InLand/YA Booktalks

Critical Response on Mexican Whiteboy by Mary Wakeling

 

            When it came time to teach Mexican Whiteboy, Jacob and Ivan wanted a debate about whether or not the book should be banned. To get the discussion started, they asked Annie and me to take and present opposing viewpoints. Jacob asked me to argue for why the book should be banned, because he figured that no one would want to come out and say it unless someone already had. I am staunchly against banning this book because I think that it offers a unique perspective on race and personal identity, as well as a view into a culture that few of us are familiar with. In spite of, or perhaps because of, my opinion on the book, I was excited to make up a b.s. argument and see if I could do it well.

            Apparently, I did do it well. My main argument for why the book should be banned was that it encouraged hatred of white people. I said that we would never make social progress on issues of race if hatred was propagated. While I understood the animosity, I didn’t think that encouraging that mindset would take us forward. So I argued that the book should be banned.

            In reality, I didn’t think the book taught that message. Sure, some white people were treated with hatred in the book, but some were not, and that’s just reality. The main hatred of white people in this book was Danny’s conflict and his hatred of the white half of himself. He spent most of the novel trying to reject that part of him, mostly because he thought that if he could be more Mexican, it would bring his dad back from Mexico and back to his family. He was also disgusted with his white mother for being so weak, for driving his father away, and for dating, especially dating white men. The only white people that were truly hated by the main characters of this book were those who had directly affected Danny’s life, including Danny himself. In fact, at the end of the book, the white all-star baseball player that Danny spent hours studying was his greatest baseball opponent. Neither of them could beat the other, and they were locked in a standoff. Instead of letting race and competition sour the interaction, though, Danny and Kyle, the other player, just relaxed and had fun for the first time in the book. And when Danny and Uno were in danger of being seriously harmed by the other white baseball players, Kyle saved them and, I assume, advocated for Danny to the coach of the baseball team. I thought that, overall, this book had a very positive view of race relations, and that the ending of the book also resolved the main character’s own racial conflict.

            Because of this, I was appalled when some of my classmates actually agreed with me. A few students truly believed that the book should be banned because of the message of hate. I was shocked and horrified. I believe that the students must not have read the book very carefully, or simply blocked out the last few chapters of the book, because I think that the ending negates any previous “hatred” and that the message of the book is understanding and peace, not hatred. It is true that I am opposed to book banning on principle, but even if I did agree with the concept, I would never want to ban this book.

            I have read and seen enough to know that intentional blindness is the opposite of progress. Ignoring a problem until it goes away is never a legitimate strategy, and making education impossible is even worse. Teachers, and many other adults, often decide to skirt issues or even shut down conversation on the issue because of the fear of repercussions. It is true that, unfortunately, tackling sensitive topics such as race can lead to repercussions. Parents want to shelter their children from the world, which, while understandable, is also the opposite of helpful.

            I recently carried out a research project with three of my pre-service teaching colleagues on the avoidance of sensitive topics and counter-narratives in high schools. We interviewed three high school students, two high school teachers, a high school counselor, and several college students about the issue. The response from teachers and counselors was a bit more conservative, because they are more familiar with the potential consequences, but the response was largely the same across the board. People want these issues to be handled everywhere, by everyone, including in schools and by teachers. One college student we surveyed said this: “A lot of people think that kids need to be sheltered from everything to keep them safe. But we end up sheltering them from everything until they turn eighteen, and suddenly they’re adults and we throw them into the real world with no knowledge or preparation and expect them to survive.” Another student said, “I think it’s important to teach these things in schools. When students hear about them at the dinner table, they’re getting just one point of view. The teacher needs to give an unbiased perspective on the topic. It’s important for students to get the facts while they’re still young enough to form and change their own opinions.”

            Mexican Whiteboy is just one example of a contested book that some people want out of the classroom. However, I believe that it is everyone’s job, especially a teacher’s, to present these kinds of materials. Teachers are tasked with preparing the next generation of leaders for the world. We need to teach them how to think, teach them skills and processes that will help them in the real world. Perhaps the most important skill we teach is critical thinking. Those two golden words come up again and again and again, and for good reason. People need to be critical thinkers because it’s a skill that society as a whole requires and values. Students start practicing that skill in school, and we need to give them materials to think critically about.

