing, perhaps they should call off the wedding? It’s much too late, Florence responds. Howard’s appetite has been whetted. She says that all this talk of fitness and blood is nothing more than a disguise for the common lust of all men. Howard simply wants Noemí, like a little butterfly in his collection. One more pretty girl.
Florence seems to recognize the plight of the women in this family—she knows that Howard abuses and oppresses women (she herself has been raped by Howard, after all), and she even recognizes the falsity of eugenics. Yet she still goes along with things, refusing to help Noemí. Perhaps if Noemí lacked the will to resist she would become like Florence in a decade or two.
Themes
Sexism, Female Independence, and Power Theme Icon
Florence leaves and Noemí changes back into her clothes. Francis comes by a while later with her dinner and a razor wrapped in a handkerchief. A groan resounds throughout the house. Francis tells Noemí that the transmigration must take place soon. Howard’s body is falling apart; it’s never healed right since Ruth shot him. Then Francis reveals that he can’t escape with Noemí. The fungus connects him too strongly to his family, so they would be able to track him down wherever he went. Besides, this is the only world he’s ever known. He was grown like an orchid: carefully reared for a certain climate. He belongs with his family.
Once again a flower analogy is used to describe Francis. He thinks of himself as a plant suited only for a particular environment. His family raised him for a single purpose in an isolated setting, and it’s clear now what a disadvantageous position that’s left Francis in.
Themes
Nature vs. Love Theme Icon
Get the entire Mexican Gothic LitChart as a printable PDF.
Mexican Gothic PDF
Noemí is angry with Francis—he’s not an orchid. He can choose to leave. He doesn’t belong here. But Francis chuckles, doesn’t she get it? The tincture can sever her and Catalina’s link with the fungus, but it won’t work on Francis. His connection is much too strong. Unfortunately, what he’s saying makes sense to Noemí. But she’s not giving up yet.
Noemí recognizes that Francis has internalized some of his family’s faulty philosophies, and though she can argue with him about free will, the fact remains that Marta’s tincture will not effectively sever Francis’s link to the house.
Themes
Nature vs. Love Theme Icon
That night, Noemí tries to enter the gloom on her own for the first time. She lies down to sleep and continuously thinks about Ruth. Eventually she dreams. Noemí and Ruth sit in the cemetery, beneath the statue of Agnes. Ruth tells Noemí that this is a statue of mother, and she sleeps. But Noemí knows that Alice is Ruth’s mother. Then Ruth says that her father is a monster who comes at night. Noemí tells her that her father can’t hurt her anymore. Ruth’s a ghost, and you can’t hurt a ghost. “He can always hurt us,” Ruth responds. “He never stops hurting us. He will never stop.”
Why Agnes is called “mother” remains a mystery. That Ruth is still afraid of Howard demonstrates the cyclical nature of the trauma that he causes. Because Howard is immortal, he inflicts the same pain generation after generation, with nothing ever changing. In order for these wounds to heal, something needs to break the cycle. 
Themes
Life, Death, and Rebirth Theme Icon
Noemí asks Ruth if she knows a way for a Doyle to leave High Place and never return. Is that possible? Ruth tells her that Howard is strong. When she tried to escape, he knew something was wrong, and he sent mother, and the rest, to stop her. Perhaps someone could run away, but the compulsion to stay is in the blood. Noemí assures herself that she’ll carry Francis out if she needs to, and her resolve grows firmer.
It's finally explained why Ruth shot more people than just Howard—when he knew that his life was in danger, Howard sent his family to attack Ruth. Furthermore, Noemí’s declaration to carry Francis out if she needs to positions her as Francis’s knight-in-shining-armor, an appealing gender reversal in a novel that showcases the oppressive gender roles.
Themes
Sexism, Female Independence, and Power Theme Icon