Character Analysis on Sandra Cisneros' Short Stories

1040 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Mexican american family life

Characterization:

This story is about racial discrimination between the Mexicans and the Americans. Clemencia, who is a Mexican-American, is straddling two different cultures. Bitterness and resentment in Clemencia causes her to behave in a rebellious and destructive way. Due to her mother's influences and the day her mother abandons the family for white men which fuel her resentment against the white and she also share her negative feelings towards the Mexican race by refusing to get romantically involved with Mexican men and commits adultery with married white men.

With reference from paragraph 9 and 13 (page 69-70 and 71 respectively) tell me the hardships Mexican-Americans struggles with trying to fit into the totally different cultures. The native Mexican feels that these immigrants and their descendents are not "Mexican enough." From paragraph 44 (page 80) "he could never marry me", shows that the American feel that the Mexican-Americans are not "American enough" to be part of their culture. With two different cultures, it is extremely tough for the Mexican-Americans to fit into the two cultures completely without any disagreements as many people have the impression that Mexican lacks a sense of pride and worth due to their lowly-paid jobs, for example, bus drivers, butchers, waiters.

Furthermore from paragraph 8 (page 69) "If he had married a white woman from el otro lado..." helps to understand how two different cultures and their conflicting stereotypes can damage relations with the Mexican-American race. She also mentioned on how her father, a native Mexican married down by marrying her Mexican-American mother.

Next, from paragraph 37 and paragraph 40 (page76 and 77 respectively) tells me that Clemencia shows her racist views by having strong resentments towards the white women. She purposely tries to afflict pains into their marriages by having affairs with their husbands. She openly confesses that she would think twice hurting women of the same race as her. All these actions revealed to me that she is filled with hatred against them because white women possess things such as nice, lavish material possessions, stability in life and most important of all, love which she is being denied as Mexican-American. She also shows her racism against the white women by calling Drew's wife names like stupid and bitch and makes fun of her courtesy towards her over the phone.

She also demonstrates her racist views towards her own race by refusing to get romantically involved with Mexican men. Her contempt against the Mexican men because they belong to the lower class of society.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Mr. Gary Soto

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the essay, Mr. Soto spends a good part of the paper thinking whether he should continue his relationship with his new Japanese girlfriend. An example of his struggle was a conversation between Mr.Soto and his mother, “ But the more I talked, the more concerned she became. Was it a mistake? ‘Marry a Mexican girl.’ I heard my mother in my mind” (pp. 220). All Mr.Soto doubt about his relationship stems from the beliefs of his family. He was raised with the notions that a Mexican wife was the best and only option for him. It was only through visiting her family, his inner qualms were calmed: “ On the highway, I felt happy, pleased by it all. I patted Carolyn’s thigh. Her people were like Mexicans, only difference” (pp 222). From the experiences of meeting people he properly never would 've met, Mr.Soto found that race has no bounds, one

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Diles Que No Me Maten By Juan Rulfo

    1646 Words  | 4 Pages

    The themes explored in the novel illustrate a life of a peasant in Mexico during the post-revolution, important themes in the story are: lack of a father’s role model, death and revenge. Additionally, the author Juan Rulfo became an orphan after he lost

    Read More

  • Empowering Intersectionality In Yvonne Ridley's How I Came To Love The Veil

    1086 Words  | 3 Pages

    She felt that breaking the standards placed on her by her cultural norms it would displease her tradition loving father. He felt that Cisneros should find a husband and not focus on her education so much. Cisneros writes “I am the only daughter in the Mexican family of six sons” (Cisneros 366). This not only exemplifies the internal family issues of being the only female, but also the external problems of the norms placed on women in a Hispanic culture to be an ideal wife. Tan’s essay emphasized the fact that her race, gender, education and up-bringing played a role in people knowing her writing, even though she does not want it to.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Junot Diaz's The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

    2349 Words  | 5 Pages

    Rather, it criticizes this culture through its portrayal of women. The narrative is focused on a male and is told by a male, which reflects the male-centered society it is set in. However, when we compare how the narrator views these women to who they really are, the discrepancies act as a critique on the Dominican culture. Yunior, who represents the typical Dominican male, sees women as objects, conquests, when in fact their actions show their resistance to be categorized as such. Beli, whose childhood was filled with male domination by Trujillo and the family she worked for, attempts to gain power through sexuality, the avenue the culture pushes women toward. This backfires, creating a critique of the limited opportunities available for women. La Inca portrays a different side to this, working quietly but in ways that are not socially acceptable through self-employment. Society attempts to cage these women, but they continue to fight against it. Diaz, in an interview, quoted James Baldwin, stating, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced" (Fassler). He exhibits the misogyny in the system but does not support it, rather critiques it through strong female characters. By drawing attention to the problem, the novel advocates for change. Diaz writes, at the end of part 1, “Nothing more exhilarating… than saving yourself by the simple act of waking”

