Pocho By Jose Antonio Villarreal Ebook Readers
Pocho is the story of a Mexican family who moves to southern California in the 1930's. Their son, Richard, is a 'pocho,' the child of immigrants, growing up surrounded by American culture. American values do not always go along with the Rubio family's traditional Mexican culture, and they have some trouble adjusting to their new way of life. Richard is an intelligent, independent boy who wants to make a life for his own, but his parents very much want him to continue their traditional Mexican lifestyle instead.
In the book Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal a young boy by the name of Richard Rubio finds himself being raised. As the reader knows, Antonio usurped his.
At the beginning of the book, Juan Rubio is a soldier traveling around Mexico after fighting in several revolutions. After carelessly killing a man, Juan flees several miles north to the U.S.A., just past the border. Soon Juan's wife, Consuelo, and his daughters join him in America, and the family moves to California. One night, Consuelo gives birth to Richard, the only boy of many sisters. Both parents openly admit that Richard is their favorite child. Juan decides to settle down and be a proper husband and father to his family.
Juan's influence in the community grows, and he becomes the leader of the Mexican community, helping newcomers find jobs, food, and shelter. Richard is an extremely intelligent, inquisitive child. He gets in trouble for asking questions about Catholic dogma, which worries his mother. As time goes by, Richard's faith weakens, and eventually he stops going to church altogether. Various groups try to recruit Richard because it will be good for him as a Mexican. In fact, he really wants to go to college and become a writer.
One day Richard's mother has a talk with him, and she tells him that he will probably have to drop out of school in a few years so that he can help support the family. When Richard is a small child, a little girl named Zelda bullies the entire neighborhood. When the children are young teenagers, the boys dare Zelda to have sex with all of them, unless she is chicken. She reluctantly agrees. Eventually, Zelda and Richard start secretly dating. Although Juan always wants to go back to Mexico, Richard continues to be assimilated into American culture. Richard hangs around for a while with a group of pachucos, Mexican immigrants who reject both Mexican and American cultures.
Richard is dissatisfied with his parents' plans for his life and wants to do something greater than marry and have children. Consuelo also has to adjust to an American way of life. She is tired of always being a submissive, quiet wife, acting as a servant to her family.
There are many fights in the family, and finally Juan decides to move out. He tells Richard to go ahead and become a writer, if that is what he wants. Richard has more and more responsibility, as the man of the house. He decides that the only way for him to get out of his situation is to enlist to fight in World War II. This section contains 503 words (approx.
2 pages at 400 words per page).
Villarreal illuminates here the world of 'pochos,' Americans whose parents come to the United States from Mexico. Set in Depression-era California, the novel focuses on Richard, a young pocho who experiences the intense conflict between loyalty to the traditions of his family's past and attraction to new ideas.
Richard's struggle to achieve adulthood as a young man influen Villarreal illuminates here the world of 'pochos,' Americans whose parents come to the United States from Mexico. Set in Depression-era California, the novel focuses on Richard, a young pocho who experiences the intense conflict between loyalty to the traditions of his family's past and attraction to new ideas. Richard's struggle to achieve adulthood as a young man influenced by two worlds reveals both the uniqueness of the Mexican-American experiences and its common ties with the struggles of all Americans - whatever their past. Pocho was a little journey through American/ Mexican history. But for such a little book, too much was packed into it. The character stories were disintegrated. It started out with Pocho's dad, and his lover, and then it suddenly jumped to his life with his wife and the birth of Pocho.
And since the author tried to cover so mucb ground, the book read more like a newspaper report covering the events in Pocho's life. Too much was told, little was left for the reader to experience himself, by parta Pocho was a little journey through American/ Mexican history. But for such a little book, too much was packed into it. The character stories were disintegrated. It started out with Pocho's dad, and his lover, and then it suddenly jumped to his life with his wife and the birth of Pocho. And since the author tried to cover so mucb ground, the book read more like a newspaper report covering the events in Pocho's life.
