Award winning author, Sergio Troncoso in his short story, “Day of the Dead”, depicts the life of Hispanic immigrants. He demonstrates how they are marginalized through exploring the journey of Lupe, a Hispanic immigrant. Troncoso’s purpose is to bring awareness to the obstacles that target Hispanics in America. His short story is significant because Hispanic stereotypes, sacrifices, and conformation are brought to light.
In “Day of the Dead”, Lupe is a victim of a hit and run. The driver, Michael Ochoa, recalls what his mother would say to disregard the casualty. In order to justify the death of Lupe, his mother would say Lupe was “just a poor Mexican woman.” Although the phrase is seemingly just the words of an ignorant, this stereotype…show more content… Michael’s father, Juan Ochoa, was a politician who benefited from saying what the public wanted to hear about Mexico and illegal immigrants. The author reveals,”It killed his father that the Mexican politicos saw him as an inferior Mexican, that somehow they felt sorry for him.” While Juan may proclaim disdain towards illegal immigrants, he does not wish for that to erase his identity. For slandering his heritage, Juan is rewarded. However, in the eyes of other Mexicans, he is viewed as less Mexican. As Michael was diverted from fully embracing his Mexican heritage, he feels as if he is out of touch and missing a piece to his identity. He wishes to rediscover his roots. When prioritizing the American culture in order to be accepted, the Hispanic culture is not always experienced. Once the Hispanic youth grow up, a regret of not wholly welcoming their culture can blossom.
The Hispanic experience in America contains sacrifices, stereotypes, and conformations. Recent events in the United States have occurred which undermine the sacrifices of Hispanic immigrants and perpetuate hatred against them. Hispanic people refuse to submit into the hate and unite together to support one another. They channeled their fear and directed it to a movement that would justify their
