Enrique’s dilemma is to either stay in the United States or return back home to Honduras. After showing resentment he hoarded towards his mother for abandoning him by departing back to North Carolina he still loves her as shown in this quotation, “He even begins to make plans to move… He does not want to live apart from his mother anymore.”(Nazario 235) This section of the novel indicates Enrique’s desire to remain in the United States. His actions in this quote explain greatly how much he loves his mother, despite the fact they had numerous rebellious arguments since their relationship as mother and son is atypical . From their quarrels, Enrique departs back to North Carolina to be with his friends, however he begins to miss his mother still yearning for her affection. Enrique, unable to bear with the separation, returns back to Florida to be with her again. …show more content…
However, living in America for too long will affect his life with Maria Isabel and Jasmin. Another quote from the novel portrays Enrique’s trepidation if he does not return to Honduras,”If they live apart for too long, Enrique fears, Maria Isabel will find someone else...Jasmin won’t embrace him as her father,”(Nazario 234) From the time Jasmin was born she never saw her father, because he left her before she was born. This displays how desperate Enrique wants to be accepted by his daughter ,but the only thing he can do is to call and send her gifts to show his affection towards her as a father. Enriques wants to become a family with Maria Isabel and Jasmin both whom he love tremendously. He feels discomfort that the longer they are apart then sooner Maria Isabel will move on with another man and Jasmin will accept that man as her father. This leaves Enrique with a difficult decision to stay with the woman who gave birth to him or return back to his lover and
Enrique and many other Central American kids have a hard life. They come to America where they think their mothers will magically solve their problems because their mothers are supposed to be perfect. Enrique and others realize this isn’t true and goes on to accept it. Migrants resent their mothers a little bit, but come to start loving them as the migrants did before their mothers left. Migrants also learn about life lessons on the trains. Migrants learn that people should not be trusted, but not all people are bad. The migrants just have to learn which people are bad and which aren’t. Migrants also learned that you shouldn’t have high expectations of everything and also that you shouldn’t put your problems on one person and expect them to go away. You have to figure life out on your own.
Meaning, this book would be perfect to teach students life lessons that are important. Three of the themes that are good life lessons are: family, perseverance and survival, and humanization and dehumanization. All of these are found throughout the whole book which makes them hard to forget. Family is shown throughout the book because when Enrique’s mom leaves, all Enrique wants to do is to be with her. A short summary from Litcharts.com explains why family is such a big theme throughout the whole book. “Enrique’s Journey, as its title indicates, is the non-fiction story of a 17-year-old boy’s struggle to travel across Mexico to the United States to reunite with his mother. The events depicted in the book are set in motion by an initial instance of abandonment: Lourdes’ difficult decision to leave Enrique and his sister Belky in Honduras, while she seeks work in the United States to send money back to her family.” This whole quote shows, even though it was a hard choice for Lourdes, it was the right one because it was to help her family. Another theme that was found in the book that is a good lesson is about perseverance and survival. Survival is a trait everyone has, but this book highlights its importance, especially on the trains. Litcharts.com says, “He gives himself a time limit that shows his perseverance and the gravity of his decision: he will make it to his mother even if it takes a year. Despite the dangerous circumstances jumping trains, facing corrupt policemen, immigration checkpoints and officers, bandits, and gangsters, Enrique persists.” This teaches the readers that it is important to push through every difficulty no matter what, and that it is highly significant to survive to achieve the goal. The last theme that is found in Enrique’s Journey that is a good lesson for readers is dehumanization and humanization. This theme is found
The push-and-pull factors in Enrique’s yearn for the U.S not only allows him to rediscover himself as an individual in a world of uncertainty, it also eliminates his constant fear of failing as a promising human being; in addition exhibits the undying hope of a desperate man found in hopeful migrants. In Sonia Nazario’s “Enrique’s Journey,” his mother’s trip streamed “emptiness” into the heart of a once comfortable child and left him to “struggle” to hold memories they shared. Enrique’s life after Lourdes’ departure triggered the traumatizing demise of his identity. He threw this broken identity away while facing many obstacles, nevertheless each endea...
Like many other migrants, Enrique had many troubles with his mother too. When Enrique first arrived to the U.S., Enrique and his mother’s relationship was going well. Lourdes was proud of Enrique for finding a job as a painter and sander. Lourdes would always brag to her friends that Enrique is her son and that he’s big and a miracle. However, Enrique starts going to a pool hall without asking Lourdes’s permission which makes her upset. Enrique often yells obscenities and mother tells him not to, but Enrique tells Lourdes that nobody can change who he is.
