Character Clues

Character Analysis

Direct Characterization

The narrator runs the show in this story, and she's a fan of calling 'em like she sees 'em. For instance, she draws a clear line between herself and her sisters:

I wasn't even pretty or nice like my older sisters and I just couldn't do the girl things they could do. (2)

Okay, so the narrator's sisters are "pretty" and "nice." Or so the she says, anyway—we see them act pretty nasty at various points. If we dig into the direct characterization here, though, what really emerges is a picture of the narrator's sense of self. She casts her sisters as good and herself as a sort of failed girl—not "pretty," "nice," or capable of doing "the girl things" her siblings can do.

Speech and Dialogue

There isn't a whole lot of dialogue in this short story, but the little there is often is pretty violent. Abuelita snaps at the narrator (3), for instance, and Apá screams at her (8). The narrator learns to respect her grandmother when she draws a snappy line, but she also learns to hate and avoid her father because of his angry speeches. In Abuelita's case, her dialogue clues us into her insight and willingness to call the narrator out on bad behavior; in Apá's case, though, we simply understand that he's someone to fear.

Actions

The narrator claims she's really a screw-up, but she's the one who ends up taking care of her dead grandmother in the end. And for all the insistence that her sisters are desirable, we see them taunt her and make her feel badly—so maybe they're not so pretty after all. While the narrator wishes her mother were there to help her, she instinctively goes about the ritual of cleaning Abuelita's body, an action that reveals the deep love she feels for her grandmother and the sense of responsibility she often keeps hidden beneath her rebellious exterior.