If we only taught things that no one could possibly have a problem with, we would be teaching about the Pythagorean theorem and Good Night Moon and how white people in Europe created the world as we know it. That is no kind of education. There are going to be sensitive issues. People may not always like it. But I, as a future teacher, take my role very seriously, and that role is to help and guide and prepare students to face the world.

Multiple Perspectives: A Critical Response by Ivan Valdovinos

 

Multiple Perspectives

The stereotype of a Mexican is a person who eats rice and beans, works in the orchards, and plays soccer. They cross the border illegally to try and fulfill the “American Dream.” They do anything they can to better themselves. They make sacrifices like quitting school at a young age and going out in the world to get a job to help support their family. Crossing the border lessens their chances of getting an education because they come here to work, not study. Because of this, they do not have the opportunity to get a college education.

The journey that people take depends upon many factors; whether it is financial or a situation that they were brought upon. My story as a Mexican-American is completely different from other Mexicans in my community. I was born and raised in a low-income community that was smothered in gangs, drugs, and violence. It was common for a teenager to get pregnant or be on probation. 

Even though my community was smothered in gangs, drugs, and violence, I experienced the opposite of that. My dad decided to move me and my sisters to the best public school that was in Reedley because he did not want us to get involved in those activities. He wanted us to strive for academic success since that is one of the reasons that him and my mom immigrated to the United States for. In high school, I was involved in sports and academics which allowed me to stay away from the bad things in my community.

People see Reedley in a negative view but I see it as my home. The place I learned how to escape from poverty. The place I learned the value of a higher education. The place I learned about my Mexican culture. My experiences as a Mexican-American are very distinct from other Mexicans in my community and that is why reading young adult literature of Mexican culture is beneficial. In this essay, I will use Mexican Whiteboy and The Tortilla Curtain to showcase different experiences that Mexicans encounter. The main goal for the essay is to break the stereotype of a Mexican because every Mexican experiences a different journey.

Matt de la Pena incorporates Chicano-English in his novel Mexican Whiteboy in order to establish the culture that Danny, the protagonist, is visiting for the summer. What is Chicano-English? Chicano-English is a non-standard variety of English influenced by contact with Spanish, and Spanish spoken as a native dialect by both bilingual and monolingual speakers. Chicano English is not simply any dialect spoken by people of Mexican origin in the United States, a variety spoken by adult nonnative speakers of English, “broken” English learned imperfectly by native Spanish speakers, “Spanglish,” or a broad label for a series of code-switching (Millinson,1).

Chicano English is a dialect of English spoken mainly by people of Mexican ethnic origin in California and the Southwest. An interesting fact about Chicano English is that it “grew up” in a bilingual setting. As immigrants from Mexico migrated to California and the Southwest, communities developed which included families who only spoke Spanish. Many of these families began to learn English which allowed for a non-native variety of English which included sounds and grammatical constructions from their first language of Spanish. The children of these communities grew up using both the English and Spanish language which allowed for a new dialect of English to emerge (Millinson,4).

Matt de la Pena incorporates Chicano-English in his novel Mexican Whiteboy as a way to allow readers to experience the culture of Mexicans living in a certain region such as National City. Immediately, the words “Yo girl” are used which allows readers to get a sense of what type of community Danny is entering. Since Danny lives in a predominately Caucasian community, he had never heard Chicano-English being spoken because it is region specific. Danny is half white and half Mexican but he has only experienced the “white” side of his culture until he visits his cousin Sofe in National City. De la Pena uses words such as “ese, yo, vatos, scrilla,” to showcase the setting of the story which is low-income. Incorporating Chicano-English in a novel about identity struggle is important because it showcases Danny’s personal experience with his journey to figuring out who he is.

TC Boyle takes a different approach with his writing style in The Tortilla Curtain. He uses Spanish in order for readers to dive into the lives of Candido and America Rincon. The Tortilla Curtain is organized in a way that alternates the stories of illegal immigrants Candido and American Rincon and white, middle-class Caucasians Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher. In the illegal immigrant sections, Boyle incorporates Spanish words which allow readers to emerge in the problems that illegal immigrants face. It also allows readers to emotionally feel what the characters are feeling. For example, Boyle uses the word “gabacho” in a number of occasions in the illegal immigrant portions. The word “gabacho” literally means white person and most Mexicans use this word in a negative way. It basically showcases the anger that Mexicans have towards Caucasians whether it be because of offensive comments made towards illegal immigrants or personal experiences with angry white folks.