Here he presents use with some of the main characters who are Nayeli, Tacho, Vampi, Yolo, Matt, and Atomiko. The girls have been affected by the absence of the town’s men who have left the small town to seek work in the United States. The purpose in presenting us with the information of why these men have left the town is to present the fact, of why so many others in small towns like this one have left their towns, in search for work. He also provides a personal account of the everyday life of the people of Tres Camarones in a way that the reader can get a better idea of life in a small Mexican town. One of the main characters Nayeli is a dreamer, who fantasizes about living in a U.S. city and whose father that has left the town to the new world to seek work. The father was the town police man and someone who Nayeli looked up to. Nayeli and her friends take on a task to bring back seven men from the United States, for the purpose of helping to deal with the narcols that have threaten the daily life of the town’s people. But also feel that it is there duty to repopulate the town and prevent it from dying out. At this point the story takes on a different meaning and a new direction of heroism to save the town from the bad men. But the journey has many borders that the girls and one guy have to encounter in order to be successful. There are many different social and
To begin with, in the poem “Exile,” Alvarez conveys the theme through the parents’ characters, specifically the father. For instance, she describes his actions and what the protagonist overheard as the were preparing to leave. The father, “...looked out/at a curfew-darkened Ciudad
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.
The author connects Antonio’s anxieties about change in his life to the culture in which he lives. Ultima’s intrusion into Antonio’s life marks a crazy time of change for Antonio. Anaya reiterates Antonio’s position on the threshold of change by showing his nerves about beginning school, moving away from his mother, and facing his unusual future. The vaquero lifestyle preferred by his father renews the values of freedom, independence and mobility, all of which are rules in the vaqueros’ love of the llano. The Luna family lifestyle preferred by Antonio’s mother, but emphasizes family and productivity,
The narrator of the passage, Izzy, is being forced to move to New Mexico for two months while her mother works in Costa Rica. Moving to New Mexico for the summer is the last thing Izzy wants to do, so she tries every excuse she has to get out of it. But, as Izzy found out, her mom is forcing her to go, no matter what she does. This puts her in a state of hopelessness as she tries to argue her way out of the trip in every way possible, contradicting everything that her mother says. “‘This is a wonderful opportunity for you.
The book shows the horrible thoughts and presentation of the culture and society Esperanza, the main protagonist we follow, is surrounded by. “I believe she doesn’t come out because she is afraid to speak English… She only knows eight words.” From the vignette “No Speak English” This is one of the moments that show the silencing of themselves. She “is afraid to speak English” and by not learning the language of the new land she resides in, she silences herself and makes it difficult for her to have a standing in the community and society she lives in. “No speak English, she says to the child who is singing in the language that sounds like tin.” A silenced child who, when older, will be marginalized for his poor English
...s business finally rises, Isabel finds out that his boss wants him to move across the country. Hearing this, she becomes upset and walks out on him. From this part on, the relationship falls and gets so bad that Isabel decides to file for divorce.
The narrative Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario, tells the true story of a young boy’s dangerous path from Mexico to the United States, in hopes of reuniting with his mother. Along Enrique’s trek he sacrifices his safety, well-being, and even the possibility of his life to be with his mother once again. Lourdes, Enrique’s mother, gives up the ultimate sacrifice of missing her children grow up, causing their love and affection they once held for their dear mother to dwindle, all of which so she can provide money and security for her family. Sacrifice is a key theme in this narrative because without the difficult decisions made and the loss the characters so tragically endured, then they would not have been able to reap the reward of a reunited,
Nazario begins her literacy non-fiction by describing the journey of Enrique through Tegucigalpa, Honduras to Laredo, Texas. He faces lots of obstacles throughout the journey like getting robbed by bandits, beaten up by gangs, running away
Evidently, with what readers presume to be the “man of her dreams”, Clemencia's mother seems to be in her own world as she completely disregards her life with her former husband and their children. This does not bode well for Clemencia as she holds a lot of resentment towards her mother, that will likely never resolve due to the fact that Clemencia's mom is not around in the world anymore. Even though, her mother may not be in this world anymore, Clemencia will always wonder why her mom did marry her father.
...better life. Despite these things, Elisenda was almost satisfied to see him leave. It may be almost human nature to be ungrateful, but in this example, Marquez explains the point of the story as the unwillingness of mankind to see what's actually in front of us.