After reading the first sections of the book, it becomes clear that there is a constant struggle for identity that is prevalent among all the characters thus far. I thought this was an interesting topic, as nearly every book we have read this semester essentially deals with the same problem. Concepcion, Medea, Jesse; all these characters from previous reads have had similar tension with finding congruency with themselves. Within this weeks read, we see this most notably right off the bat with Turtle. Finding herself immersed within the gang life of East Los Angeles, Turtle adopts an extremely masculine personality as she learns that she must protect herself while dealing with homelessness and fight to survive against rival gangs. Tranquilina, though vastly different than Turtle with her involvement with the Church and moral upbringing, still demonstrates a similar conflict. Likewise, Ermila’s lack of parental involvement in her upbringing leaves her questioning her origin; the only information she is allotted comes in the form of stories and an old, tarnished picture of her parents.
Another prominent theme I came across was that of exclusion: it seems the city is undergoing massive industrial changes with new freeway implementation, and this has a profound affect (at least thus far) on the surrounding East Los Angeles community. We see this especially when Tranquilia and her mother are rushing home in the storm after picking up their order from the butcher, as Tranquilia’s mother begins to see how the city is changing — many streets are now dead-ends, many families have relocated. Furthermore, gangs declaring their territory segregate the town, creating a less communal, more hostile and unsettling atmosphere. Furthering this theme of exclusion, all the characters thus far are extremely different in their age, work and home-life situations. Though differing immensely, my main question is whether these characters will all find one another throughout the novel, or all achieve a similar outcome. Will each character locate their own respective identity? Will the characters show similarities in their struggles and conflicts, or have conflicts with one another, such as Turtle and Tranquilia? Or will each character work synergistically to solve each others problems (like what we saw in Gods Go Begging)? (My prediction is that we see influences of each character amongst one another’s lives, just as Jesse’s life was so closely related to Mai and Persephone’s, as well as his fellow soldiers and clients that he defends).
Image credit: betterdoctor.com
I also found the topic of identity to be a underling theme throughout out this book and even posted a few Twitter posts about it. Identity, and specifically in the four main characters of Ermilia, Tranquilina, Turtle and Ana, I see as a direct correlation to existentialism. With their identities tied up into their cultural and social surroundings, and the construction on that very landscape that molded them, their identities are compromised and need to be reconstructed, much like the rebuilding of their neighborhoods. In existentialism, an individual is responsible for their own development through acts of free will and choice. I see these characters having to break their connection with their surroundings and determine their own character attributes by the choices they make in life. These people are uprooted as a result of modernity and social advancements as well as the isolation that becomes prevalent.
The author, Helena Maria Viramontes, had a great quote regarding the issue of identity:
“As for the four female characters, I’ll leave it to the critics as to whether these women are archetypal. However, during the process of writing the novel, I realized that that the characters began to resemble elements. Turtle, fire; Tranquilina, earth; Ermila, wind; Ana, water. But I’m not quite sure how effective or how successful I was. Of course, I didn’t plan it that way. Like the mysteries of faith, they slowly began to show themselves as such, and I followed. And yes, these were Chicanas of the sixties. Miraculous, tough caretakers, but survivors of great moral strength. Without them, who gives birth to belief?…..I marvel, truly marvel, at the everyday, ordinary ordeals of human life and I want to give justice to an existence that very few people or readers acknowledge……it simply is amazing to me to see people rise to the potential of their grace in order to survive” (La Bloga).
Works Cited
Olivas, Daniel. “Interview with Helena Maria Viramontes”. La Bloga. 02 April 2007. Web. 07 April 2014.
I’ve also been interested in the topic of identity in the works we’ve read in this class, particularly in the claiming of a male or masculine identity, such as in Concepcion’s alter-ego, Riddle Wolf in ‘Calligraphy of the Witch’ and Turtle’s identification as male; I believe this could arguably be extended to Medea choosing a female lover over a male, assuming she is bisexual. I believe this is interesting in relation to Chicano/a because of the feminist history in within the movement as well as the idea of claiming/choosing an identity.
I see Concepcion’s adoption of a male identity as a response to being oppressed and used by men her entire life; in this way, she is not allowing herself to be something people can oppress. On the other hand, I see Turtle and Medea’s subversion of female gender roles as more along the lines of the Chicana/o movement, as it is politically claiming something that is inherently a part of one’s identity, such as race. However, I believe Medea’s seeming preference of a female lover can be related to Concepcion’s plight- that men have always been the ones who used and wronged her, therefore, she is unable to trust them. I believe Turtle’s identification as male is simply a feature of being transgender, or the state of one’s gender identity not matching one’s biological sex. However, the fact that she acts upon this, especially in the time period, is rather astonishing.