Themes of a Marginalized Culture
Themes of the Marginalized Culture
There are countless genres of literature throughout the world. From fiction, to nonfiction, biographies and autobiographies, they are all different. Yet they all share a common purpose which is to convey a message. Some pieces of literature known as autoethnographic texts are written to illustrate the hardships of people in contact zones. Contact zones are areas in which two different cultures meet and live in very different ways. This often creates an uneven power relationship between the two cultures. One culture will almost always have a greater legitimacy and is seen as dominant. The other, in contrast, is much less significant and is seen as marginalized. A few examples of autoethnographic texts are Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal, …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomas Rivera and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. In all three texts, the protagonists are a part of a marginalized culture of Mexican Americans in the United States. In order to survive, the marginalized group must adapt and take on the ideals of the U.S. dominant culture. This presents many essential themes and gives a greater understanding of the protagonists ' lives as members of a marginalized group. The primary themes portrayed in the novels Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal, …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomas Rivera and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros are machismo, religion and education.
Machismo is an exaggerated sense of manliness. This is something that Mexican men didn’t take lightly during this time period. They all believed that as men they were entitled to machismo and full responsibility of their families. Sadly for Richard Rubio, who is the young protagonist in Pocho, this concept was a struggle for him to understand. At one point, he fights a girl named Zelda and she chases him all the way home. Once Juan Rubio, his father, realizes what has happened to his son, he gives
There are countless genres of literature throughout the world. From fiction, to nonfiction, biographies and autobiographies, they are all different. Yet they all share a common purpose which is to convey a message. Some pieces of literature known as autoethnographic texts are written to illustrate the hardships of people in contact zones. Contact zones are areas in which two different cultures meet and live in very different ways. This often creates an uneven power relationship between the two cultures. One culture will almost always have a greater legitimacy and is seen as dominant. The other, in contrast, is much less significant and is seen as marginalized. A few examples of autoethnographic texts are Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal, …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomas Rivera and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. In all three texts, the protagonists are a part of a marginalized culture of Mexican Americans in the United States. In order to survive, the marginalized group must adapt and take on the ideals of the U.S. dominant culture. This presents many essential themes and gives a greater understanding of the protagonists ' lives as members of a marginalized group. The primary themes portrayed in the novels Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal, …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomas Rivera and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros are machismo, religion and education.
Machismo is an exaggerated sense of manliness. This is something that Mexican men didn’t take lightly during this time period. They all believed that as men they were entitled to machismo and full responsibility of their families. Sadly for Richard Rubio, who is the young protagonist in Pocho, this concept was a struggle for him to understand. At one point, he fights a girl named Zelda and she chases him all the way home. Once Juan Rubio, his father, realizes what has happened to his son, he gives
Cited: Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 1984. Random House, Inc. Parades, Raymund A. The Evolution of Chicano Literature. The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States. 2006. Rivera, Tomas. …And the Earth Did Not Devour Him. Texas: Arte Publico Press. 1992. Saldivar, Ramon. A Dialect of Difference. The Society for the Study of the Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States. 2006. Villarreal, Jose Antonio. Pocho. New York: Anchor Books, 1959. Random House, Inc.