ipl-logo

Character Analysis: Abuela Invents The Zero

698 Words3 Pages

Michael J. Fox said that "family is not an important thing, it's everything". This quote, points to the idea that Michael believes that if everything in the world were to fail, family is the one thing that would remain. In the fictional story "Abuela Invents the Zero" by Judith Ortiz, there is a girl named Constancia, and her grandma is coming to New Jersey for the first time. Her parents tell her to be kind, but in the end, Constancia is very cruel to Abuela and makes her feel "like a zero, like a nothing"( Ortiz paragraph 15). Constancia's actions throughout the story, reveals that she values her self pride more than her family. To begin, Abuela is Constancia's grandma and strongly values her family, which is shown throughout the story. For instance, Abuela decided to visit Constancia's family, disregarding the fact that it was "her first time in the United States"(Ortiz paragraph 2). This shows how much Abuela cares about her family because she doesn't care that she'll be a foreigner, and how she doesn't know any English. Furthermore, Abuela goes out of her comfort zone just for Constancia and her family. Additionally, Abuela is described as a hard working …show more content…

In the beginning, Constancia’s mom tells her to be nice to Abuela, and Constancia agrees. This rule is quickly broken because as soon as Constancia sees Abuela she is immediately petrified. Once they get home, Constancia has to take Abuela to Sunday mass or else her life will be damned. When they go to mass, Abuela gets lost in the sea of people and Constancia doesn’t even care enough to go and help her to her seat. On the way home, Abuela ignores Constancia and doesn’t answer any of her questions. Abuela explains to Constancia’s mom that Constancia made Abuela feel like a zero. At the end, Constancia says that she never really thought about the number zero until she hurt

Show More
Related
1730 Words | 7 Pages

As the girls reached the top of the hill they achieved their goal of reaching their abuelita's house in Hacienda Dorada. It is really important because all of the enemies the girls have faced and all of the challenges they worked through together were all to get to their abuelita's house and find out about their father. After the sisters completed their goal and made it back to their home they finished the transformation part of their journey. It was concluded when Odilia kicked her and her sister's father out, “My hermanitas gathered around us, clinging to Mama. “This is our house.

Read More
589 Words | 3 Pages

Considering this, she doesn't have a strong foundation based on her future and dreams she would like to achieve. While in the other hand, for Victor and his family their migration journeys being in Quincy, Florida there where they are picking tomatoes. For Victor his family is the inspiration and they will always be his inspiration because he does not want to see them suffer. He knows what they have been through and is ready to change not just his life, but theirs as well. Victor is his little sisters’ role model and the one held responsible since his other sisters are still back in Mexico.

Read More
688 Words | 3 Pages

From Mexico to the United States, a very dangerous journey some take to have a better life or to reunite with their family. Even people who are as inexperienced, such as Enrique, go through this dangerous path to reunite himself with his mother. In the novel, Enrique's Journey, author Sonia Nazario uses literary devices such as theme, characterization, and POV to show us how events change a character along the way and reveals how a character truly is. Sonia Nazario uses theme to show us the drastic change in character, characterization to show us how the dangers of this journey has an impact on someone, and POV to show us how the character is someone else’s perspective.

Read More
776 Words | 4 Pages

They remove her from the bar, and then Amaia and Rafa go to his place in a fit of love- only for her to fall asleep. She slips out the next day, but leaves her purse behind- which sends Rafa on his journey to confess his love for her. Before he leaves to find Amaia- Rafa tries to call her father, Koldo, but the phone died. While on the bus to see Amaia, Rafa meets a woman named Merche. He pretends to be Basque due to his anxiety over how Basque people treat others.

Read More
657 Words | 3 Pages

What is the meaning of adversity? Adversity is the difficulties, misfortunes, and sometimes even trials one must face in order to jump over an obstacle. WWll, holocaust, Racism are all adversities that pertain to individuals and events in the past and the present. One of the events that happened was in Sierra Leone and it was a Civil war between different African tribes. This event is explained through the eyes of the main character in the book “A Long Way Gone”, and his name is Ishmael Beah.

Read More
899 Words | 4 Pages

The Story of the Vargas Family “Rosa Vargas’ kids are too many and too much. It’s not her fault, you know, except she is their mother and only one against so many” (Cisneros 29). In the novel The House on Mango Street, the author, Sandra Cisneros, touches on the many negative consequences of a single, impoverished mother raising an overwhelming amount of children. Poverty, discrimination, parental and neighborly responsibility, and respect are all issues and social forces that act upon the family; their presence or lack thereof cause several grisly occurrences to take place. Poverty was almost like a curse given to Rosa Vargas by her husband, who “left without even leaving a dollar for bologna or a note explaining how come” (29).

