A Life of Hardship

Paper Summary:

This paper compares and contrasts the life struggles experienced in the US by the characters in "Let it Rain Coffee" with the life struggles they experienced in the Dominican Republic. The paper describes how the Colon family came from the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States and found that the US was not a land of opportunity but a land of broken dreams. The paper shows how life was hard for them in New York City, but it was even harder in the Dominican Republic, as the children see when they return for a visit. The paper looks at the personal struggles of each family member.

From the Paper:

"There are many reasons Santo and Esperanza decided to immigrate to the United States, but the biggest one was Esperanza herself. She was addicted to the television show Dallas and believed she could find a better life in the United States. She thought everyone lived like the Ewings, and that she could have a better life. Santos really followed her because he loved her, but he wanted to go home, and realized just before he died that he hated New York. Cruz writes, "But he didn't do anything more than remind Santo of what he had forgotten about himself. That he hates the cold weather. That he had had enough" (Cruz 77). He wanted to go home, but he died before he had the chance. In fact, he had far different dreams from his wife. He thinks to himself, "All he ever wanted was to live. Wake up to the sun and fall asleep, with the moon, like the old men in Los Llanos [...]" (Cruz 74). He follows Esperanza not for his own dreams, but for hers, and it drives a wedge between them that is never removed."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cruz, Angie. Let it Rain Coffee. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

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