Too much was told, little was left for the reader to experience himself, by partaking in Pocho's life. Too many characters crossed Pocho's path, and as soon as I got into their stories, the abruptly ended, and someone else took over in importance. Otherwise, certainly informative. I learned about Pachucos, and also gained a better insight into a traditional mexican marriage. Pocho is a very well written book and very ahead of its time for when it was written and published, but i can't rate it higher because its attitude towards women absolutely infuriated me. It's one thing to simply state how things are in recognition of 'traditional' gender roles in a certain culture and for a time I thought maybe the main character would come to understand that women shouldn't be boxed into stereotypes and cultural expectations as he was fighting them as well, but he doesn't.
He Pocho is a very well written book and very ahead of its time for when it was written and published, but i can't rate it higher because its attitude towards women absolutely infuriated me. It's one thing to simply state how things are in recognition of 'traditional' gender roles in a certain culture and for a time I thought maybe the main character would come to understand that women shouldn't be boxed into stereotypes and cultural expectations as he was fighting them as well, but he doesn't.
He never really did. He recognized his father's 'manly' needs and women's submission to those needs, and comes to almost hate his mother for feeling that she might be able to become liberated in America, too. That's the only aspect of this novel that made me lose some respect for it. Otherwise, it's a very vivid and often startling portrait of Depression-era life. It makes its case for the need for equality both racially and economically, but the fact that the author can so blatantly seem to say 'this can only be the case for men and not women - women have to stay in the home and defer to their man' makes me very angry. Villarreal does a great job of characterization and creating a vivid depression era Mexican-American setting. Villarreal also created the cultural conflicts in the main character and others very well.
The book is thought provoking to say the least. However, I did not entirely like how Villarreal handles point of view. The vast majority of the book is from the point of view of Richard. However, the book starts out from the point of view of his father. Almost none of the rest of the book is from hi Villarreal does a great job of characterization and creating a vivid depression era Mexican-American setting. Villarreal also created the cultural conflicts in the main character and others very well. The book is thought provoking to say the least.
However, I did not entirely like how Villarreal handles point of view. The vast majority of the book is from the point of view of Richard. However, the book starts out from the point of view of his father. Almost none of the rest of the book is from his father's viewpoint, except one little bit somewhere in the middle. One tiny bit is from the viewpoint of his mother. I just thought it jarring to not keep to one point of view when that point of view is so obviously dominant in the work. The bits from the other two characters just didn't seem to fit into the novel as a coherent whole.
I'm sure those sections were important to introduce information about what parts of his parent's backgrounds contributed to the cultural conflict, but it seems it would have been better to reveal that information indirectly rather than tack on tiny sections with a differing point of view than the rest of the book. Pocho was interesting. I could relate to the book a lot because I am a pocho too, and many of the interesting things that happened to him happened to me too.Anyways I give this book 4 stars because it totally captures a coming of age youth's perspective.
The book starts out with a lot of patriotic passion, and slows down a bit, but only to pick up speed. The story quickly evolves into a great coming of age story that has to sides to it, the Mexican side, and the American side.With every page Pocho was interesting. I could relate to the book a lot because I am a pocho too, and many of the interesting things that happened to him happened to me too.Anyways I give this book 4 stars because it totally captures a coming of age youth's perspective. The book starts out with a lot of patriotic passion, and slows down a bit, but only to pick up speed. The story quickly evolves into a great coming of age story that has to sides to it, the Mexican side, and the American side.With every page the story becomes more and more interesting, and it captivates you with such a power that all you can do is keep reading, and once the book is done you crave for more. These are effects that Villareal's Pocho has on you.
Pocho By Jose Antonio Villarreal
I think this book did such an amazing job at depicting the attitude of many U.S. Born Mexicans.
