Thursday, April 20, 2017

Mami and Papi

Grande, R. (2013).   The distance between us. New York:   Washington Square Press. p. 103-107
 












In this chapter Reyna and the children ask their abuelita about their parents. They first ask about their Papi, but they recieve an answer from Mago: The story of the feast of the Wise Men. One special memory she has of her Papi is when he came home late and brought them presents for the feast day. The children equate him with a knight who will come back from the other side to bring them presents and save them from poverty. If he went to the other side, he must be as wealthy as them and will eventually come back to share that wealth with them. That hope is the only thing that remains of their Papi; that and Mago's memory of the Feast of the Wise Men. This memory sharply contrasts with the memory that is told of their Mami as a young girl: Her bravely facing a wild donkey determined to tame and ride it. Their parents are idealized in the children's minds because anything else would be too hard to imagine. The father will bring home the gifts, and the mother will come and protect them from all danger. I think this section is beautiful, but like the rest of the memoir, it has a sadness that won't quite leave.  

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