“…y no se lo tragó la tierra”

I’ll begin by saying that this book was not at all what I expected, as I’m sure many of you have found. My first impression, as I always judge books by their cover, informed me that it would be a fairly easy read, perhaps even a childrens book about a migrant boy in Mexico. I was definitely surprised when I started reading it and realized that it was not quite that at all. Although I was right in the sense that it is about a migrant boy living between Texas and Mexico (?) it is definitely a little more advanced than most childrens novels. I suppose if it was read in English, it would perhaps target a younger audience.

Anyway, I decided to do some research on Tomas Rivera because I find that prior to reading, knowledge of the author can make the “big picture” a lot easier to understand. This was definitely the case here. After learning a bit about him, his life, and his experiences, it made the book a bit easier to understand and relate to. Like I’m sure many of us will mention, the style and structure in which the novel (?) was written did really confuse me at first. I have a feeling everything will come together at some point in the book, and things will start to make sense. I think it’s clear that we all need to have the general idea that the novel is a collection of short stories/experiences of this boy. Perhaps the reason the chapters seem so mixed up is because this is truly the way he remembers his life, as a big bluur of experiences and thoughts.

I quite enjoy the way Tomas Rivera writes these long, semi confusing dragged out sentences, some of which seem to be in Spanglish, or in this case what I like to call “Tex Mex”. The language used is very colloquial Mexican which I love and makes me laugh. As for the story, Rivera wants us to have extreme compassion for the main characters position and the hardships he faces in his difficult life in the South, and as a Latino living in the United States. He makes us realize that many things haven’t changed since the time this book is set in, and we currently still face a lot of issues relevant to the novel.

y no se lo trago la tierra…

hmmm….my initial impression of this book…well i thought it was a little odd that it was a childrens novel. although i do understand that the child is the narrator however i found it hard to follow in terms of who and what was being talked about. I dont know if this happened to only me but i found in hard (at the same time interesting) that we don’t know the narrato’s name or those of his family. come to think of it…we rarely in the book hear about names. (only a few). that’s why i found it a little complicated at times in terms of who they were talking about and to whom things were occuring. At the end of the book we see a lot of cursing which suprised me, as i heard that this was meant for children.

I also didn’t quite get the rythym of the book. Like, sometimes it would talk about one event, then another, that had nothing to do with eachother. Other times he would start talking about something and then go back in time. There was a flow…but it was a weird one. Not the usual chronological order that we’re all used too i guess..

Anyways, on the the contents of the book. I really enjoyed the little short stories that would be talked about. Although there was no major climax or action in the book, i thought it did a very good job in describing (from a child’s point of view) the realities of working campesinos.. I noticed that it touched on religion a lot (from the devil, to the church, to cursing god) which was interesting to see because of the different situations the boy was in and how he viewed religion.

I feel that maybe it was fragmented stories because it was symbolic of their fragmented lives in a way. The fact that they always had to travel and weren’t in one place for a long period of time is exaclty why the stories were short and there wasn’t actually any response to any of them. they just happened. there was no follow up.

I think there’s a lot more to this story that im still trying to piece together and im excited to here other people’s opinions on it!!

estamos aquí como enterrados en la tierra

Este libro me recuerda mucho a una novella que leí el año pasado. Se llama Pedro Páramo de Juan Rulfo. Los dos autores han empleado una técnica distinto en estos cuentos. Es decir que la forma es un poco irregular. Nunca sabemos el nombre del personaje principal y durante las primeras páginas es difícil entender lo que pasa. No sigue una cronología regular tampoco. Aunque las descripciones de Martí y su empleo de adjetivos fueran difíciles de seguir, el estilo de escritura de Rivera es igualmente difícil de entender. Pero me gusta así que no sabemos todos los pedazos del rompecabezas hasta la última página.

Lo que me encontré interesante es el sentido de miseria y frustración  del hijo de la familia de trabajadores inmigrantes. A causa que Rivera fue un trabajador inmigrante como niño, puede escribir los sentimientos comunes de los trabajadores “Porqué es que nosotros estamos aquí como enterrados en la tierra?…Y todos los días, trabaje y trabaje. Para qué? Pobre papá…yo creo que nació trabajando” (44). Ser nacer en una familia pobre habría sido una cadena perpetua para un mexicano viviendo en los estados unidos y esto es como el personaje principal siente. Este narrativo explica los problemas y las luchas de un joven que crece en Texas durante los años 70. 
Pero de dónde viene los espiritus? Y tambien, qué podemos decir de la forma de este libro?