Often people end up being depicted as stereotypes or archetypes that are too simple to truly give recognition to the type of people that emerge from being raised in this country by immigrants trying to assimilate and cultivate their culture simultaneously. It is a complicated picture but Pocho describes the life of second-generation immigrants more accurately than other novels I've enjoyed.
This novel I think this book did such an amazing job at depicting the attitude of many U.S. Born Mexicans.
Often people end up being depicted as stereotypes or archetypes that are too simple to truly give recognition to the type of people that emerge from being raised in this country by immigrants trying to assimilate and cultivate their culture simultaneously. It is a complicated picture but Pocho describes the life of second-generation immigrants more accurately than other novels I've enjoyed. This novel definitely spoke to me on a personal level and I ended up taking pictures of passages to immortalize the experience of reading this book for the first time. Definitely a Chicano must-read. A descriptive personal account of the challenges and changes involved with assimilating to a different culture. Covers many social and cultural conflicts that the protagonist's family faces really bringing to light many of the hardships immigrants face both in and outside of their homes.
Very enlightening. I also want to note I really enjoyed the author's writing style and his ability to jump around through the protagonist's life, highlighting important events that attributed to his ever-adaptin A descriptive personal account of the challenges and changes involved with assimilating to a different culture. Covers many social and cultural conflicts that the protagonist's family faces really bringing to light many of the hardships immigrants face both in and outside of their homes. Very enlightening. I also want to note I really enjoyed the author's writing style and his ability to jump around through the protagonist's life, highlighting important events that attributed to his ever-adapting identity as a Mexican-American boy.
At times poorly written and lacking in detail, explanation, and substance, but nonetheless very thought provoking and incisive. The author's eye for social criticism and complexity exceeds his capacity as a writer. Would recommend to any Mexican-American or those interested in Chicano culture. As for how the novel dealt with Great Depression era Southern California, it doesn't come close to The Grapes of Wrath, but is still valuable in providing another perspective of the time that Steinbeck did At times poorly written and lacking in detail, explanation, and substance, but nonetheless very thought provoking and incisive. The author's eye for social criticism and complexity exceeds his capacity as a writer.
Would recommend to any Mexican-American or those interested in Chicano culture. As for how the novel dealt with Great Depression era Southern California, it doesn't come close to The Grapes of Wrath, but is still valuable in providing another perspective of the time that Steinbeck did not provide.
“Look, little son,' she said. 'Many times I do not answer you when you ask me things, and other times I simply talk about something else.
Sometimes this is because you ask things that you and I should not be talking about, but most of the time it is because I am ashamed that I do not know what you ask. You see, we are simple people, your father and I. We did not have the education because we came from the poorest class of people in Mexico.We cannot teach you the things that you want us to teach you. And I am deeply ashamed that we are going to fail in a great responsibility - we cannot guide you, we cannot select your reading for you, we cannot even talk to you in your own language. 'No, let me finish telling you. Already I can see that books are your life.
We cannot help you, and soon we will not even be able to encourage you, because you will be obliged to work. We could not afford to spare you to go to school even if there was a way for you to do it, and there is a great sadness in our hearts.” —. “Lettuce harvests in Salinas, melons in Brawley, grapes in Parlier, oranges in Ontario, cotton in Firebaugh - and, finally, Santa Clara, the prune country. And because this place was pleasing to the eye, or because they were tired of their endless migration, Juan Rubio and his wife settled here to raise their children. And, remembering his country, Juan thought that his distant cousin, the great General Zapata, had been right when, in speaking of Juan, he once said to Villa, 'He will go far, that relative of mine.' Now this man who had lived by the gun all his adult life would sit on his haunches under the prune trees, rubbing his sore knees, and think, Next year we will have enough money and we will return to our country.
Pocho By Jose Antonio Villarreal Summary
But deep within he knew he was one of the lost ones. And as the years passed him by and his children multiplied and grew, the chant increased in volume and rate until it became a staccato NEXT YEAR! And the chains were incrementally heavier on his heart.” —.