Thomas Rivera

This week we had two very fascinating reads. Tomas Rivera's "And the Earth Did Not Devour Him," and Richard Rodriguez's "Aria."

Although these works were composed nearly a decade apart from each other, they have similar ideas and fight the same battle: The turmoil and conflicts of being a part of the Chicano culture.

In Rivera's work, the main focus is on a young boy who goes through a sort of identity crisis and loses track of himself. Only through the coming of age and the passage of time does he finally reach a state of understanding himself and his culture. This theme is also very prevalent in Rodriguez's writing. The subject is the young Rodriguez, who faces a realization about his life after he grows and gains the maturity that one garners from age. The process of aging, and the level of understanding that brings is a theme in both stories.

Speaking broadly, both texts offer a window into the Mexican American world. Rivera tells tales in the form of multiple vignettes, each with its own unique story. The recurring theme throughout however is focused on the life of migrant workers at the time.

Rodriguez reports the same minority challenges, but on a smaller, social scale. He recalls his childhood and the difficulties of a Mexican family living in the United States. He fights to keep his heritage and the comfort it brings, but ultimately is forced to conform to public society.

Looking closer, both texts are primarily seen through the eyes of a young boy; but more specifically, a boy who represents the Chicano cultural strife. The subject loses his innocence as time goes on, and it shapes his demeanor. These stories both tell of Chicano hardship in the form of a personified character. Years of abuse, degradation, and harassment come to define the culture, and the beauty of its people lies within the black and blue that remains. This is seen in the characters of both stories: a boy and his culture are beaten down and stripped of individuality as their heritage is condemned.

Another clear similarity between the texts is a sense of isolation. In both stories, the main character is on the outskirts trying to fit in with the rest of society. The isolation is an important element in character development as it affects the mental and social dynamic of the characters. The battle for social equilibrium is omnipresent in the stories, just as it is in the culture, making a very important point.

Rodriguez relays how the Spanish language is lost in the "proper" society of America, while Rivera tells of the oppression a working Chicano citizen may face.

Although they write of different sides of the conflict, the immediate message is the same.

Both these works are influential and controversial pieces and continue to be very important in defining the Chicano culture.

For my discussion question, I would like to bring up the usage of children in both texts.
The recurring  focus on juveniles in these works is extremely apparent. What were the authors' purposes for using these select characters? To convey a sense of innocence and the ability to grow as a person, or is it relatable on other levels? And if children are also used to represent the Chicano culture, what is being said about the culture?