The Character Of Makina In 'Signs Preceding The End Of The World'

Yuri Herrera, the author of Signs Preceding the End of the World, uses a hypocritical protagonist to prove the fact that not being consistent with decisions and actions results in the most growth in identity. The main character of Makina emotionally searches for who she is and where she belongs as she physically searches for her brother, and the story comes with unexpected conclusions as the heroine transforms herself. On her journey of self discovery, she realizes that the destination is ultimately pointless, and that there is always another underlying mission that alters the perspective of the traveler and allows them to change their self-image. To start, the protagonist has a certain mindset that will be reconstructed as they traverse
She is asked by her mother to deliver a letter to brother residing in the United States; a mission that Makina is expected to return from, and she makes it a priority that she finishes the job as quickly as possible to return home. Her devotion to her origins is obvious before she crosses the border, in which the narrator states, “... after many bends, she’d reach the right place; but it was a place she didn’t trust” (p. 22). Makina’s primary mentality is to be suspicious of a foreign place, and she sees the United States as an enemy that has taken away her family with false promises of freedom and individuality. Because of this, she decides that she will accomplish her given tasks immediately, and only brings a miniscule quantity of her belongings with her as a reminder that she would return. The narrator lists the items in her backpack, describing, “... a lipstick that was more long-lasting than it was dark and, as
To Makina, the whole reason she was in the United States was to find her brother to deliver a message, but once she finally reaches her destination, she finds that this objective is pointless. Makina’s first sighting of her brother is recounted by the narrator, saying, “Neither one at first recognized the specter of the other. In fact, Makina stood up, greeted him and began to express her gratitude and ask a question before picking up on the soldier’s uncanny resemblance to her brother and the unmistakable way in which they differed” (p. 86). After talking with her brother, she realizes that he will not be coming back home with her no matter how much he is persuaded, and that he is not the same person he was when he left their village for the first time. Herrera used Makina’s brother as a foreshadowing standpoint as to how Makina would seem to be the same woman she was when she left, but would have a completely contrasting identity. At the start of her quest, Makina understood the importance of delivering the envelope, but as described at the end of the seventh chapter, “Her brother looked at her one last time, as if from a long way away, turned and walked into the barracks. Makina stood staring at the entrance for some time. Then she pulled out the envelope that Cora had given her, took out