Pilar has a dream of returning to Cuba, to her grandmother Celia. She identifies most closely with her Grandmother – she is tied to her in a unique way, sharing memories, thoughts, layers of life. She believes she could be free in Cuba in the company of Celia – free to grow into the best of herself.
Pilar is an artist. Her identity lies with her artistic ways – her paintings, her thought processes, and her dreams. Her instinct to follow her heart, her calling – to try and make it back to Cuba (pg 25) – is largely due to who she is as an artist. When she paints the statue of liberty for her Mom, she expresses her fears that her Mom won’t approve of her sort of abstract and meaningful additions to her piece rather than a realistic and simple rendering of the statue (pg 141). But this does not stop her from following her gut feelings and artistic instincts. She goes ahead, despite what her mother may think, and paints what she feels she must.
The people in her life in New York, her mother in particular, hold her back from her dreams, which are a large part of her identity. Her father, however, supports her dream of becoming a painter. He helped create a studio for her to work in and talked her mother into letting her attend art school, despite her mother’s attempts to sabotage her dream (pg. 25-26). But overall Pilar feels trapped by her life in America rather than inspired, unable to freely make her own choices and be the guide to her own life path. In this case a disconnect with a sense of home helps Pilar figure out who she is, helps connect her to Cuba.
Though Pilar’s dream to become a famous painter has not yet come true, this artist part of her will continue to affect the rest of her life in a profound way – it will continue to shape her personal identity. Her Cuban roots call her back home – this affects her art, her soul, her voice and her dreams – it affects her personal identity, who she is to the core.
In Bodega Dreams, Chino grows up in Spanish Harlem, goes to school and gains his reputation – part of his identity – by fighting, defending himself, his friends, and picking and choosing his fights (pg 4). He earns his name in this way, and naming, as we explored at the beginning of the semester, plays into personal identity is really interesting ways. The way that others perceive you, what others call you, is important in your choices, actions, and personal journey that forms who you are.
Chino’s friend Sapo plays a big role in who he is. Chino makes the decision to not only stay in touch with Sapo but continue to be his Pana, his friend, and continue to show he has his back. This is emphasized over and over throughout the book. When Chino interacts with Sapo, he takes on the role of Pana. He doesn’t switch his identity, but this part of him surfaces in an intriguing way when he interacts with Sapo. He is pressured to do certain things, go certain places, and fulfill certain roles (for example, going to meet Bodega, fulfilling the role of pana, and hide drugs for Sapo). This all contributes to his personal identity – our choices and actions show largely who we are.
Family also plays a role in Chino’s self–identity. He identifies as a husband to Blanca, and though he isn’t always perfect, he is devoted to Blanca and loves her very much. When they got married they became a part of one another and therefore made sacrifices (Blanca had to accept Chino’s “ghetto side” and give up playing the tambourine in church, and Chino had to give up some of his street side, and embrace Blanca’s church-going ways as part of who she is). His relationship with Blanca is intimate and personal and is a factor in who Chino is as a person.
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteThank you for pointing out the multiple boundaries presented in Bodega Dreams and Dreaming in Cuban. Your analysis was another reminder for me that Chino is like a chameleon in that he can transcend all boundaries and fit into any category.
However, I would like to point out that if there were a sequel to Bodega Dreams (which I hope there will be), that Chino is also a visionary in that he appears to be left with Bodega's vision at the end of the book. In some sense, Bodega relies on Chino to oversee his new culture--the Spanglish culture.
While you were preparing your analysis, did you see any other identities that emerged? What were they, and what does this tell you about that character(s) evolution throughout the novel?
I completely agree when you state that being a painter is a big part of Pilar's identity. I think that is probably the most important part to her, along with her connection to her grandmother. I also talked about how Sapo was a large part of Chino's life. I said that he is family,and that means he is one of the most important people to Chino. I know that Pilar and Chino are two of the easiest characters to discuss when talking about identity, but what about other characters? Felicia would be an interesting person to look at when discussing identity, since hers changes often and with conscious thought.
ReplyDeleteYou do a good job of exploring identity in both of these novels. However, do you have an overarching thesis that could help you tie these explorations together? In your focus on Pilar it might be interesting to note how she realizes, at the end of the novel, that her search for identity is actually a privilege that comes with her status as an American. She doesn't realize how valuable this freedom is until she goes back to Cuba and someone tells her that she's free to paint there--as long as she doesn't paint anything that would challenge the government. Zachary has a great point about Chino--that although he rejects the criminal aspects of Bodega's legacy, he is also a visionary in that he appreciates Bodega's dream of looking beyond his own wealth (unlike Nazario) and doing good for the community, which he demonstrates at the end of the novel by taking in a man and his son.
ReplyDelete