“The Moths” by Helena Maria Viramontes follows the theme of mortality. The main character, an unnamed narrator, is chosen by her Abuelita, or grandmother, to help tend to her garden because her old age has begun to limit her abilities. As the Abuelita passes away, the main character cleanses her body. While in the bathtub, moths erupt from her mouth, representing the life and soul of the grandmother moving on. Moths, in general, have a negative stigma about them. They are seen as vermin and destructive but in the story, Helena Maria Viramontes turns them into a something with a positive connotation, like in the grandmother’s balm that gives comfort to the narrator or in this final scene of the moths exiting the grandmother’s mouth, representing