In the novel So Far From God by author Ana Castillo we are introduced to a mother and four sisters. The mother is Sofia who is a very empowering women because she is abandoned by her husband which is a gambler. He gambles away several items that belong to Sofia, however, the one thing he cannot get his hands on was her house. Sofia becomes the provider of the family once she is left with her four daughters. Sofia is the one that makes sure they are economically stable. She takes on a huge role when she becomes major of Tome, through her leadership skills the community becomes more collective, and are capable of supporting for themselves. The names of the four sisters are Esperanza, Caridad, Fe, and La Loca. Each sister is very different in their own way. However, they all resemble the significance of a strong women.
Esperanza is the oldest sister, and she represents a Chicana like many of us today because she goes to college and even majors in Chicana/o Studies. She faced a rough time in her relationship with Ruben because she was only being used he only cared about himself, and saw her as an object not a real women. Caridad was the traditional Chicana/Latina. Caridad loses herself when she is in the relationship with Memo. From this “good” women image she becomes a “bad” women. She is out at bars in the night and goes home with men. Fe was very different from the other sisters because her view was based upon the white middle class. She had a job in the financial institutions. However, she faces a tragedy when she is laughed at by Tom in the altar. She then becomes this resemblance of La Llorona. La Loca was a very interesting sister. At a young age she loses her name. Her characteristics are very odd because she is allergic to people and the only individual that was able to touch her was her mother. La Loca inherited traditional skills like cooking, cleaning, and caring.
Esperanza after she is killed comes back to her family in a spiritual form. However, Fe does not come back at all. In my perspective I believe that she no longer comes back because she abandoned her culture. She became so assimilated with the white middle class, therefore there was no point in her coming back. On the other hand, Esperanza was so always so close to her mother because Sofia depended on her so much. What do you think is the reason for why one of the sisters came back, and the other did not?
What sister stood out to you the most in this novel?
The sister that stood out for me the most was Esperanza. Out of all of the women in the text, I relate to Esperanza the most since she is the oldest and the first to go to college. Now, I cannot relate to her in terms of her relationship with men, but I do feel sympathy towards her because of that.
I think that one of the sisters came back because she was the one with the closest relationship to Sofia. I believe Esperanza was the one with the closest bond to her mother. The bond was so close that she came back in the spiritual form. When it comes to which sister I relate to, I would say I feel I can connect most to Esperanza. This is because of her educational path only. Esperanza went to college and majored in Chicano/a Studies. This is basically what I did after high school. I relate to Esperanza because of her educational path.
La Loca stood out to me the most. She seemed like a lost Chicana, who was given an identity at such a young age by the people. She grew up fulfilling this identity that everyone else had placed on her. I feel that she had trouble finding her own identity, but I loved that even though she was “La Loca” she was still very traditional in many ways. I love how she was “allergic to people” and enjoyed the company of animals instead.
I agree with your reasoning as to why Fe does not come back. If we look at the two sisters for simply the names that they are given, we can see the Esperanza stands for hope and Fe stands for faith. I believe Fe has no function in returning as a spirit. She serves no real purpose in the family because her struggles as an assimilated Chicana are not similar to the lives of her mother and sisters (which are still dealing with issues within the Chicana culture). It is as if she can no longer be identified as a Chicana and that is why she does not return in spirit. I believe that the relationship Esperanza has with her mother plays a huge role in her coming back in a spiritual form. The first reason is because, as a Chicana, I have noticed that we look for our passed loved ones in our everyday life. There are times I see someone that looks exactly like my cousin Nick who passed away two years ago and I feel as it is a sign that he is with me. There are little things I come across that let me know he is present in a spiritual form. I believe this attachment to spiritual presence is a big part of Latino and Chicano culture. Esperanza is also the oldest child in the family, I feel like that role is necessary in families. The eldest is more than likely the one who keeps the house in order and makes sure the younger siblings are doing what they need to be doing.
I feel like I identify with Esperanza the most. I am a sociology major, single, no children, and have been working since the age of 15. I have had a relationship that is worse than Esperanza’s and I have seen how our issues are related. I also feel like there is pressure to get move out, get married, and have children soon. When I was younger I imagined I would be married and have children by the age of 22 and now I’m 24 with no plans to marry and have children anytime soon. Thankfully, I am in a happy and healthy relationship now. We do not pressure each other into getting married but we do see it happening in a few years. My goal is to graduate this May and get into the field I want.
The sister who stood out to be the most was Esperanza, because like many of us, she is trying to help her mother support her sisters and is a major support system for her mother, sofi. Although Esperanza struggles with Ruben, she is still determined to become more.