My expectation: In this final section of the book, my
expectation was to witness Reyna’s personal growth as she experienced America
and the cultures within this new country as she tries to succeed and make her
way to bigger and better things. Additionally, it was my expectation that, I,
as the reader, would learn more about the differing cultures and how it can be
difficult for immigrants to not only leave behind everything they have ever
known to come to a new country but also to see how they view society and what
life is like for them once they reach America.
This final section of The
Distance Between Us lived up to expectation. The section was all about
Reyna and her family’s journey in America as they fought to succeed. In this
section, we see the hardship that is faced when Reyna’s father’s sister steals
the house that Reyna’s father paid for and how this act broke him to the point
that he basically gave up on everything. Then we see how Reyna, even after
this, pushes forward and continues to succeed and works her hardest to be who
she wants to be. As we proceed through the rest of this section, we see that
Reyna’s father is very sick and at the close of the book she makes some of the
most profound statements in the book. On page 322, as Reyna begins to discuss
her father’s condition of needing dialysis and she progresses towards her
father’s ultimate ending, she makes some realizations. She states that her
father needed her company and conversation and the overarching thing he needed
was her forgiveness. The most profound thing that she states brings the book to
a close:
The day before my thirty-sixth
birthday, I found myself at my father’s hospital bed as his life support was
turned off. As I held my father’s hand, and my life with him flashed through my
mind, I thought about that question that I had always asked myself: If I had
known what life with my father would be like, would I have still followed him
to El Otro Lado?
You made me who I am, I thought as
he took his last breath. And I knew then that the answer to my question was
yes.
This final statement, in my opinion, was a general and specific
statement. The specific side of the statement lies in relation to her father. Although
life in Mexico and in America was hard, Reyna worked hard at both and because
of everything that she went through with her father and coming with him to America,
it made her who she would inevitably become. The general statement here lies in
relation to America and Mexico. Throughout this entire book, we follow the
personal and intellectual growth of a girl who lived in Mexico and then
migrated to America. This final statement could be interpreted as a closing
statement of acknowledgement of how her journey in Mexico then to America, and
within America shaped the person who she would become.
Although the book concludes on a somber ending with a
conclusion statement that can be left up to interpretation, this final section
is meant as an enlightenment section. Instead of complaining about her father’s
death and how depressing it was, she decides to give her readers the closure
that she received after contemplating her life. This final page offers great
insight into her personal feelings and overall growth throughout her journey
and allows the reader to see her attempt at saying that we need to evaluate our
lives and see that everywhere we have been and everything we have been through
has shaped our lives and no matter what happens, it will always be worth it in
the end.
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