Her inability is a result of her parent’s decision to speak only English in the home with the sole purpose of ensuring that their children would be fully immersed in American culture, which would provide them with a better chance to be successful (p. 57). As a result of her parent’s decision, Tanya Barrientos(2011) explains in a somber tone how she rejected her cultural identity because she wanted to fit in with her new fellow Americans. She paints a portrait of how Americans during that time were not culturally tolerant, and expected those who entered America to leave their culture at the border.
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Thus, she felt that being a “Mexican” had a negative connotation. She states, “To me, speaking Spanish translated into being poor. It meant waiting tables and cleaning hotel rooms” (p. 57). Thus, she took pride in not being able to speak her native tongue; and, furthermore, she took pride in her American peers saying that she did not seem Mexican. The authors states that comments such as those “made me feel superior. It made me feel American. It made me feel white” (p. 58).
Once her father realized how Barrientos felt about her native culture, he sought to rectify her feelings by sending her to Mexico City. He told her that living there would allow her to see what Mexican culture had to offer. “That way when anybody calls you Mexican, you will hold your head up” (Barrientos, 2011, p 59). His plan worked, and now Mrs. Barrientos reveals in an enlightening tone that she has spent the majority of her adult life trying to recapture the innate culture she rejected during her childhood.
She tells how she is consistently taking Spanish classes, conjugating Spanish verbs, traveling to Guatemala, learning to cook Mexican food, and learning to appreciate her own facial features that contribute to her native identity. Most importantly, she now uses her writing as a vehicle to encourage others who may be too ashamed to admit that they, too, are “Spanish-challenged and pura Latina. ” This theme of self-hatred or loss of identity that Barrientos presents in her text is one that saddened me. So many groups of people have suffered this plight, not realizing that one does not have to lose themselves in order to be accepted.
America, the land of immigrants, is a melting pot, where all people have come for the purpose of seeking better opportunities. Yet, we are supposed to respect the cultures of others while celebrating our own. I am so glad that Mrs. Barrientos and the world in which we now live are evolving and recognizing that the cultural differences that have always existed is part of what makes America great.
