Essay Questions

How is religion as a theme brought out in this work?

Religion as well as the confusion that follows on the part of the narrator is very well explored in this work. At home, Rodriguez was introduced to Catholicism by his parents, a religion that he subscribed to. However, a conflict arises between the religion that he identified with at home and that which he learns at school. While he had been brought to imagine the Virgin Mary as Mexican with dark skin, Rodriguez has to keep his religious belief on the low but continues enjoying religious activities and ceremonies.

How is dark skin viewed in the society in which this book is set?

Negative connotations dominate the view of dark skin in the society in which this novel is set. As a child, the narrator is often warned by his parents against staying under the sun for long durations of time seeing as it would make his skin darker—like a field worker. Dark skin is associated with struggle and poverty and commonness. The narrator reveals how he was ashamed of the color of his skin as a child growing up to the extent that he could not remove his clothes and remain bare skin in public. The negative attitudes towards dark skin can be argued as the reason for this shame. Dark skin thus becomes arguably, a symbol of shame, poverty, and common character.

How difficult is Rodriguez’s early school life?

Rodriguez is a child of immigrants from Mexico. Even though he is born in the United States, the character grows up not knowing or incapable of speaking fluent English, thanks to his predominantly Spanish-speaking household. Being incapable of speaking the English language complicates Rodriguez’s early childhood as it virtually limited his social interactions with his English-speaking peers. However, the fact that he hailed from a poor background works to motivate him to succeed as he does later in his life. Even so, language becomes one major hiccup in his early childhood years.