On certain occasions Boyle writes complete sentences that allow readers to experience the personality of a Mexican. For instance America says “Me llamo America” and “Habla usted español?” These two sentences show how America wants to be a normal person because she knows that she has committed a crime by entering into the United States illegally. She tries to make friends with a white woman named Mary in order to feel like a normal person since her conscious is stuck with isolating herself from the outside world which is the city of Topanga Canyon due to the fact that her and Candido are illegal immigrants.

In Mexican Whiteboy, Danny’s journey includes a ride through an emotional and physical struggle with finding his identity. He also witnesses violence and the lack of parental interaction as well as machismo roles. He uses baseball as a therapy that allows him to figure out who he wants to be. Danny’s emotional and physical rollercoaster has shaped who he is and allows him to find himself. The biggest problem that Danny faces is finding his identity. He struggles with this issue because he is both White and Mexican. He doesn’t know what to identify as since he has been teased in his private school. He feels left out because he is too brown to identify as Caucasian. When he visits his cousin in National City, he doesn’t feel comfortable identifying as Mexican because he is too light to be Mexican. On top of that, he arrives in National City wearing a “Billabong tee, camo cargo shorts and a pair of old-school slip-on Vans.” This style of clothing is considered “white” clothing.

 Danny is confused and feels like an outsider due to his identity crisis. He copes with his identity crisis by self-inflicting his skin in order to feel the pain he is emotionally dealing with. De la Pena paints this picture by stating “Danny puts his fingertips up to his stitches, feels the jagged threads weaving in and out of his skin.” Throughout the book, Danny uses this tactic to overcome his problems. He uses physical pain as a way to deal with his problems because he feels alone and isolated. Danny’s journey as a biracial teenager allows readers to experience a different perspective than the stereotypical Mexican. People usually associate Mexicans with being illegal and committing illegal acts. Danny’s story showcases that not every Mexican is illegal or dangerous. Mexican Whiteboy truly shows an alternative side to the stereotypical Mexican story. Matt de la Pena uses different characters as a way to show the diverse backgrounds of Mexicans or as I like to call it…the different factions that can be seen within the Mexican culture.

In Mexican Whiteboy, Danny is considered factionless because he doesn’t belong in any group within the Mexican culture—well at least in National City. Groups within a culture is a unique concept that is apparent in all cultures. People will always be divided no matter what. The reason for this is because humans are complex. Mexican Whiteboy showcases many factions within National City.

After finishing the novel, the factions that are apparent are as follows: Mexican Mexican, Mexican-American, and Factionless—just to name a few. “Mexican Mexican” is a term that my personal friends use to describe a certain group of Mexicans. “Mexican Mexican” refers to people who have recently moved to the United States and barely know English yet they have a little tiny bit of American culture in them. The difference between “Mexican Mexican” and illegal Mexican is that “Mexican Mexican” people have been integrated into the American culture by attending school. A character that exemplifies “Mexican Mexican” is Liberty. Liberty does not speak English but she attends school and hangs out with Sofe and her friends which show that she is integrating in the American culture. Mexican-American refers to people who have been fully emerged into the American culture but still experience hints of the Mexican culture through eating authentic Mexican food or celebrating Mexican traditions. These people usually know English fluently and usually attend college. Sofe is a great example of a Mexican-American because she wants to get out of poverty and attend college. The factionless characters can be seen through Danny and Uno. The reason why they don’t full fit into any faction is because they are biracial. Being biracial does not allow you to fit in with the Mexican culture because you are half of something else. This struggle for identity is the reason why Danny experiences self-inflicting injuries; because he does not fit into any faction.

In The Tortilla Curtain, Candido and America’s journey is very distinct from Danny’s journey because Candido and America are illegal immigrants. The novel focuses on the American dream, the American lifestyle, racism, and symbolism through animals and walls. As illegal immigrants, Candido and America Rincon experience many hardships and difficulties with striving for the American dream. What is the American Dream? To Americans, the American Dream can be defined as owning a mansion with a Lamborghini but to an illegal immigrant the American Dream can be to own a small house and own a car even if it is used. Candido promises America a better life, a house, and numerous possessions. Illegal immigrants just want to live comfortably and not have to worry about not having money to eat the next day.