Read More
887 Words | 4 Pages

Lourdes, Enrique’s mother, loved her children as every mother does and did anything in her power to provide for them even if it meant to travel 1,619 miles into a foreign country. Many parents like Lourdes have left their entire families for job opportunities and risk their lives through the dangerous journey but they have the hope and motivation because of love— love for their sons and daughters. Even Enrique found himself doing the same for his soon-to-be-born baby which was one of the components that made him persevere in his

Read More
1144 Words | 5 Pages

Usnavi had abuela Claudia she wasn’t really his abuela but he grew up calling her like that. It just became like she was really his abuela, when she dies and Usnavi saw her mural in front of the bodega he realized that the people around him were his family and that he was already home. He realized he didn’t have to go live in the Dominican Republic

Read More
1326 Words | 6 Pages

Dreaming in Cuban explores the interpersonal and familial relationships of one Cuban family. The matriarch Celia and her American granddaughter Pilar serve as the two main protagonists. Much of the novel focuses on their struggles with identity and their relationships with their families, though the novel dedicates a significant amount to tell the story of Lourdes Puente, the mother of Pilar and the daughter of Celia. Throughout Dreaming in Cuban, Lourdes is shown to be unable to properly cope, which began with the trauma of miscarrying her son shortly before the family fled to the United States. She lacks the proper familial support system outside of her father to do this, so she is shown using sex and food to cope with her helplessness as

Read More
752 Words | 4 Pages

Everyday, she excels in her job of caring for the children and making a difference in the community. Due to her kindness she would always bring thoughtful gifts for the children. She doesn 't have to do the classes with the children everyday but she continues to do it like Sylvia says “school supposed to let out in the summer I heard, but she dont never let up” (Bambara 96). The lessons learned while earning her degree has lead her to becoming a positive role model in the children 's lives; nonetheless, teaching them lessons that may never learn from others. She shows her passion in the story by saying “she said, it was only her right that she take responsibility for the young ones’ education.

Read More
762 Words | 4 Pages

Through La Rosa Almeada was learning to manage her own life, how to problem solve on her own. Someone to look after her which she did not get from her parents, a role model, and she knew La Rosa was there in case of a crisis, Also case management allowed La Rosa to monitor Almeada's progress. With La Rosa as a case manager Almeada had an advocate for services for her and baby Anne. It is scary to think about the challenges Almeada would have faced without the support of human services.

Read More
671 Words | 3 Pages

The stories “Abuela Invents the Zero” and “A Celebration of Grandfathers” follow the past of a very nice, thoughtful man by the name of Rudolfo Anaya, and the present day of a rude, unthoughtful girl by the name of Constancia. Both of these stories give very different points of views in terms of character personality and respect towards their elders. To begin, both of the stories are based off of the relationship between a grandparent and their grandchild. In “Abuela Invents the Zero”, Constancia’s grandmother went on her first trip to America. She went to America between September and March because the story explained that she wanted to see the snow in America before she died.

Read More
880 Words | 4 Pages

“What would you do if you were eight and kidnapped?” Addie Webster knows to well what she would do. Addie was only eight years old when two strangers took her from her own home. She was vanished for half her life and when she returned it was nothing like she expected. Addies life is shown threw the book Zero Day by Jan Gangsei.

Read More
768 Words | 4 Pages

“She had done nothing but reach up to the heat on her mouth and stare at the blood on her hand as if even then she didn’t understand (Cisneros).” Juan Pedro keeps this behavior up. A woman who goes by Felice changes Cleofilas idea on how a woman should be treated and their purpose to society. Felice helps Cleofilas escape her husband and takes her across the border back to Mexico.

Read More
511 Words | 3 Pages

In search for a better life outside of the Dominican Republic, Anita’s whole family tries to move to America. One day sitting in her room, Anita look out her window to see no one left on the compound. Anita explains, “I look out the door and down the dark driveway. The whole flock of our family has fled. Only Mami and Chucha and I are left (pg.100 p.9).”Her whole family has gone to America to be free, leaving everything behind.

Read More

More about Character Analysis: Abuela Invents The Zero

Related Topics

Open Document