Culture 3: Hispanic Literature

Module 3

Soto, Gary. 2003. The afterlife. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.
ISBN 0-15-204774-3

Summary: Chuy, a boy of Mexican descent living in Fresno is murdered simply because he made a comment about someone’s shoes. When his physical life ends his spirit roams around Fresno and is able to see things from a new perspective. He sees as his family grieves and prepare for his funeral. He misses his family and friends, but is unable to communicate with them. Finally he meets another spirit, a girl named Crystal who also recently died. Finally he is able to face the afterlife.

Critical Analysis: We learn in the first chapter that Chuy is Mexican American and there are many indicators of his culture. There is a great deal of code switching (using a mixture of English and Spanish) throughout this book. This is common in the culture and helps to make the story authentic in the cultural representation. Gary Soto is also writing from an insider perspective which also lends credibility.

This is definitely a modern representation of Mexicans living in America. While the characters retain some of their cultural traits, they are not overly romanticized. Also, they are not typecast. Chuy is an average boy who “ran cross country, ate lunch with my friends . . . and crowded around the fountain eyeing girls.” He just happened to be Mexican.

We do see several cultural markers in the story. The names used are indicators of this. Chuy’s proper name is Jesus, a common Mexican name. Some of his friends names are Angel and Julio. Interestingly, some of the forms of address he uses for family members are in English. For example he calls his grandfather “Grandfather” and his uncle is “Uncle Richard”. Also, some of his friends have American names, which shows some assimilation into the American culture.

We also get a sense of the macho or machismo coming out in Chuy’s attitude toward girls. This is brought out when he is standing in front of the mirror at the club and telling himself to “be Senor GQ” and to use his “lover boy strategy.”

The family relationships are another cultural marker in the book. Chuy’s concern for his “familia” is obvious when he is wishing he could comfort them after his death. We see the close relationship he had shared with his uncle Richard while he was still alive: Richard had allowed him to use his Honda on the night he died.

When Chuy’s mother wants one of Chuy’s friends to find and kill Chuy’s murderer, we get a glimpse of a kind of “revenge” attitude that we sometimes see in this culture, particularly in areas where there are gangs. In a sad way, it is representative of familial love carried to the extreme.

Representations of Mexicans show the diversity in the culture. Chuy is surprised to learn that Crystal is Mexican because she looks different than him with light brown hair and freckles. Also, her family appears to have more money than Chuy’s, which breaks down the stereotypes that all Mexicans are poor. When Chuy and Crystal joke about her making tortillas points out their understanding about the stereotypes which exist about their culture.

The gang element is a fact of life in Mexican American neighborhoods such as the one in which Chuy lived. It is entirely conceivable that someone could be murdered for simply making a comment about someone’s clothing or shoes.

Religion is another cultural marker. Chuy visits a Catholic church and prays before a candle in one part of the story. Mexicans are predominantly Catholic and for many it is not really a religion of the heart, but merely of culture, something they are born into. Yet the church has a strong influence, which comes out in the guilt that many Mexicans feel. Chuy admits that he was bored in Mass as a child. In his spirit form he starts to see things a little differently. We get a sense of the guilt Chuy feels when he confesses his sin of cussing in church.

This book is disturbing because it presents a true picture of life in some neighborhoods. Young lives are senselessly destroyed for no good reason every day. Yet the story is also filled with humor which lightens up the heaviness. When the dead homeless man jumps inside the body of Chuy’s murderer and makes him go to church and “get him to behave and not be such a punk”, we have to laugh.

The book is thought provoking. Young people are always interested in the spirit world. While they may find it disturbing, it may also raise some important issues. It is recommended for ages 12 and up.

Review Excerpts:
"Soto pens a sort of Lovely Bones for the young adult set, filled with hope and elegance," . . . "The author counterbalances difficult ideas with moments of genuine tenderness as well as a provocative lesson about the importance of savoring every moment.” (Publisher’s Weekly, 2005)

“Soto's simple and poetic language, leavened with Mexican Spanish with such care to context that the appended glossary is scarcely needed, is clear, but Chuy's ultimate destiny isn't.” (School Library Journal, 2003)

Connections: This book could be paired with two other books by Gary Soto with similar themes: Petty Crimes and Living up the Street.Also, it could be compared and contrasted to Julia Alvarez’s book How Tia Lola Came to Visit (Stay). That book gives a different perspective on Hispanics living in America.