Analysis Of Geraldo No Last Name

Geraldo No Last Name is a story about a Mexican boy Marin met at a dance is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Because Marin is the last person he is seen with, Marin has to go to the hospital and speak with police to assist them in identifying the victim. However, since Geraldo’s pockets are empty and Marin only met him once, she can only provide only minimal information about him. The title says“Geraldo No Last Name.” Does Geraldo really not have a last name? Let’s see who is Geraldo. Geraldo is an attractive young man who works in a restaurant. Also, according to narrator, he is a brazer who doesn’t speak English, a wetback. It is such a person that died in the hospital without any good treatment. There’s no any surgeons come but only an intern works alone.

Does Geraldo die by accident?

No, his death is not inevitable. Marin’s repetition of “if the surgeon had come” shows that if only there had been more personnel in the emergency room than just one intern, perhaps Geraldo would not have died. However, no one cares. Additionally, there are three rhetorical questions at the end of this chapter catch my attention. What difference does it make? Even if there had been more surgeons, would Geraldo have treated well? What does it matter? His death does not make any difference. Even if Marin had known all information about him, would people have cared? He is just another brazer who does’t speak English, he is just another wetback. And the last one is “how could they?” How could hospital and police authorities know the two-room flats and sleeping rooms he rented? Since Geraldo was an illegal worker, his fate will remain unknown to his friends and relatives who live where he came from. His family will wonder why he never contacts them

again.
Therefore, we can answer the question “does Geraldo really not have a last name?” No, it’s just no one knows, no one cares. In this case, Geraldo represents undocumented immigrants and lower class people. All these three questions are social criticisms of mainstream societies treatment of immigrants as dispensable and second class human being. What difference does it make? People at lower class cannot change their social class. What does it matter? This society doesn’t care about lower social class. They even can’t get good medical care. How could they? The last two paragraphs briefly describe how illegal workers live in the Unite State: rented tiny house, weekly money orders, and currency exchange. But how could this society care about these people’s living conditions? Thus this chapter reflects a pitiful picture of life as an illegal immigrants and lower social class, pointing towards the harsh reality of their lives. And no one cares, this society doesn’t care.