In the stories, Abuela invents the zero, and Little Women, the characters in both of the stories have experiences that have shaped their values. Constancia and the March sisters have experienced something that made them appreciate their family more.
In Abuela invents the zero, Constancia does not value her family or her Puerto Rican culture. She cares more about her friends and how people see her. Constancia does not like to be seen with her grandmother in public. “I walk far behind them in public so no one will think we’re together”. (Ortiz) This quote shows that she cares more about what strangers think than being kind to her grandmother.
In Little Women, one of the four March sisters, Amy is vain and thinks of herself at most times. In the story when the sisters are talking about what they will get for their mother, all the sisters get something for their mother and nothing for themselves, except for Amy. “I’ll get a bottle of cologne. She likes it, and it won’t cost much, so i’ll have some left to buy my pencils.” (Alcott) This shows that Amy is still thinking of herself even when she should be thinking of her mother.…show more content… “I realize to my horror that my grandmother is lost. She can’t find her way back to the pew.” “I am frozen to my seat.” (Ortiz) Constancia is so embarrassed that she pretends she doesn’t see her grandmother and pretends that she is praying. When her grandmother comes back to the pew she kneels down the whole time with her hands over her face and doesn’t speak to Constancia the way home. When they get home Abuela points to Constancia and says, “You made me feel like a zero, like a nothing.” (Ortiz) This makes Constancia realize that the way she treats people has an effect on them. Constancia now values her grandmother and her Puerto Rican
