By Andrea García, Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY, and Carmen Martínez-Roldán, Universtiy of Texas, Austin, TX
“The girls told me about how they build altars to their relatives who have died, most especially the ones who’ve died in the last year,” Grandma is explaining. “So I asked them if they’d help me do one for Gramps. I don’t call it an altar,” Grandma quickly adds as if she might get in trouble with Reverend Hollister at church… “I call it a memory table.”
In Return to Sender, Alvarez’ storytelling weaves together the cultural practices that define her characters’ interactions with their worlds. Friendship, hard work, loss, and family ties, are all deeply shared values and experiences that influence how each individual character defines his/her role within the narrative.
Through events such as the transformation of the Mexican practice of creating “altars” into what Tyler’s Grandma defines as a “memory table,” we are reminded of the dynamic and ever-changing nature of culture (Nieto, 1999). Like González (2005) indicates, our day-to-day practices are always informed by multiple cultural systems, which in turn help us develop a hybrid and intercultural knowledge base of the world.
This week, we invite readers to consider the ways in which Mari and Tyler begin to discover and understand each other’s cultural identities by sharing and learning about their cultural practices. From sharing El Día de los Muertos to sharing star-gazing at night, Alvarez’ story is rich with cultural encounters between what is considered the majority and the minority culture in this story.
How do Mari’s family experiences present the constant interplay between assimilation and acculturation? In what ways are both families borrowing from the minority/majority culture? Are there certain contexts in the story that are more conducive to this interplay of cultural practices? How can you as the reader use the families’ experiences in this story to support your understanding of the role of culture in the classroom?
References
González, N. (2005). Beyond culture: The hybridity of funds of knowledge. In Funds of knowledge: Theorizing practices in households, communities and classrooms. (pp. 29-46). Mawhah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Nieto, S. (1999). The light in their eyes: Creating multicultural learning communities. New York: Teachers College Press.
[Editor Note: Return to Sender is reviewed in Volume XI, Issue 3 of WOW Review.]
Journey through Worlds of Words during our open reading hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Themes: Andrea García, Carmen M. Martínez-Roldán, Julia Alvarez, Return to Sender
- Descriptors: Books & Resources, Student Connections, WOW Currents
One good example of the interplay of assimilation and acculturation was seen during the dialogue between Ofie and her father. Ofie was asking her father for money to buy lunch and was code-switching between Spanish and English. When her father insisted she speak only Spanish Ofie said, “I’m American, I speak English.” I think this is an example of assimilation that has layers. It shows the generational shift that is happening in Mari’s family and the effects it has on the father. His concern over Ofie and Luby losing their Mexican identity is clear. On the other hand an example of acculturation is seen when the girls are wishing for gifts from Santa and Luby decides she can ask for toys from Santa and her mother and Tio Felipe’s safe return from the Three Kings. It’s subtle example of the girls taking on both cultures and turning into their own identity. I think the book is filled with small examples such as these that build a complex story of acculturation and assimilation.
There are many examples of assimilation and acculturation in Return to Sender but there are a few examples that really stand out when I think back to the book. We see an example of assimilation when Mari’s father forces his family to speak Spanish after a conversation with one of his daughters about her speaking English. Despite her Mexican roots, she was born in America and felt that she had to speak English. Luby and Ofie were assimilated into American culture and forgot Spanish. In many ways, Mari and her family resisted assimilation—such as during Halloween. They were not allowed to give out candy because her father said that they did not give anything to beggars. One example of acculturation when Mari and her family combine both of their worlds in the book is when Tyler’s mother asks Mari and her family what they wanted for Christmas and Luby asks for toys. Also, the grandmother’s “memory table” for the grandfather is called an “alter” by the girls. Both worlds begin to collide and both Mari’s family and Tyler’s family begin to borrow from the other’s culture, and they realize the similarities between their cultures (for example, the story of the swallows). I believe this is best seen at the end of the novel when Mari is trying to figure out a name for the Paquette farm and her family begins to suggest Spanish names, and eventually comes to “Stars and Swallows Farm” or “Estrellas y Golondrinas.”