…y no se lo trago la tierra

Ya he leido la primera mitad de … y no se lo trago la tierra de Tomas Rivera y pienso que me gusta el libro. Su manera de escribir es muy informal, y como han dicho unos otros en la clase, el libro parece que estuviera una novela para jovenes. Hay unos elementos, por ejemplo el diseno de la portada, la talla de las palabras, que parece que el narrador es un chavo joven, y la manera de que esta escrito, que nos dice que es un libro para jovenes, pero creo que las temas de que se trata son mas profundas.

Yo tambien estaba un poco confundida de unas cosas como de quien estaba hablando y de que edad tiene el narrador y del orden de los cuentitos que no parece cronologico. Pero de todos modos me gusta los cuentos y no me importa mucho si no tienen nada de orden ni si me confunden un poquito.

Lo que me gusta mas de ese libro es su manera informal de escribir en espanol. Ese texto es mil veces mas facil de leer que el de Marti que era lo mas dificil que yo he leido en mucho tiempo. Rivera usa muchas palabras coloquiales de Mexico y America latina, por ejemplo todos los personajes siempre dicen “n’ombre” o “m’ijo”. Eso para mi es interesante porque nunca he visto esas palabras en un libro. Tambien me gusta la manera de que Rivera uso expresiones como “por favorcito” y “Diosito” porque eses dichos diminutivas tambien son bien mexicanos. Yo tambien tome nota de que Rivera siempre escribe luego…luego y que tambien siempre habla de la verguenza y del orgullo y el coraje. Todavia no se porque el escribio asi, pero tal vez hablamos de eso el lunes en clase.

Creo que ese texto es muy interesante y es una manera facil de aprender sobre la situacion social y economico de la gente chicana en los anos 1950.

Don’t judge a book by it’s cover

So how many of you, like me, looked at …y no se lo tragó la tierra and thought that you were about to read a children’s book? Then, after even the first chapter, you felt you may have underestimated the content there within?

While reading this book, I feel like I’m stuck in a whirlpool: the chapters pull me in every direction (first person narrator, third person narrator, omniscient…) but I believe that they are all spinning me towards an inevitable end when all characters will come together. So far, this hasn’t happened, but I’m still eagerly waiting. [CAUTION: PLOT SPOILER!] When the boy in the beginning was shot by that old man I thought, “wow, this has got to be a central plot!” But I’m halfway into the book and haven’t heard a peep explaining the outcome of that scene (although I do have a few guesses as to the identity of the dead person who was thrown in the well).

It’s a little unnerving to read a book that doesn’t give names to its principal characters, and at times I am completely confused as to who’s speaking. But this gives me more of a pull towards the story. It makes me curious. I will often read a page two or three times until I actually understand (or at least have my guesses) about who is speaking and what they are talking about. At first I thought that the novel was a mix of 2 stories: one of the humans and one of the spirit world. I think this still might be the case and I’m eagerly awaiting the moment of the devil’s arrival amonst the humans (my guess so far is that he may already be there in the form of that not-so-righteous ‘fulano’ (p. 41)). But in all fairness, I love stories like this….as long as the ending lives up to its suspense.

I’m also curious why the author adds the repitition of ‘luego, luego’ to much of the dialogue. I guess this may be more obvious later………later 😛 (sorry i couldn’t resist!)

I’m enjoying the read immensely…especially the senses described (so many smells!!), and the inner monologues of the first person characters. This book exemplifies that old saying, “Never judge a book by its cover.”

