The Decisions of Others

 (Emilio Fernández, Maria Candelaria)

In life, it is very easy to be affected by other people and their bad decisions that they make. Many people say that if another person does something bad, you should not let that affect you, but that is easier said then done. In the movie, Maria Candelaria, Maria is looked down upon in her community because of her mother who was a prostitute. As a result of her mother, people thought of Maria as a whore and did not like her for that. Unfortunately for Maria, even though she was a really good person, she was not liked because of the bad reputation of her mother. This aspect of the movie reminds me of Adam and Eve and how we are all affected by their decision to eat the forbidden fruit.

As a result of the Fall of Adam and Eve, physical and spiritual death entered the world. When Adam and Eve were in the garden, they talked face to face with God. After the Fall, they were no longer in His presence. Physical death entered the world, meaning because of Adam and Eve, we will all die one day. Though we inherited the effects of the Fall, we are still responsible for our own actions and sins that we commit and not for the transgression of Adam. In the movie, Maria Candelaria, she was also affected by the actions of her mother. Though she was affected by these actions, she still made a choice to be a good person and try to do what was right. Unfortunately for Maria, she was involved in a big painting fiasco that ended up making her seem like she was a risqué woman. As result of the misunderstanding, the townspeople stoned Maria to death because of what they thought she had done. Sometimes in our lives, no matter how good we try to be, we could still be affected by the past actions of someone else.

The story of Maria Candelaria really makes me want to be a good person that makes wise decisions so that my descendants will not have to be affected by the things that I have done. As Dr. Seuss once said, "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not." In order to be a transitional character in your generational line, you have to make a conscious effort to be the change in your family. Doing so will reduce the risk of tragedies such as Maria Candelaria's.