As Jeanmarie stated, “the book is filled with small examples of acculturation and assimilation.” Some examples are given by Rachel and Jeanmarie that prove this. Regarding the holidays and traditions, it is the combination that forms a new tradition. For examples, look into our everyday lives and how so many things, big or small, have a combination or combinations of different cultures. An example of assimilation is when Luby wants her father. On p.273, Mari states how Luby is crying because immigration had taken the parents and Luby said” I want my daddy”. Instead of using the Spanish form Papa she uses the English form. Again it is just a small example but a clear indication of assimilation.
Rachel, I really liked your reference of the naming of the Paquette’s farm. I think this example also touches on one of the main contexts of the story where you see the interplay of Mari and Tyler’s cultural practices. The connections made through Mari’s family’s time in Vermont with the Paquettes opens up the opportunity for a new culture to form. I think once Mari and her family are back in Mexico, although further away from one another’s cultures, this is when they mesh together or interplay the most. It becomes something that is part of each family’s cultural identity, with the naming of the farm in Spanish and English as the symbol of this established relationship. Crossovers are seen with the visit of the grandmother and Mr. Rossetti to Mexico, the planned visit of Tyler to see Mari, Tio Felipe and his American girlfriend and finally with Ofie’s plans of returning to America and opening a passageway for her family back into the country. The acculturation of both families and the opportunity to continue this interplay of cultures is set up for foreseeable future at the end of the story.
I do agree with all of your comments. There are a great many examples of assimilation and acculturation spread all throughout the story. These are natural phenomena that occur when two or more cultures collide. These are steps new immigrants take in order to be integrated into the mainstream culture. One more occurrence that I can’t help notice, is the ever present fear of deportation that some how hindered Maria’s family free exchange in their cross-cultural environment. For instance, Maria was afraid that at school they would find out that she did not have her legal documentation. Then this same crippling fear was displayed in the scene that took place on Halloween day in their trailer at the farm.
Throughout the book there were many parts that showed the characters assimilating to the culture in which they were surrounded by. Like Rachel said Mari and her sisters were told that they could only talk in Spanish, once he realized that they were forgetting their Spanish. He also made rules that if the girls wanted to watch T.V. it must be on Spanish channels. By doing this the father thought believed that they could hold onto their Spanish culture. During school, and in their “home” they were almost losing their identity since they were surrounded by Americans and were the “minorities”. Although the younger girls thought they were being punished, Mari realized that her father was doing this to remind the girls of their heritage and to never forget where they came from. I agree with Rachel in her examples of how the book shows the girls acculturating to the American culture. The example of making the altar for Tyler’s Grandpa was part of Mari’s culture that she shared with the Grandma. It was nice to see that both families were so accepting of the others culture. Another example of acculturation is when they cooked a special meal that they made back home for Tyler and his family. Once the family went back to Mexico, it was hard for Luby and Offie to adjust more than it was for Mari. They didn’t enjoy cleaning, and cooking meals, but they realized that this was apart of their culture and had to do.
Jeanmarie, I agree that there are many examples of interplay of cultures. As the story progresses, you see Mari trying her best to assimilate into American culture, and then as she gets more comfortable with her surroundings and the people she’s with, she becomes more courageous and realizes that her culture is nothing to be ashamed of, so she opens the door for acculturation to take place. Also, the more comfortable she is, the more she opens up to Tyler and in her letters, so we are able to see her feelings and attitudes towards others. We see this with Mr. Rossetti as well. We first meet him as a passionate man without any qualms about expressing his feelings about illegal immigrants, but by the end of the story he has done a complete 180.
I think the way Rachel explains Mari’s transition into feeling comfortable with her surroundings and the new people she’s with could also translate into the classroom. Teachers should look towards the experiences of the families in the book and realize that many of the children in their classes could very easily have experienced similar life situations. We as teachers should work towards having an understanding of the cultures that their students bring into the classroom. We saw that happen in the book with both Ms. Ramirez and Mr. Bicknell and the lessons they taught. We also saw the two families in the book learn to trust and understand one another’s cultures and with that open up and grow. The environment and community we create in the classroom should allow for that same kind of trust and understanding. As we plan our classrooms and lessons we need to allow for opportunities where we can learn about and from each of our students just as Mari and Tyler’s families learned about one another.
the part i thought that was the most interesting regarding culture and cultural exchange was what happened during the day of the dead. tyler had been kind of avoiding the girls and the family, and then when he went to see his grandmother it had been made clear that she spoke with the girls herself and learned about the day of the dead, and the customs they have. i thought it was a very great effort and action for the grandmother to make the altar or ‘table’ as she called it, for gramps. it showed that she could be accepting and appreciative of the girls’ culture, and that not only the mexicans could learn from the american customs, but vice versa.
