'Mexican Whiteboy' By Matt De La Peña

Mexican Whiteboy

How does the author use language in the story to express their culture? Mexican Whiteboy, a 2008 novel by Matt de la Peña, is set in National City, California, and is based on the life of Danny Gonzalez. Danny is a sixteen-year-old boy who moved in with his cousin, Sofia, for the summer while his mother and sister are in San Francisco because he had a secret plan to save up money and fly to Mexico to reconnect with his father. Danny is faced with ethnic identity concerns as he spends time in National City, he doesn’t feel he’s Mexican enough to fit in with the other kids. Danny is also a baseball prodigy. His introverted personality and ethnic insecurities began to hold him back though. Throughout the book, the author uses many linguistic devices and multiple forms of figurative language to express his culture and struggles.

The primary conflict type in this book is Character VS Self when Danny is confronted with ethnic identity issues. Though this identity dilemma is persistently exhibited throughout the novel, it is especially flaunted through the original title, Pocho. Pocho is a pejorative Mexican slang word used against Mexican Americans, emigrants, Mexicans that don’t speak Spanish, Mexicans who don’t follow Mexican traditions or culture, etc. That term directly presents the author’s way of expressing his experience as a Mexican American. The Spanish version of the novel likely uses “Pocho” to refer to Danny (and possibly others) but the English version does