…Y no se lo trago la tierra

It took me a while to get into the spirit of things in this book. I like how the story is portrayed in small vignettes yet still tells the tale on this one little boy throughout his life. We see how he is bullied in school just because of his race, exactly how Mexicans and those of other nationalities were and still are treated in the United States. Reading this, and being an immigrant myself, I realize the importance of how Canada treats all those who aren’t natives of this country (not many are). It pains me to hear the thoughts of this little boy who wants so badly to make his family proud, and can’t stand the though of telling them of his unfair failure in such an early stage in life. However, it also pains me to think that not once in his thoughts does he mention the possibility of this being unfair treatment due to his colour of skin. The boy is still oblivious to the racy thought in the heads of those surrounding him when he is in their presence. A part of me wants to shake him and halt his naivite early on, just so he can work that extra mile to overcome the difficulties that will no doubt plague him for the rest of his life. However, that other part of me also wants to blind him, to keep believing that coming to the states will give him and his family that surge of freedom, hapiness, and opportunity that is so highly talked of. The situation of this little boy and many other unrelated immigrants flooding the states as we speak (or rather as you read), hopeful for a better future, will likely not improve. Maybe relatively speaking their lives will be better off than those left behind, however mexicans are mostly viewed in the states as those to do the ‘bitch work’ of the americans, who only view them as minimum wage workers with no education. This may be true of some immigrants, but especially recently, many do have the education needed to suceed, but will sadly be overlooked due to their origins. Before I digress too much on immigrants and the states, let me bid adieu and see you in class.

…y no se lo trago la tierra

Este libro es interesante por el estilo en que esta escrito. Esta narrado en numerosas cuentitas distintas involucrando varias caracteres. Parece que hay una tema de sentir siempre como extranjero en los Estados Unidos, maltratados por los Americanos y desfavorecidos. Por ejemplo, en el capitulo “es que duele,” un chico Mexicano esta involucrado en una pelea en escuela que no empieza el, pero cuando habla el principal de lo, dice: “The Mexican kid got in a fight and beat up a couple of our boys…they could care less if I expelled him…They need him in the fields…I know you warned me.” El chico esta identificado solamente por su raza, y lo mas facil solucion es a expelarle, sin preocupacion por su cuenta de los hechos, por su educacion, o por justicia. Tengo el sentido que el chico esta el unico Mexicano el la escuela y que ningun de los padres de los otros estudiantes van a preocuparse si el principal lo expela, tambien el principal presuponga que los padres del chico mexicano tampoco van a preocuparse, porque pueden usar su labor en las motas. Hay tambien otro aspecto de prejusticia cuando el principal expresa a su conversador que ya fue preavisado del peligro de acceptar un estudiante Mexicano y mezclarlo con los estudiantes blancos.

La verguenza tambien es una tema que se encuentra en muchas cuentas en la primera mitad de este libro. Verguenza en ser diferente, verguenza en la suposicion de ser sucio, etc., pero hay tambien una reaccion opuesta de coraje o orgullo en la recognicion de la absurdidad de estos preconcepciones e injusticias. El capitulo corto llamado “Una tarde el ministro…” lleva esta tema de verguenza. Enlo, los hombres en un pueblo y su iglesia, son todos avergonzados por un hombre blanco que supuestamente iba a ensenarles, pero en lugar de esto, toma todo sus tiempo del dia y la esposa del ministro.

Bartolome de las Casas segunda parte

La relacion y las situaciones que en ella se mencionan no cambian en la segunda parte del libro. Los indigenas siguen siendo victimas de las crueldades de los espanoles y los ultimos continuan su tirania. Aunque lo esperaba, hubiera querido ver un poco de contraste entre un lugar y otro. Peru, Argentina y Venezuelan so indistinguibles de Florida o Mexico, la gente parece ser tan gentilisima y noblesisima en un lugar como en el otro. Tambien pense que encontraria una conclusion o despedida formal para el rey de espana y me sorprendi al no encontrarla.

Algo que no recuerdo de la primera parte pero que veo en esta son ejemplos en los que los actos ‘malevolos” de los conquistadores afetaron la labor religiosa de los frailes. Hay un ejemplo en la pagina 59 en la que dos Frailes de Santo Domingo son asecinados por indigenas por culpa de los conquistadores. Tambien hay otro ejemplo en el que un religioso confronta a un espanol sacando del fuego a un nino en llamas. Bartolome busca soporte a sus argumentos incluyendo el testimono de otro religioso Marcos de Nazis. Talves de las Casas quiere mostrar al rey que la tirania de los espanoles en America esta creando un desbalance de poder en la sociedad y por tanto problemas a espana. Estoy de acuerdo con este punto. Cada uno de los tiranos que menciona Bartolome tiene potencial para convertirse en un traidor de la corona robando oro o declarandose superior al poder real.

