Sanchez

914 Words2 Pages

The short story "Sanchez," written by Richard Dokey, is a story about

Juan Sanchez and his family. "Sanchez" is told in many different settings,

which are all unique and represent various feelings that Dokey portrays to

his readers. The settings are described realistically; they affect Juan and

Jesus in personal ways. The settings vary from a small village in Mexico to

the Sierra Nevada in California.

At first the story is set in Stockton in the San Joaquin Valley. Jesus,

Juan's son, got his first job in a cannery called Flotill. Stockton is shown

to be a working town where Juan had lived before. To Jesus, Stockton is his

future and his hopes are large enough to shield him from the "skid row"

section of town. Jesus was to live in a cheap hotel while he worked in the

cannery. The hotel was described as stained, soiled, and smelly (151).

Jesus is proud of his room and his job, but Juan only sees them as

disappointing. Stockton, for Juan, brings back memories of hard work and

time away from his wife, La Belleza. La Belleza was the prime focus of

Juan's life and if he was away from her, he definitely wasn't happy; this is

why Juan has bad feelings for Stockton. From the hotel, we, as readers, are

taken through the town of Stockton. There are torn buildings and rubble all

over the place. A "warm and dirty" pool hall was Jesus' "entertainment"

(152). This smoky pool hall was recreation for Jesu...

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