10. Mama Chona
9. Miguel Chico
8. Miguel Grande
7. Felix
6. Juanita
5. Angie
4. JoEl
3. Lola
2. Nina
1. Lena
10. Mama Chona – It’s easy for me to begin on
how Mama Chona is the most culturally schizophrenic amongst all the characters
of the novel. Seeing as though she is the matriarch of the Angel Family, she is
the origin and the blame for the rest of the family. Not only is she culturally
schizophrenic, stuck with two cultures (that of her Mexican culture and her
grandchildren’s American culture), Mama Chona suffers the most from
internalized racism as well as prejudice towards indios. Arturo Islas, author of The
Rain God, he states, “Mama Chona did not approve of any of the Mexican
women her sons and daughters hired for her grandchildren” (14) as well as, “the
snobbery Mama Chona and Tia Cuca displayed in every possible way against the
Indian and in favor of the Spanish in the Angels’ blood was a constant
puzzlement to most of the grandchildren” (142). She disapproved of Nina’s
husband, Ernesto, as well as Felix’s wife, Angie, for the same reason, they
were not “white” enough for their children. I understand that she has endured a
lot in her life, such as losing three children and devoting herself to God,
but, as much as she has been loved by her family, Mama Chona is the root of all
evil in the family.
9. Miguel Chico – I placed Miguel Chico after
Mama Chona for one reason, “and Mama Chona was still very much a part of him”
(28). Though Miguel Chico is college educated, I find him, in comparison to the
other characters, to be a younger replica of Mama Chona. He shares Mama Chona’s
beliefs that people are uneducated, especially internalized racism, for
example, when he talks of María’s “uneducated Spanish” and how she, “was one of
hundreds of Mexican women from across the border who worked illegally as
servants and nursemaids for families on the American side” (13). Miguel Chico
is also divided by his Mexican culture from the Southwest to his newfound
American identity in San Francisco. It disturbed me to know that even though he
was college educated, he wasn’t conscious throughout the novel.
8. Miguel Grande – where to begin with Miguel
Grande? He’s a cop with a family and a well to-do man. He himself believes that
he’s living the American dream, “The North American dream had worked for him.
Only his family reminded him of his roots…” (78). Miguel Grande is just a
dreamer for he suffers from cultural schizophrenia, thinking that he’s
accomplished both. He hasn’t. He’s stuck between two cultures and wants to fit
in. He’s caught between his marriage with Juanita and his mistress Lola. He’s
stuck between being an all-American cop and finding sympathy for his queer
brother who was murdered. He’s homophobic; ashamed of his brother’s behavior.
By him being a cop shows how he suffers from internalized racism, creating an
us versus them mentality “knowing” that he’s made the American dream in comparison
to others who haven’t. Miguel Grande isn’t necessarily a good guy, to be
honest, he’s just there, with no real purpose in life, in fact, he's just delusional.
7. Felix – As the brother of Miguel Grande,
Felix lives a double life. On one side, he’s a husband and father, raising his
children the best he could but on the other side, he cruises for young army men
at bars. Felix suffers from many issues: internalized racism is very prevalent
in his life. Seeing as though he’s a boss that hires Mexican men to work hard
labor, she conducts “examinations” that usually end up with Felix pleasuring
them, sexually. In one incident, some of the workers were joking with Felix and
called him “Jefe Joto” and he blurts back, “hey, pendejo, why don’t you stop being a stupid wetback and learn
English?” (117). I’d also say that Felix suffers from some sort of internalized
homophobia, Seeing as though he only has sex with me and not relationships (in
denial of his homosexuality) he becomes concerned that his son, JoEl, is
becoming poetic, if you will, “Felix’s heart broke with the knowledge that his
son was a poet” (122). I take this as Felix being afraid that his son will
become gay or sensitive, if you will, though it’s quite contradicting seeing as
though Felix is having sexual relations with men.
6. Juanita – The mother of Miguel Chico, Juanita
suffers from internalized racism just as much as the other characters. She said
to Nina, “You’re going to remain an uneducated Mexican all your life” (42). Her
character bothered me so much, seeing as though her husband, Miguel Grande,
begins a relationship with her best friend, Lola, all the while Juanita tries
to deny it. Once she does find out, she is too sympathetic to Miguel Grande,
forgiving him over and over, losing much respect for herself. Her low
self-esteem allows her to return to him, knowing that that’s the right thing to
do even though she shouldn’t be with him.
5. Angie – I would say Angie suffers from the
colonized mind. She prefers her oldest son, Berto, in comparison to JoEl
because “he was not a thinker like JoEl” (119). She prefers a man who is
helpful and strong, not sensitive and well-educated. To pick a favorite child
is slightly depressing knowing that JoEl was doing well, he wasn’t the right
one.
4. JoEl – Joel suffers from internalized racism,
especially with his mother, Angie. He enjoys listening to her speak English
because, to him, it’s comical to see her struggle with the words. What he’s
unknowingly doing is putting her down for being Mexican and not American, like
the way he has embraced it.
3. Lola – more like Lolita. She uses her body as
a sexual vehicle, to get what she wants. Being the best friend of Juanita, she
does the ultimate friend betrayal and she has a relationship with Miguel
Grande, her husband. I would also say that Lola shows signs of homophobia, for
when she speaks of Miguel Grande, she states, “Oh? He’s a very good dancer. And
he’s no queer” (70). It bothers me that regardless of how many times she has
relations with Miguel Grande, Lola still wants to maintain a friendship with
Juanita. How delusional is she? It bothers me that these characters allow for
it to happen.
2. Nina – Nina is, for me, an unnecessary
character. She doesn’t suffer from much but she also isn’t all there. She’s
aware of t he relationship between Lola and Miguel Grande but doesn’t tell
Juanita anything until much later in the novel. I rated her at number two
because she wasn’t the least nor the worst aware character, she just, by
default, is placed here. She has nowhere to go.
1. Lena – Lena is, in my opinion, the least
culturally schizophrenic, in comparison to the other characteristics in the
novel. If anything, Lena was my favorite character in The Rain God. Though she was seen as “lower class” (85) by her
family members, she was the most conscious member, seeing the injustices caused
by the judicial system. With the death of her father, she is outraged that her
father’s killer was transferred to another army base and will not be tried. She
recognizes the injustices in the system and as well as her uncle, Miguel Grande
and his homophobia towards his brother and homosexuals.
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