Summary Of Abuela Invents The Zero

In the text, “Abuela Invents The Zero”, by Judith Ortiz Cofer, the author explores the theme of being considerate of others through character learning. The text shows how the character, Constancia, is faced with looking after her grandmother while she’s on a visit. However, she treats her poorly and ends up being called out and reprimanded for her actions. By the end, she realizes that she should have considered how her grandma felt before acting the way she did. The text starts off with Constancia and her family at the airport waiting for Abuela to land. Right away, the reader gets to see how Constancia views her grandma. One quote that shows this is when Constancia states, “He hands her over to my parents like she was a package sent airmail. It is January, two feet of snow on

Constancia also doesn’t seem to change her views as the story progresses. In fact, she expresses that she is embarrassed and ashamed of herself in many instances. However, things take a turn when Constancia is forced to attend church with her grandmother. Abuela ends up getting lost and Constancia ignores her and feels embarrassed of her. Later that day, during dinner, Abuela calls her out on how she made her feel. The text states, “Then Abuela points her finger at me like a judge passing a sentence on a criminal. She says in Spanish, ‘You made me feel like a zero, like a nothing’” (Cofer par.16). This quote is important because this is when Constancia is made aware of how much she truly affected her grandmother through her actions. It is also by this point that her parents are also made aware of how Constancia has been treating her grandma. By the end of the story, Constancia feels bad for how she treated her Abuela and feels the effects of her actions. This is seen when she states, “‘I can’t bring myself to tell my mother that I think I understand how I made Abuela