Innocence is being guiltless or faultless in a situation. Jig and Cleofilas both became innocent in the way the felt towards their lovers. They knew that how they were being treated was wrong, but they were more scared to lose the men in their life. Jig becomes innocent within her feelings. She fears losing her lover that she is willing to do anything to keep him. Jig became got up in the romance of things rather than reality. “I know. But if I do it, then it will be nice again if I say things are like white elephants, you’ll like it?” (402) Cleofilas situation is different than Jigs. Cleofilas is innocent in being a woman. She didn’t know how women should be treated because she didn’t have a relationship to watch growing up. Cleofilas has always wanted a “fairy tale” life. She met Juan, who was great in the beginning, until he became abusive. Juan was becoming swamped in debt and took his anger out on Cleofilas. “But when the moment came, and he slapped her once, and then again, and again, until the lip split and bled an orchid of blood, she didn’t fight back, she didn’t break into tears, she didn’t run away as she imagined she might when she saw such things in the telenovelas” (222). Cleofilas never wanted this life, but she soon finds out she’s carrying his baby, and everything then becomes black and …show more content…
Both characters go through epiphany throughout their lives. Both Jig and Cleofilas experience epiphany as they must adjust to the obstacles being thrown at them from the men in their life’s. Jig, for intense, has always thought she would have a family but the second she realized her lover was at odds with the pregnancy she wanted to do everything in her power to keep him happy. “Oh yes. But I don’t care about me. And I’ll do it and then everything will be fine.” (402). This quote shows how Jig is settling for a life with her lover rather than a life she thought she would live. Cleofilas situation is different as she experiences epiphany. She had always thought she would leave any man who ever raised a hand on her. “In her own home her parents had never raised a hand to each other or to their children” (222). She knew Juan being abusive towards her was wrong, but she didn’t know how to get out. Both stories show how two women, who had their whole life’s ahead of them, settling for a less of a life than they