    Read More

  • The Mother Tongue by Demetria Martinez

    2546 Words  | 6 Pages

    Demetria Martínez’s Mother Tongue is divided into five sections and an epilogue. The first three parts of the text present Mary/ María’s, the narrator, recollection of the time when she was nineteen and met José Luis, a refuge from El Salvador, for the first time. The forth and fifth parts, chronologically, go back to her tragic experience when she was seven years old and then her trip to El Salvador with her son, the fruit of her romance with José Luis, twenty years after she met José Luis. And finally the epilogue consists a letter from José Luis to Mary/ María after her trip to El Salvador. The essay traces the development of Mother Tongue’s principal protagonists, María/ Mary. With a close reading of the text, I argue how the forth chapter, namely the domestic abuse scene, functions as a pivotal point in the Mother Tongue as it helps her to define herself.

    Read More

  • So Far from God by Ana Castillo

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    This novel is a story of a Chicano family. Sofi, her husband Domingo together with their four daughters – Esperanza, Fe, Caridad, and Loca live in the little town of Tome, New Mexico. The story focuses on the struggles of Sofi, the death of her daughters and the problems of their town. Sofi endures all the hardships and problems that come her way. Her marriage is deteriorating; her daughters are dying one by one. But, she endures it all and comes out stronger and more enlightened than ever. Sofi is a woman that never gives up no matter how poorly life treats her. The author- Ana Castillo mixes religion, super natural occurrences, sex, laughter and heartbreak in this novel. The novel is tragic, with no happy ending but at the same time funny and inspiring. It is full of the victory of the human spirit. The names of Sofi’s first three daughters denote the three major Christian ideals (Hope, Faith and Charity).

    Read More

  • Prejudice Explored in "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this book, the lives of two wealthy American citizens and two illegal immigrants collide. Delaney and Kyra were whites living in a pleasurable home, with the constant worry that Mexicans would disturb their peaceful, gated community. Candido and America, on the other hand, came to America to seek job opportunities and a home but ended up camping in a canyon, struggling even for the cheapest form of life. They were prevented from any kind of opportunities because they were Mexicans. The differences between the skin colors of these two couples created the huge gap between the two races.

    Read More

  • How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents

    1942 Words  | 4 Pages

    This book is a story about 4 sisters who tell their stories about living on an island in the Dominican Republic , and then moving to New York . What is different about this book is the fact that you have different narrators telling you the story , jumping back and forth from past to present . This is effective because it gives you different view point’s from each of the sisters . It may also detract from the narrative because of the fact that it’s confusing to the reader . This is a style of writing that has been recognized and analyzed by critics . Julia Alvarez is a well- known writer and in a way , mirrors events that happened in her own life , in her book . Looking into her life , it show’s that she went through an experience somewhat like the sisters . I interviewed an immigrant , not from the same ethnic back ground as the sisters , but a Japanese immigrant . This was a very

    Read More

  • How To Tame A Wild Tongue Summary

    1138 Words  | 3 Pages

    She explains how Mexican and Chicano literature, music, and film is alienated; their culture is considered shameful by Americans. They are forced to internalize their pride in their culture. This conflict creates an issue in a dual culture society. They can neither identify with North American culture or with the Mexican culture.

    Read More

  • The Chicano View on Mexican Immigration

    1050 Words  | 3 Pages

    As is made clear in the writings of David Gutierrez, since the beginning of large amounts of Mexican immigration, Mexican Americans have opposed supporting Mexican immigrants. In fact, Mexican Americans had predominantly been some of the main supporters of immigration reform and sanction. "Historically, much of this concern has been based upon Mexican Americans’ belief that Mexican immigrants undercut their already tenuous socioeconomic position in the United States by depressing wages, competing for employment, housing, and social services, and reinforcing negative stereotypes about "Mexicans" among Anglo-Americans" (Gutierrez, 177). Mexican Americans felt as though this competition was holding them back from growth and development within American society, even though they were citizens. This negativity towards immigrants by Mexican Americans was also sparked by the fact that there were separations and differences between the two groups in "class stratification, regional attachments, and subtle differences in customs and language usage" (Gutierrez, 178). These ideas were strong and were held during some of the Chicano movement, but they were not held throughout it...

