How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent Summary

Language: More Than A Means Of Communication

How does language impact each character from our readings, and what is the significance? A common theme within our various texts this semester was that of the importance of language. Not only is language a basis of verbal and written communication, but a deeper symbolic aspect of one’s own true identity. This piece will discuss include the significance of language to each character, what it personally means to them, as well as the conflicts they face with their specific means of communication. Julia Alvarez’s How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent was our first reading that displayed the importance and hardships of language. We are introduced to the main character, Yolanda, who had returned from

She was frozen with fear when they asked her if she needed any assistance, hesitant of their intentions. “...Her tongue feels as if it has been stuffed in her mouth with a rag to keep her quiet” (pg. 20). Living in the United States prior to returning to the Dominican Republic, she replies to the men in English as opposed to the native tongue of Spanish. The end of this scene leaves us with this question: Why does she have such distrust for these men and why did she revert to English? Upon analyzing, replying in English was almost a defense mechanism Yolanda had developed, as she felt more comfortable acting as an outsider in her own country than a native. This foreshadows the struggles Yolanda will face regarding language and her own identity. Was she American or Dominican? In the Chapter “Joe”, readers experience her preoccupation with language and the different methods she conveys her thoughts through the emphasis of words. We are brought back into time as Yolanda reminisces of her and her lover, John, playing a word game near a pond. Here we experience Yolanda referring to John as the pond, and her as the sky. John argues this by explaining that Yo, her nickname, does not rhyme with the word sky (pg. 72). Yolanda’s

In this memoir, the meaning of language is intertwined with the search for self-identity. This book was focused on an experience of perusing her own heritage by the use of DNA and genomics. In Raquel’s instance, or Rachael as her friends refer to her as, language has become a force of conflict and discrimination. Raquel wants to fit in with her peers and uses language as a means to relate. “Rachael, if you call me nigga one more time, I’m going to have to fuck you up” (pg. 71). It is this conversation that causes racial tension between Raquel and her friends. She tries to explain that they are all women of color, regardless of how much darker their skin is than hers. Her friends can’t seem to understand why she likes all that “black shit” (pg. 71) referring to her like of hip hop music. Another issue regarding culture and ethnicity occurs with Raquel’s encounter with Simon, who uses discriminatory comments as a joke. Raquel, who finds great offense to it, takes this use of vulgar language personally. The role of language within this novel displays the hardships and struggles of growing up as an immigrant adolescent in the United States. It emphasizes the racial discrimination and adaptation aspect as well. However, despite all of the hatred and uncertainty Raquel possesses, she begins to develop resilience,