Parrot In The Oven
Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida is a coming of age novel written in 1996, by Victor Martinez. The story is set in California and is told from the point-of-view of a fourteen year old, Mexican American boy. Manuel Hernandez, like many young men, struggles with identity.
Manny’s life is hard. He has two older siblings and a baby sister. His mother does not work. His father is unemployed and an alcoholic. The main provider and only person in his house that can keep a steady job is his older sister. His older brother cannot hold a job long. As would be expected, Manny’s family lives in the projects.
Project life brings its own problems. The Garcia boys live in Manny’s neighborhood. They constantly terrorize and beat him. Manny does not fight back. He realizes that he is outnumbered and too afraid to do anything. This could be one of the reasons Manny joins a boxing club in school, and later joins a gang. …show more content…
Throughout the story Manny deals with an alcoholic father and a borderline obsessive compulsive mother that have both become bitter and resentful. Manny’s brother is rarely home, but when he is he is often drunk. His older sister is resentful that she must carry the family. At one point in the story she gets pregnant and soon loses the baby.
Chapter nine shines light on a key aspect of Manny’s character. As the title implies, Manny is naïve. He lives in a predominantly Latino community where racial discrimination is non-existent. In this section of the book, Manny’s boss urges his daughter to invite Manny to her birthday party. She reluctantly agrees. Manny tells his brother, Nardo, about the party. Nardo and their sister try to explain to Manny that white people do not usually interact with Mexicans socially; he is most likely being used. Manny does not listen. He is in lust. Needless to say, the party ends
Manny’s life is hard. He has two older siblings and a baby sister. His mother does not work. His father is unemployed and an alcoholic. The main provider and only person in his house that can keep a steady job is his older sister. His older brother cannot hold a job long. As would be expected, Manny’s family lives in the projects.
Project life brings its own problems. The Garcia boys live in Manny’s neighborhood. They constantly terrorize and beat him. Manny does not fight back. He realizes that he is outnumbered and too afraid to do anything. This could be one of the reasons Manny joins a boxing club in school, and later joins a gang. …show more content…
Throughout the story Manny deals with an alcoholic father and a borderline obsessive compulsive mother that have both become bitter and resentful. Manny’s brother is rarely home, but when he is he is often drunk. His older sister is resentful that she must carry the family. At one point in the story she gets pregnant and soon loses the baby.
Chapter nine shines light on a key aspect of Manny’s character. As the title implies, Manny is naïve. He lives in a predominantly Latino community where racial discrimination is non-existent. In this section of the book, Manny’s boss urges his daughter to invite Manny to her birthday party. She reluctantly agrees. Manny tells his brother, Nardo, about the party. Nardo and their sister try to explain to Manny that white people do not usually interact with Mexicans socially; he is most likely being used. Manny does not listen. He is in lust. Needless to say, the party ends