The Hungry Woman

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of substance use and child death.  

Medea is the protagonist of The Hungry Woman. As signified by her name, she is burdened with the tragic responsibility of inhabiting a mythological archetype. Based on Euripides’s Medea, she also plays the role of Aztec god Cihuacóatl and the modern Mesoamerican figure La Llorona. Medea is not only an individual, but a point of intersection for multiple cultures and mythologies. More than just a protagonist, Medea becomes the canvas on which the colliding cultures and stories converge, highlighting in her actions the suffering of the women, human and divine, who have come before her. This mythological association for Medea is a key part of her character, elevating her beyond the travails of a single individual into a representative of broader female suffering across time, space, and culture. Medea functions as the latest iteration of a tragedy that echoes across human existence. 

Though she is an archetype, Medea is also a nuanced individual. The inner tensions that drive her to such a tragic conclusion are unique to her. She is an abuse victim who loves her son so much that she is willing to subject herself to the proximity of her abuser.