Alma is one of the main characters that Cristina Henriquez focuses on in The Book of Unknown Americans. Based on her internal dialogue, Alma is overly critical of herself. After all these years she still blames herself for what's happened to Maribel. Due to her critical nature she's also very wary of everyone and everything especially if it concerns Maribel. She was wary first of Mayor, then of her neighbors. She never truly approves Mayor and Maribel's relationship either. Alma does not show compassion. I don't think she will show compassion towards herself until she finally accepts the fact that Maribel's brain damage isn't her fault. The good note is that in the end she begins to understand that fact. Because of Alma's perspective towards life she's not really good at interacting with others. The person she gets along with the best is Celia because they reminisce about where they came, speaking in Spanish and pointing out the differences between their country and America. Her inability to make connections is due to her criticalness and her wariness. She doesn't hold herself too well during difficult situations. For example, she worked up a lot of courage …show more content…
I don't feel any compassion for myself and like picking on every little thing that is wrong with me. Because I constantly degrade myself and make myself feel bad, sometimes I can be very bitter of others. However, like Alma I keep it mostly in because I don’t like sharing my thoughts with others and burden them. I don’t really talk to myself because I believe it’s weird. However if I ever do talk to myself I contemplate on the meaning of life and my existence. I ask to myself, why am I here? I ask many questions, but the one I have the most trouble asking is why am I here and here can be interpreted to mean many things. I believe this is my way of coping and am aware that it’s not