Remember that this incredible series of vignettes explores
life in a barrio from the perspective of a young girl growing up as an immigrant among
immigrants in a different country. The challenges that these immigrants face are very
similar in terms of the difficulties they have to overcome in order to survive in this
world of theirs. Firstly, Louie's "girl cousin" has to cope with living without her own
family, who are in Puerto Rico. Whilst selling Avon products gives her free make up, she
still remains horrendously trapped by having to baby sit Louie's
sisters:
She
can't come out--gotta baby sit Louie's sisters--but she stands in the doorway a lot, all
the time singing, clicking her fingers, the same
song...
This points towards a
larger theme in the novel which is the position of women in this kind of world and the
opportunities or lack of opportunities that they
have.
Secondly, Louie's other cousin shows how many
immigrants turn to crime in order to try and get ahead in this bewildering new world. We
have an excellent example of how the rather naive narrator is not aware that this "great
big yellow Cadillac" is not stolen, and how she and others have a ride in it and play
with the electric windows until they hear sirens. This child-like innocence is
maintained as the narrator and her friends wave at Louie's cousin as the police take him
away.
Therefore, this vignette, like the entire novel,
expose the harsh realities of life of Latino immigrants in the States through the eyes
of a youthful and naive narrator, whose acceptance of these "realities" make them all
the more shocking.
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