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My Grandfather In The Moths, By Helena Maria Viramontes

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For the past five years, I have watched my amiable grandmother unconditionally care for my ailing grandfather. My grandfather was diagnosed with alzheimer's and dementia. At the earlier stages of his sickness, I remember visiting for Easter when I was much younger. My parents told my brothers and I that grandpa probably will not remember our names but to be patient with him. I did not think too much of it since, at that time, my grandpa seemed to be his normal self. What I did not know was that my grandma was helping my grandpa practice putting names to our faces in pictures, all night long. The next time I visited I could barely recognize my grandfather, he seemed so fragile and frail. Even though he could not walk or communicate, I could still notice his quirky personality. …show more content…

My grandmother loved my grandfather so much she was always by his side twenty four hours a day caring for him. She had nurses to help her out since taking care of him was a full time job. My grandmother knew putting him in a home would only make him sicker, and she wanted him to have the best she could provide for him in his last days. My grandmother’s role in my grandfather's life has shown me what unconditional love truly is. In the short story, “The Moths”, by Helena Maria Viramontes, a Latin girl is unconditionally taking care of her dying grandmother. Viramontes integrates magic realism, a representation of reality and fantasy mixed together to blend her writing. The short story conveys the expected stereotypical role of women in a traditional Mexican-American family through the characters relationships and incorporating Magical

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