Parrot In The Oven Sparknotes

Parrot in the Oven, by Victor Martinez, is a novel that portrays the lives that forty-five million Americans live every day from the point of view of Manny Hernandez, the main character of this book. He is a Mexican-American citizen who lives in the projects of his hometown in California. Manny lives with his mother, his abusive father, his two sisters Pedi and Magda, and Nardo, his irresponsible older brother. Throughout the story, Manny goes through many big events that help him discover what his real values should be and who he really is. Scenarios including speaking too soon, rebelling against his father and joining a gang that changed his character drastically. Manny gradually shifts from obliviously reckless, to outgoing and cautious,

It is clear to see that after the event with his father chasing his mom with a rifle, Manny’s thoughts changed remarkably. Evidence on page 71 states, “Deep down I hoped Mom would wise up and leave Dad for good, or maybe go live with Grandma for a while, or run off on her own.” He starts to think that the best thing for his family would be for his mom to leave his father. This is exposes that Manny is beginning to have wayward thoughts, for if he had said this out loud, he would have most likely been punished severely. Once again, an example of Manny’s defiant mind can be found on page 74, “Dad must have sizzled on some smart plans while he was in jail, and now, after all the smooth talk with mom was over...I’d rather have gotten dragged across a cactus desert and dropped thirsty in a lake of salt than listen to him, but he had us there in the car, muscling his voice so our minds wouldn’t wander.” This exposes that he is extremely confident in his opinion that his father is not good for his family. Manny would rather torture himself than obey his father. Of course, his dad is beginning to realize that Manny is probably very much against him right now, so he talks throughout the car ride to turn everyone’s minds away from the fact that he is spiteful. Although, Manny didn’t transition to becoming entirely rebellious, he is still as kind as he was in the beginning of the story. Accordingly, evidence on page 154 states, “the blow was like a spike inside my ear, and I stumbled, my head butting against the side of the door…When Mom spoke again, I lifted my face. I wasn’t angry or afraid but could only plead at her with my eyes.” Here, Manny obviously cares about his sister Magda–who is currently suffering from the effects of a miscarriage. Despite just being hit by his mom, rather than thinking poorly of it and cursing her in his mind, he instead gives her a look that tells her to get