I really enjoyed … y no se lo trago la tierra. The anecdotes are well written individually, with their tales of maturation from childhood and the ironic and heartbreaking situations the characters find themselves in, but the way that Rivera weaves them all together is masterfully done. It took me awhile to appreciate the structure of the book because at first all I could see was a collection of unrelated fragments. At first the protagonist feels that he had lost a year, and he feels unsettled and disoriented, but at the end he is at peace because “se dio cuenta de que en realidad no había perdido nada.” The book is a process through which Rivera draws upon the experiences of many fictional characters to describe the authentic Chicano experience. This series of random events, when seen together at a distance, form a portrait of a people.

Given the importance of this narrative technique, can we even say that the boy is the central character? We do not even know his name. But we do know the names of Ramon and Juanita, the quarreling lovers, the children of the unfortunate Garcia family, Chuy who died at war. We also hear their voices – the book is largely composed of criss-crossing conversations, fragments of dialogue by unknown speakers, stories related second-hand by gossiping neighbors. The events in the book are the collective life of el pueblo and they are narrated through its many voices. There are many identities and attitudes within this collective, this much is clear from the penultimate chapter when we overhear the private thoughts of the stranded migrants. Some angrily curse their situation and others let their thoughts wander peacefully – you can see both resignation and rebellion, but always hope of something better. I’ve never read a book where you could say that an entire group was the protagonist instead of a single character. Could anyone give me any other examples of books written this way?

Although i was COMPLETELY lost during the part of the book, the end was worth all the confusion. The non-chronological order of the book revealed to us how confused the boy was himself and I was certainly able to relate due to the fact that I was utterly confused myself. However, through the simple language and fragmented stories it made the entire meaning of the novel more powerful. Through the eyes of a child we can see the boys’ reactions added in with what we know as young adults. The simplicity put in plain view how the campesinos were being mistreated and how disease and poverty affected the young boy’s mental state.

The title has always fascinated me because, before reading the book, it seemed as though this was a children’s novel so I thought that fantasy would some how be incorporated. Then after reading the background of the author, I thought that the earth “devouring” someone perhaps referred to the physical and natural disasters that Mexican workers had to face everyday working on the earth. However, it was completely different! “…y no se lo trago la tierra” referred to the young boy who was deeply concerned about what would happen to him if he were to speak blasphemy against God. Overall this book helped me see that despite the hardships that the chicanos faced, such as poverty, sickness and mistreatment, they still continued to hope for “the arrival” of their people as a whole

Algo que destacó en la película era el caso de las mujeres. el libre no nos describe tanto la vida de mujeres en la vida chicana. Desde que yo recuerdo, una vez la madre va al centro para comprar regalos, y le tratan mal y vuele a casa mareada de miedo y terror, y su esposo le consuela deciendo que le acompañara al centro o que no hace falta que ella vaya de compras sola! Esa era la solución, y la madre me parecío poco sólido, o incapaz. 

Just a quick note:

Well, it’s over, and although I thought it was going to be a fairly easy read, like most of us did in the beginning, I think we’ve realized that this is one more Rivera that shocks and surprises us. In general I quite dislike reading novels that are confusing on the whole, and then magically come together at the end. This one a slight exception, because throughout, despite the fact that I didn’t quite know how everything was going to add up, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Acabo de darme cuenta que debo escribir en espanol. Bueno, me gusto mucho el estillo de Rivera. La primera cosa de su estillo es que usa muchisimos “Mexicanismos” o sea que usa palabras que la gente de la calle se usa en Mexico. Muchas palabras y frases que me hacen reir y pensar de Mexico, y las temas sociales de la vida diara. Como dije en clase, estoy super-seguro de que ese libro fue la exprecion de sus ideas sobre su vida, y las experiencias que tenia Rivera durante su ninez viviendo entre los Estados Unidos y Mexico.

La pura verdad es que no tengo muchos pensamientos ni opiniones muy fuertes sobre esa historia. Como ya dije, me gusta mucho el estillo de Rivera, los cuentitos en la novel fueron interesantes y algunos tratan de temas muy fuertes y emocionales. Pero en fin me siento como tengo que reflexionar todavia mas para entender bien el menaje de Rivera. Tengo ganas de oir lo que opinan ustedes en clase. Que tal de la novel y su structura? Tal vez estoy perezoso…no se.

P.D. Disculpame…escribi sin acentos.

   I just read the last post on the class blog, and had to laugh out loud. I too am on my way out to the VIFF, although not to see the film on border relations. Perhaps it would have been fitting though…

Hey ya’ll,

I’ve read the rest of the book, but I’m about to go see a movie about border relations at the VIFF, and I think I can come up with some interesting parallels…the film is from Mexico, and it is called “The Infinite Border” or in Spanish “La Frontera Infinita”. You can see a trailer here : https://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=75C8ea77tiw.

I’ll give you a report soon!

Este libro era muy satisfacía a terminar.  El ritmo del segundo mitad del libro apresurado para mí y conectó los detalles que fueron dejados abierto.  El libro hizo un trabajo extraordinario de representer el desarrollo del cáracter del chico pequeño.  Estoy contento que Rivera entró la profundidad acerca de la religión.  Me gusta cómo que muestre que la iglesia tiene los problemas también y eso aún un chico puede ver que tiene los pecados también.  Sin embargo, aunque el chico figure esto fuera,  él todavía es vulnerable a la iglesia a causa de lo que ellos lo han enseñado.  Un ejemplo está en pagina 53.  “Bien, me podía imaginar lo que sería estar en el infierno para siempre.  Eso era todo lo que comprendía.”

Un otro tema que encontré interesante y efectivo fue que el autor ultilió inglés para monstrar el racismo hacía Mexicanos.  Hay muchos ejemplos dispersados a través del libro. Pero cuando yo estaba leyendo los pasajes que yo encontraba los pasajes a ser más poderoso a mí.  Creo que esta técnica de la escritura podría haber tocado una tema que no me sabe, o que Rivera queria transmitir con mayor énfasis.

hay muchos otros temas que Rivera habló de en este libro pero religión es mi favorita. En términos generales, muy bueno