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Mericans By Sandra Cisneros Summary

529 Words3 Pages

Mericans written by Sandra Cisneros is a short story in which the internal struggles of being bilingual and bicultural are discussed and analyzed. Through the use imagery, point of view, symbolism, characterization, and character transformation the reader gleans the theme of the story. Furthermore, Sandra Cisneros addresses border identity, crossing the border, and knowing or not knowing that one’s home lies in two countries. The story uses narrative first person point of view and is told through the eyes of the protagonist Micaela. The successful execution of the entire story allows the reader to see the attitude changes from the main character throughout the story from beginning to end. The mix of Spanish and English words throughout the …show more content…

The names of the children show the doubleness that is carried throughout the story Meaning, on the American side of the border, they are Michelle, Junior, and Keeks; on the other side, with their abuela, they are called by their Mexican names, Micaela, Enrique, and Alfredito. The word barbarian that the grandmother uses to describe the birthplace of the children, also points out cultural differences. The inside of the church is described as dust and dark inside, signifying the past, holy and ancient. Outside it is bright and hot, and Keeks is playing games that reflect American pop culture: Flash Gordon, the Lone Ranger, and other super-hero figures. The ending brings the duality of the story together, when tourists see the children and think that they are cute little Mexican kids. In the American tourist's imagination, this snapshot is already a memento of an exotic, alien culture, until Micaela and another brother come up to the tourist. Junior addresses his siblings in every-day American lingo, causing the tourist to be struck with disbelief that the little dark foreign boy can speak

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