Jeanmarie, you made a really good point about using our experiences and cultures of our students in our classrooms. I am a firm believer that we learn better from experiences and our surroundings, and there is no better way for students to learn about one another’s backgrounds than for the students to share it themselves. the lesson that ms. ramirez did about the day of the dead, is a good example of a lesson that will open student’s eyes to accepting and appreciating the practicies in other cultures.
it’s important to help the students maintain, appreciate and not be ashamed of their culturally diverse backgrounds, while also introducing it to the class so that all students can share, appreciate and learn from one another.
Most of Tyler’s immediate family were very accepting of Maria’s family. But the person who is more accountable for their adjustment into the new culture, would be Tylers’ grandma. From the getgo she received them with open arms, and many meaningful cultural exchanges took place at her house. For instance, the girls taught the grandmother how to build an altar in rememberance of her departed husband and in turn, she taught them how to bake cookies. She also invited them over for dinner during the holidays such as Halloween and Thanksgiving.
To me the grandmother is the very embodiment of the American spirit, which embraces people from all over the world giving them the freedom to express their culture.
I think using these book examples in today’s classroom would be very beneficial to the students especially when they too could have had very similar experiences. It would definitely help them to better deal with the adjustments and changes in their new cultural environment and surroundings.
I agree with Samantha regarding Ms. Ramirez and the Grandmother’s acceptance of the holiday “Day of the Dead”. These examples can help students understand that everything is related somehow. Even though the customs are celebrated differently, the thoughts and ideas have similarities. When there is a topic regarding a custom I often ask my students how do they celebrate it. I feel it gives them a chance to express themselves and their cultures. In making the classroom a safe environment, students can hopefully speak freely and without prejudice
There is a comment that Mr. B makes about how we are all connected. On p. 59, he explains that when teaching the students how to save the planet. In my own classroom I taught a lesson about the swine flu. I asked my students if they were worried. Some responded “No, it is in Mexico”. Just like Mr. B in the book I explained further how it traveled to many other places. How we are connected. I feel that lessons like this can teach students acceptance and even though there are so many wonderful differences we are all together in this world.
I agree with Jeanmarie in that it is our job to create a certain environment and community in our classrooms. It is important that each child feels a sense of pride in their culture and proud to share. Throughout the book once Tyler got to know Mari better he really made her feel comfortable about her culture. He listened to her talk about Mexico and her family. I think that if the teacher was more welcoming of Mari’s culture she wouldn’t have felt as uncomfortable in school as she did some days. The children who were making fun of her would have learned to appreciate her differences and accept her more. I think this is a very important issue that is ignored in many classrooms. It is our job as new teachers to welcome different people and cultures. It is a learning experience for everyone.
I agree (again) with Jeanmarie about how Mari’s feeling comfortable with her surroundings translates into the classroom. She was fortunate to have teachers that accepted her and her culture and wanted to help her. She was also lucky that, despite a few students who did not treat her well, she was in a caring and trusting environment at home and in school.
Marie,
I totally agree. I allow my students to share their cultures with their classmates as well and I find it so interesting how excited they are not only to share, but to learn something new from their peers. I think grandma was actually excited to learn about the “3 Marias” and they were excited to share their culture and traditions with her.
Samantha mentioned the actions taken by the Grandmother on the “Day of the Dead” I found it interesting how the Grandmother was constantly connecting with the Mexican culture and holidays more than her own. There was another part where the Grandmother is talking about other American holidays and she likes how the girls celebrate better. The culture and traditions that Mari and her sisters bring to the Grandmother is then passed to Tyler and his family.
