Complexion In Hunger Of Memory By Richard Rodriguez

373 Words2 Pages
As I read Hunger of Memory, Chapter 4, Complexion; I feel this topic played an important role in Rodriguez’s life. As a child he was always aware of his skin color, due to the fact that his mother was also calling attention to him. His mother was very sensitive to his skin color and always reminding him to stay out of the sun. For example, they were at a pool one day she called in Spanish “to put a towel over your shoulders,” (133) this would prevent him from getting any darker. His mother would even teach him ways to lighten his skin. Complexion weighed heavily on Rodriguez, so much so that he locked himself in the bathroom in an attempt to try and “shave off” his dark skin. Adolescents’ is not any easy time in any child’s life and then