Analysis Of 'How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents'

Rationale:
This written task is an additional scene in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez, and relates to Part I: Language in a Cultural Context . I chose to do an additional scene during this time period because this section of their lives was mentioned briefly but not in detail, and it gave me the right balance of structure but also left room for creativity. This written task helped me create an image of a plausible scene based on what was talked about in the novel, and infer things from the text.
This scene takes place when the girls were sent to boarding school in Boston and is told from the point of view of Yolanda Garcia. The scene depicts Yolanda’s very first house party. It shows some of Yolanda’s character traits,
It was tall with lots of front windows and a pointed roof. I stepped out of the car and followed the other girls in. The bass throbbed loudly, making my body vibrate, and people stood all around the living room, red cups in their hands. I looked back, and saw that everyone I had been with had disappeared.
I walked through the first floor of the house, passing groups of people chattering and couples kissing on the couches. I had never seen anything like this before. I had never been to a house party. I walked into the kitchen, when a blonde girl suddenly stood up and stumbled into me, spilling half of her drink onto my legs.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.” Another blonde girl appeared, holding up the first one who looked about ready to pass out. “Oh, Amber,” she said to her friend. “Honey. You had too much to drink. I’ll take you home.”
I walked past them, circled through the hallway and den, and then ended up back in the living room. I plopped down on an armchair and put my finger on my left leg, which was still damp. I held it up to my nose and sniffed. It was
He kissed me more passionately, and then rolled over so I was on top of him. I stood up. “I’m sorry, Kyle, but I don’t want to do this.”
Kyle looked confused. “Why?”
“It’s nothing against you.” I looked down at the ground. He was hot. Really hot. The words had slipped right out of my mouth, as if they were coated in oil.
“Well, can we just talk then?” Kyle asked.
I looked up. “Okay.” I replied softly.
So Kyle and I sat on the bed together, the room lit only by the moonlight, talking. We talked until the sun rose the next day when I had to go back to boarding school.
“Promise me we can see each other again, Yolanda,” Kyle said as I stood up to leave.
I looked back at him, at his mussed brown hair and toned arms and legs. I thought about how good he was, respecting my decisions and staying with me the whole night. “Okay.”
“I really like you, Yolanda.” Kyle looked at me with pleading eyes. “Really, promise me.”
I nodded. “I promise.”
But I never saw him again.
I went to other parties around the area after this one, but he was never there, and as time passed, I realized that what happened with Kyle wasn’t supposed to last. It was only meant to be a one time thing. Despite all that, I don’t think I’ll ever forget