"Pocho"

Paper Summary:

This paper reviews the story "Pocho" written by Jose Antonio Villarreal, in which he discusses the life of a young American born Mexican and his struggle to assimilate into the culture in which he is being raised, as compared to the culture in which he actively participates throughout his life. It discusses the struggles that he encounters in trying to deal with these two cultures. The paper concludes by presenting the writer's personal opinion about the book.

From the Paper:

" It is not just Richard, his father or his mother that have difficulty in becoming acclimatized to a new culture, it is all the main characters in the book as well. The book's tone is such that what could be depressing in its view, actually just turns out to be interesting. Philosophically speaking, anyone who would try to completely change the culture that they live in, or attempt to change themselves to fit into the culture in which they have the most interaction would find it difficult. That these characters had such a hard time is not surprising in the least. That they were as successful as they were in their attempts is what is surprising, especially when the reader considers that they were in a new country, with no friends, very little money and the only substantial thing they could offer society was the fact that they would work hard both in the manual labors which they performed, and in the classroom to better themselves."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Villarreal, Jose Antonio. Pocho. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Company, 1959

More papers on "Pocho":

• Book Review # 106762 : "Pocho" by Jose Antonio Villarreal"
• Analytical Essay # 70432 : "Pocho"
• Analytical Essay # 13704 : "Jose Antonio Villareal's " Pocho"

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