Parrot In The Oven Sparknotes

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Think back to a time you made a choice that affected your life in a dramatic way. In every anecdote in the novel Parrot in the Oven by Victor Martinez, the reader gets to see Manny and his family making decisions that affect their lives in dramatic ways. Poverty and family habits lead to a lot of this bad decision making. The power of choice is a constant theme throughout the book. These bad decisions in turn cause the family to lie to each other which only leads to irresponsible behavior and distrust.
The story starts with a list of bad choices Nardo or his bosses made that lost him jobs. “Nardo lost one job for not showing up regular enough, another for showing up too regular…” (1). Manny and Nardo’s father was living a life of bad choices due to never going out and looking for a job, but instead going to Rico’s Pool Hall and getting drunk. Dad yells at Nardo throughout the novel for being lazy, yet remains unemployed while Nardo actually goes out and gets jobs. Manny is terrified of his father walking around with his gun, yet he gets the gun and shoots at his little sister. The cycle of poverty and family destructive habits is vicious. But in spite of his family and friends, Manny is still given choices and decides for himself what he will and will not make of his life. …show more content…

When he begins to realize that being in a gang isn't good for him it instantly changes his future. Staying in the gang would have caused him to drop out of school, get killed, or end up in jail. His father also makes a good choice when he finally goes out and gets a job. After getting a job it seemed like life at home was good for Manny and the rest of his family. He was bringing money home, he wasn't drinking as much, and it shined a light on their lives and gave them a glimpse of how good things could be if they kept heading in the right

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