Summary Of The Novel How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accent By Julia Alvarez

In the novel How the García girls lost their accent by Julia Alvarez depicts the journey four sisters have to overcome in order to conform to society's expectations. Not only society in the nineteen sixties and seventies in the United States, but also in the patriarchal culture of the Dominican Republic. In the United States during the nineteen sixties and seventies the era of feminism, and liberal ideals was heavily prominent. However, for a women who is an immigrant in another country conforming to a new identity, and preserving one’s background can be manipulated to do certain things, and conform to what society deems valuable. Men, on the other hand are more attached to where they came from, and are always seeking their identity within

She is sent to live in Dominican Republic as a means to mold her into a decent Dominican lady, and to change her attitudes and rebellious stage. While in the Dominican Republic Sofía encounters her illegitimate cousin named Manuel Gustavo, and falls helplessly in love with him. “Lovable Manuel is quite the tyrant, a mini Papi and Mami rolled into one. Fifi can’t wear pants in public. Fifi can’t talk to another man. Fifi can’t leave the house without his permission. And what's most disturbing is that Fifi, feisty, lively Fifi, is letting this man tell her what she can and cannot do,” (Alvarez 120). Sofía who in the United States had a lively personality, was outgoing, and talked back to not only her father, but stood her ground, has heavily changed persona in the Dominican Republic. Sofía has conformed to Gustavo’s expectation of a women. “One day Fifi, who rarely reads anymore, becomes absorbed in one of the novels we brought along, and not a trashy one for once. Manuel Gustavo arrives, and when no one answers the door, comes in the back way. Fifi sees him and her face lights up. She is about to put aside her book, when Manuel Gustavo reaches down and lifts it out of her hands. ““This,”” Manuel Gustavo says, holding the book up like a dirty diaper, ““is junk in your head. You have better things to do.”” “He tosses the book on the coffee table… You have no right to tell me what

Romantic heartbreak, depression, existential doubts-those are topics of conversation that belong to different cultures and younger generations, educated people who know about Freud and psychotherapy and organic vegetables. Vulnerability id shameful. Even taboo; and in the spectrum of human shortcomings, poverty is the greatest frailty. All that is broken must remain in the past,” (Aw 26). In comparison to Julia Alvarez’s novel Aw is taught that men are to never show weakness, and weakness is vulnerability. Speaking about one’s past, the struggles, hardships, and everything tragic that occured to his family members as a means to get into this country are all signs of weakness, and for a man it’s unacceptable. A man has to lead in example to his family member. Why focus on the past? Why not look at what was accomplished and from there find your own identity and lead as an example for the generation to