    Read More

  • Review of the Jailing of Cecelia Capture

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel seemed to me to be an examination of the struggle of one woman for individual freedom and identity in juxtaposition to overwhelmingly mixed messages from her family, tribal community, and the white community into which she tries to assimilate. Cecelia stands in for native American women as the poster child of assimilation and achievement, her struggles, identity crisis, and inability to blend in either world. I liked that Ms. Hale did not let Cecelia off the hook as a protagonist, I believe that Cecelia received a thorough scourging from both the indigenous community and the white community. What I did not like about the novel were the feelings of victimization and the reasons for Cecelia’s victimization I grasped from the novel. I began at some point in the novel to feel that Ms. Hale’s portrayal of gender and income based discrimination were too unfairly tied to Cecelia’s ethnicity. I do not dispute that this is likely, but I do disagree that the types of gender based bias Cecelia experienced were solely because of her ethnicity and color.

    Read More

  • Character Analysis of Esperanza in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

    1201 Words  | 3 Pages

    Esperanza, a strong- willed girl who dreams big despite her surroundings and restrictions, is the main character in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Esperanza represents the females of her poor and impoverished neighborhood who wish to change and better themselves. She desires both sexuality and autonomy of marriage, hoping to break the typical life cycle of woman in her family and neighborhood. Throughout the novel, she goes through many different changes in search of identity and maturity, seeking self-reliance and interdependence, through insecure ideas such as owning her own house, instead of seeking comfort and in one’s self. Esperanza matures as she begins to see the difference. She evolves from an insecure girl to a mature young lady through her difficult life experiences and the people she comes across. It is through personal encounters and experiences that Esperanza begins to become sexually aware and acceptance her place and self-definition in her community.

    Read More

  • The Latino Culture in America

    1081 Words  | 3 Pages

    The struggle to find a place inside an un-welcoming America has forced the Latino to recreate one. The Latino feels out of place, torn from the womb inside of America's reality because she would rather use it than know it (Paz 226-227). In response, the Mexican women planted the seeds of home inside the corral*. These tended and potted plants became her burrow of solace and place of acceptance. In the comfort of the suns slices and underneath the orange scents, the women were free. Still the questions pounded in the rhythm of street side whispers. The outside stare thundered in pulses, you are different it said. Instead of listening she tried to instill within her children the pride of language, song, and culture. Her roots weave soul into the stubborn soil and strength grew with each blossom of the fig tree (Goldsmith).

    Read More

  • Mexican American Culture: The Film Selena

    1000 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...an-American culture has differences from American. Mexican-Americans are very family-orientated so much that they identify themselves as familial instead of individualized or spiritual as other cultures do. The culture has changed over time and is receiving less opposition from Americans as they have in the past. Immigration demographics can be used to see how America is becoming more homogenous accepting Mexican-Americans and eliminating discrimination because of ethnicity. Selena gave great insight into her culture and created some understanding on the differences between Mexican-American and my culture. Knowing these differences will create a more successful interaction any potential person from a Mexican-American culture and myself.

    Read More

  • Impact of Globalization on Mexican Culture and Identity

    2066 Words  | 5 Pages

    The ethnic- Mexican experience has changed over the years as American has progressed through certain period of times, e.g., the modernity and transformation of the southwest in the late 19th and early 20th century, the labor demands and shifting of U.S. immigration policy in the 20th century, and the Chicano Civil Rights Movement. Through these events Mexican Americans have established and shaped their culture, in order, to negotiate these precarious social and historical circumstances. Throughout the ethnic Mexicans cultural history in the United States, conflict and contradiction has played a key role in shaping their modalities of life. Beginning in the late 20th century and early 21st century ethnic Mexicans have come under distress from the force of globalization. Globalization has followed the trends of conflict and contradiction forcing ethnic Mexicans to adjust their culture and combat this force. While Mexican Americans are in the struggle against globalization and the impact it has had on their lives, e.g., unemployment more common, wages below the poverty line, globalization has had a larger impact on their motherland having devastating affects unlike anything in history.

    Read More

More about Character Analysis on Sandra Cisneros' Short Stories

Open Document