While thinking about how I can use the story of these two families to help understand how to use culture in the classroom I thought of how the teachers in Mari and Tyler’s school allowed Mari to share her experiences. Allowing students to share their culture, traditions, and celebrations allows us to better understand each other and better connect. As a teacher it is important to allow students to share their cultures in the classroom to better the classroom community and culture. Understanding every individual for how they are different, but also for how similar each one is. Allowing students to share celebrations and traditions in the classroom is a way to build tolerance and diversity in an authentic way.
I think that the most obvious account of assimilation is seen from Ofie and Luby. They were born in the US and their point of view and way of doing things is “more American.” They seem to struggle connecting with their Mexican heritage. Mari spent at least part of her youth in Mexico so the language and culture are hers. For example Mari is fluent in Spanish and is comfortable using the language. Her sisters on the other hand become more and more reluctant to use Spanish as they grow older. I don’t believe that this reluctance comes from a bad place, it is just an outward manifistation of how they are assimilating into the majority culture and language. For example when the father laid down the mandate that only Spanish be spoke the little girls asserted that they are american and speak English. Even the television shows they watched were in English for the most part.
It’s so important to understand how language is not only a link to one’s culture but also to the culture of mainstream society. As Olfie and Luby went through their day the only SPnaish they heard was at home. This quickly made Spanish less of a neccessity to living their everyday lives. This is often the case in children of immigrants. The majority language is the language of school, social activities and entertainment so i t is no surprise that that language becomes favored.
The wonderful aspect of this book is that culture and tradition between Mari’s and Tyler’s family is freely shared. For example Grandma was having a difficult time dealing with her husbands death. Her own family and culture did not provide her a sufficient way to grieve the loss of her husband. However, the memory table as she called it that was adapted from the alter to the dead that exists in Mexican culture helped her to handle her loss. This openness to share different cultural tradtions happens through out the book.
In addition to generic cultural experiences that they share there is also a sharing of personal culture in the form of letters and star gazing. Mari tells Tyler that she wrote her mother a letter and then in the end she wrote Tyler a letter and he wrote her one as well. This is part of Mari’s cultural identity. She uses letters to express herself, and that idea came from her mother. Sharing this with Tyler is very significant. Tyler also shares some of his personal cultural traditions with Mari. When Tyler’s grandfather was still alive they would look at the stars together through a telescope his grandfather gave him. He shared this experience with Mari. He let her into this very special part of his world and that helped them to bridge the cultural gap and connect with eachother on a personal level.
The final gesture of cultures intermingling is the farm being named in Spanish and Tyler’s grandmothers visit to Mexico with Mr. Rosetti. This book has tried to mix cultures while still keeping their authenticity.
Marie,
I completely forgot that she said I want my daddy instead of mia pappa ( i think that is the spanish translation). This is such a good point that you bring up. It is the small things like that that show how easily people, especially children start to assimilate into the mainstream culture. Small children don’t think about translating neccessarily they just say what comes to mind as they think of it. This shows that Luby’s thoughts are being more shaped by English then Spanish., This is not surprising considering there are only a handful of people in her life that speak spanish. Most of her day is spent immersed in a fully English language environment.
Chirstine, I believe there is a link between language and culture as well. I found it interesting that the Olfie and Luby thought they were “more American” because they were born in America. To go along with that it was interesting to see the both English and Spanish in this book. There is a point when the father of the girls wants them to only speak Spanish at home and Mari’s younger sisters are have trouble doing this. The link between language and culture is shown drastically here, they are separating from their language and culture. Mari still speaks Spanish and is “less American” the younger girls are forgetting Spanish words and feel they are “more American”. Language helps connect us to a culture.
I agree with Marie Vegas at # thirteen. Mr. B. explains to his students the relationship that exists between the environment and people living around the globe. What occurs in one country may affect other nations directly or indirectly. We are not as isolated or unique as we would like to think we are, not even culturally. If we took a closer look through our day to day habits and ancestral line, it’s possible we might realize that we have more similarities than differences. If the teacher is able to make the student community understand this fact, they will be more accepting of others, and more willing to work alongside their immigrant classmates.
I often wonder how do parents who come from other countries keep their children connectd to their roots? Do many of them allow it without a fight because they want their children to become Americans?