TC Boyle incorporates symbolism as a means to showcase depth and meaning of the novel. He uses the symbols of a coyote, wall, dogs, and other animals to convey a complex idea with one word. Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher—white middle class characters—encounter a coyote killing their house dog. In this scene, the coyote symbolizes the cycle of life. In the context of illegal immigration, the coyotes refer to untamed animals (illegal immigrants) entering a place to harm something. A “coyote” in Spanish refers to a people smuggler who is paid thousands of dollars to smuggle Mexicans across the border. The coyote symbolizes a negative aspect of Mexicans. Delaney and Kyra are passionate about building a fence that will keep the coyotes out of their lawns so that they will stop killing their domesticated animals. This can also be seen in the creation of a wall to keep out illegal immigrants from Arroyo Blanco.

Building a wall symbolizes many things in The Tortilla Curtain. The wall symbolizes the consequences that of immigrants jumping over the wall. These consequences are not having a shelter, food, money or anything to survive. Like mentioned before, the walls are put up to keep the coyotes away but the coyotes are so skilled that they find a way to get into Arroyo Blanco Estates similar to illegal immigrants overcome the wall at the border. The wall also symbolizes the separation of Candido and America from the safety, comfort, and success of the white Americans and their lives.

The wall exists between the Mexicans and the white Americans restricting interaction between the two. TC Boyle showcases this separation through the alternating chapters of each journey. This style that Boyle uses allows for readers to see no conversation between people of the two races. When these two races do converse, it is usually forced and filled with hate and anger. The wall aspect of this novel can be seen in the world today. To be specific, in today’s world Mexicans and Americans still put that wall between each other due to the hatred that they have for each other. In some places, racism still occurs and racial profiling is apparent. This wall can be seen through the Arizona law that was incorporated in Arizona. Laws such as this allow for the separation of the two cultures which is why there cannot be peace. There is always going to be that invisible wall between these cultures because instead of building a bridge there is a wall being put up. A reason why the wall may be put up is because no one wants to find out what will happen if that wall is knocked down. It is better to keep the wall up and exclude the rest of the world because that is the safest way to keep things the same. These walls keep out the wild Mexicans that people fear but what if these Mexicans can benefit the United States. We will never know because we are keeping them away from here with the wall. TC Boyle uses symbolism to showcases the illegal Mexican immigrant story so that readers can see the perspective of an illegal immigrant. Symbolism allows for readers to read more in depth the meaning behind the symbol.

What is the purpose of young adult literature? When students are asked why they read they respond with “I have too because that is what I am told I have to do.” Young adult literature allows students to learn about different cultures and it breaks the taboo of talking about racism. When it comes to reading, purpose is everything. Students need to be told the realistic reasons why they should read. Young adult literature allows students to dive into social issues as well as learn about different lives of people that are different from them. To sum up, it is important to teach students about the different journeys that Mexican experience because not all Mexicans share the same story. As you can see, The Tortilla Curtain and Mexican Whiteboy showcase two completely different stories about Mexicans. These stories show that stereotypes are stereotypes and they shouldn’t be used to identify a person of Mexican descent. Every person has a story and people should get to know the person before judging them.  

 

Works Cited

Millinson, Christine. “A Broad Overview of Chicano English.” American Speech 81.2 (2006): 213-217. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 26 Oct. 2011.

 

Divergent: A Short Analysis of Suicide Ideology

            In our class discussion of Divergent, the topic of suicide came up. The main opinion on suicide we looked at in class was one where suicide is a selfish action; after further thought into the topic, however, I find it problematic to create a solid label for suicide without taking other considerations first. The common narrative of suicide as an act of selfishness creates a situation where guilt and shame is projected onto the victim, but this narrative fails to critique the society that makes it seem, to a suicidal individual, that death is a more preferable option than living in that society. In the specific case of Al in Divergent, I believe there are societal constructs in play that make it hard to write his suicide off as merely selfish.