Creo que de las Casas no quiere hacer ninguna acusacion directa para no desviar la atencion del lector hacia otros problemas de la conquista o no causar una querella, sin embargo me parece que el autor piensa que los conquistadores estan abusando de su poder. Creo que al nombrar lo que Alemania hace en espana deja claro su punto sobre el abuso de poder sin dejar mal sabores en sus compatriotas. Al final del libro la advertencia sobre el peligro que corre la corona Espanola se hace mas clara. De las casas menciona que ninguna de las leyes de 1546 se cumplen por negligencia de los espanoles y que castilla puede corres peligro de ser castigada por dios por las infamias ocurridas en America.

Escenas Norteamericanas

En El Puente de Brooklyn, Marti obviamente tiene mucha admiracion para esta gran ciudad. Sus descripciones estan llenas con detalles y factos sobre el puente. Parece que alguien encontraba esta ciudad, con su technologia y gente de todos raices, ser magnifico en todos aspetos. Es interesante que Marti compara el puente a monumentos como el Acropolis, que en mi opinion, no es la comparacion mas apropriada, porque el Acropolis fue construido antes del tiempo de Jesus y no tuvo la intencion de viajo mas facil. Pero yo pienso que el punto que marti esta haciendo es que New York es como un nuevo nacimiento de civilizacion. Marti probablemente no ha visto una ciudad donde diversidad esta a cada esquina, donde los edificios aparece como los dios han construido. Refierre a partes especificas con gran fascinacion:
Mas, como anclaron en la tierra esos magicos cables?
En mi opinion, este articulo concierna mas con la ciencia del puente sino que la alma o emocion.

Coney Island, en la otra mano, es un texto que funciona mas como literatura o poesia que el previo sobre el puente. Sin embargo, yo preferia leer algo con menos vocabulario y muchas mas morismos, por ejemblo una traduccion de The Babysitters Club o El Diablo Lleva Prada. Es dificul concluir si Marti esta en realidad impresionante con todos aspetos de New York, porque no creo que el estado de New York es tan perfecto como el descrube. Con oraciones como “que absoluta ausencia de toda tristeza o pobreza posibles!” es dificil saber si es cinico o no. Quizas esta observando que New York puede ocultar la pobreza. O quizas no tengo la capacidad comprender sus ensayos en su totalidad…

Rivera

Well, obviously, this is quite a change of pace from Martí’s work, and a welcome respite from the dictionary-heavy task of that reading. However, being written from a young boy’s perspective by no means detracts from the depth of the ideas presented. Some of the stories he tells are absolutely heartbreaking. Tales of encountering racism and unfair treatment from the gringos (pg 11? tragic) as well as the experiences he describes while staying with don Laíto and Doña Bone are emotionally harrowing. Rivera is certainly talented at creating a bond between reader and protagonist, as I felt my heart bleeding for this little boy. 

A couple of the little anecdotes are quite revealing as well. I particularly like the one on page 51 where a young man foolishly wishes for time to pass just to see what happened to him, instead of actively taking part in the plot of his life, a less than subtle version of the old “youth is wasted on the young” adage. 
Rivera makes many astute comments on the follies of human society and our misconceptions towards everything from education to religion. Page 54 shows the innocently misguided young boy believing that admitting to as many sins as possible will absolve him of all guilt and prevent any possible sacrilege. The very idea of sin and atonement in the Catholic church is ludicrous enough (ahem, in my opinion), but to assume that you can buy your way out of future contrition by overshooting in your confession basically brings us back to the medieval practice of indulgences in the church. “Hey everybody, you can give money to the church and thereby purchase a ticket to heaven! Yes, it’s just that simple, folks. Three easy installments of $29.99 gets you eternal peace and joy!” Wow, good thing I’m not catholic, or that would probably be considered blasphemy! A lot of latin americans are deeply religious, and Rivera is likely among them, but it’s nice to see that he’s not promoting blind faith and an attitude of irresponsibility for your own actions. Thumbs up!