Gang and Multicultural Teenage Issues in Parrot in the Oven by Victor Martinez

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Can you imagine living in such poverty that you have to steal money just to

feed your family. This sort of thing happens everyday to people that just want to support their family because they don’t have a job to get money. In some ways it shows love for their children but in other ways it shows irresponsibility.

In the novel Parrot in the Oven is about a Chicano family that does not have

a lot of money because the father had gotten drunk on the job. The oldest brother

Nardo is so into himself that he would not go and get a job that would make his appearance look bad. Since because of this, he has gone through so many jobs.

“Flipped through more jobs than a thumb through a deck of cards.” Was said by Nardo’s brother Manual. The sister Magda is keeping a secret boyfriend from her parents. The mother does nothing but bite her nails. Manual has to make a big decision. Join a gang and make all his troubles go away, or stay with his troubles hoping that it would get better. Manual’s mother believes that he should go to the

school across town, where all the white kids go. Then there is the matter with girls.

When Mr. Gibbons invited Manual to his daughter’s birthday party, his daughter Dorothy got very upset. He knew that it would be a mistake to go but he wanted to be there because he liked her. One day Manual’s friend Frankie tells him that he knows where he can find a girl, if he wants to. Then comes the test of Manual’s

courage. Will he go for it?

Thousands of Multicultural teenagers have to face everyday the idea of joining a gang. Gangs claim that they can offer protection. They try to get people to join by telling them that if they would, they could be respected and feared. Most

researchers believe that most gangs share certain characteristics. Although there are expectations, gangs tend to develop along racial and ethnic lines, and are typically ninety percent male. Gang members often display their membership through distinctive styles of dress--their “colors”--and through specific activities and patterns of behavior. In addition, gangs show strong loyalty to their neighborhood,

often making out their territory with graffiti.

Inside a novel it must contain the following information: less then 400 pages,

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