            Al lived the majority of his life in Candor and it is heavily suggested that the transition from Candor to Dauntless was a painful one, especially for Al. He cries in his sleep, he refuses to initially adhere to many contemporary Dauntless normative values of violence and ruthlessness, and when it comes to facing his fears in the second Dauntless initiate tests, he shows that he is an inept individual when it comes to facing fears. This leads him to a desperate moment in his life where he needs to either be ruthless or to live a life factionless; this fate can easily be seen as worse than death. It is suggested that the factionless stigma is impossible to be freed from, like a case of perpetual homelessness without even a remote possibility of climbing free from it or of having future generations break free. This parallels the idea of the cycle of homelessness and extends the narrative to the extreme where it is a literal impossibility to escape it. These societal structures that run against Al’s human needs complicate the idea of suicide as selfish. To Al, it is the best option to avoid living a perpetually miserable life, and this isn’t entirely his fault; much of the blame is the society in Divergent.

            For Al, it appears he tried to join Dauntless to overcome fear and to become brave, but the factions in the contemporary society shown in Divergent seem to operate on the ideology that you should join a faction that you already have strong qualities in rather than a faction where you have qualities you would like to improve. The city in Divergent values specialization, not a spread of qualities. Al, in a sense, made a poor decision. Al’s choices are between eternal homelessness (and the shame/negative stigma placed on being factionless) for himself and all future generations or suicide. He would rather die than experience the hopelessness of being factionless. It isn’t selfish for Al to feel hopeless, to feel so hurt that there is not any other option, or to feel alone; he lost his family, he lost his chances at becoming Dauntless by scoring poorly, he potentially lost his friends because of his actions, and, he lost any chances at evading a factionless state. Al was already outcast and, in a sense, already factionless.

            I would not call Al’s suicide brave. I would not call suicide his only option or his best option by any means. Yet, to call his choice selfish obscures the societal issues at stake that informed Al’s decision. From a US perspective, it is rare that we ever feel the level of pure hopelessness that Al feels; even if we do reach hopelessness, our society is not as harsh as the Divergent society. I do not endorse suicide, but blame should be analyzed on a societal level before it is cast on the victim; I truly believe that suicide victims are just that: victims. Calling their actions selfish without a critical social analysis only serves to shrug off suicide by focusing on the effects and ignoring the causes.

            It’s interesting to see how this oppressive dystopia deals with the topic of suicide; in this particular case, the ruthless Dauntless members like Eric see jumping in the chasm as the ultimate act of bravery, the honorable Dauntless like Tris tend to see it more as an act of cowardice. It’s interesting that no opinion reaches any level of middle ground; they both place full responsibility for Al’s suicide on Al regardless of how the act is personally viewed. This shows how Divergent’s society treats suicide; no blame or pride is put on the seperative nature on the society, but it is all placed on the victim, Al.

            The topic of suicide in YA literature is under-discussed and there is an ideology around suicide that makes many too quick to label suicide as selfish. From certain privileged standpoints, this quick dismissal can be obvious. During class discussions, I often like to bring up the point that a college student is seen often as an ideal societal position and that my peers and myself appreciate a great deal of privilege. From an objective standpoint, we are far less likely to understand the hopelessness that others may feel on a routine basis. It is important that we understand our privilege, look into causes of suicide before casting blame or further victimizing victims, and that we take the time to pay attention to any rhetoric that distracts from investigating how serious social problems like this are instigated, as well as how what we say continues to influence how topics are perceived.

            I personally did not feel much emotion regarding Al’s suicide in Divergent. I was indifferent, but I can see his hopelessness and think it warrants defense because of beliefs on suicide. Suicides in real life that parallel Al’s hopelessness are in cases of LGBTQ teen suicides due to bullying. These are real moments of hopelessness caused by an incessant feeling of discomfort caused when a world tells LGBTQ teenagers that they are not welcome in the world. These suicides are not selfish. These suicides are not brave. They are tragedies; calling the victims selfish serves to further victimize teens to a point that a serious analysis and elimination of the conditions that lead to the suicides.

            I believe that our classes’ silence about Al’s suicide as selfish was an implicit agreement with the prevailing opinions of suicide as only a selfish act. I was not prepared to put my personal opinions out because I had not fully articulated my opinions at that point. It is a serious topic and deserves much consideration. This analysis gave me the time to fully think about the topic. I have always thought that narratives of selfishness around suicide were inherently flawed, but I couldn’t really tell you why before I ruminated on the subject. Through introspection, the conclusion I reached is that the desperate conditions surrounding suicide are rarely confronted and blame is tidily placed entirely on victims when a suicide is labeled as selfish.