“Things We Lost in the Fire” by Mariana Enriquez: the Resumption of the Myth of Prometheus to Narrate the Reaction to Gender-based Violence

Abstract

“Things We Lost in the Fire” by Mariana Enriquez explores the response of a group of women to gender-based violence, joining other contemporary narratives that portray bold reactions against such aggression. What sets it apart is the radical choice of its protagonists: they deliberately set themselves on fire, disfiguring themselves to reclaim and reframe the violence inflicted by men. This study examines how the Argentine author embeds this unsettling female response within cultural and political frameworks consistent with her poetics. To contextualize this radical act, we propose a second interpretive layer, suggesting that the story’s structure draws on the elements and framework of the Prometheus myth. By deconstructing and reimagining this foundational myth, Enriquez’s narrative positions the bonfires as the genesis of a new civilization—one that envisions a redefined social role for women. In this reconfiguration, they inherit not only Pandora’s legacy but also Prometheus’s defiance, reclaiming fire to challenge the gods once more.