Pocho (Masterplots II: American Fiction Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: José Antonio Villarreal
- First Published: 1959
- Type of Plot: Bildungsroman
- Time of Work: 1923-1942
- Setting: Santa Clara, in the Imperial Valley of California
- Principal Characters: Richard Rubio, Juan Manuel Rubio, Consuelo Rubio, João Pedro Manõel Alves, Ricky Malatesta, Thomas Nakano, Zelda, Mary Madison
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Bildungsroman, Historical fiction
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Family or family life, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Tradition, Politics, Sex or sexuality, Revolutions, 1940’s, World War II, Religion, Writing, 1920’s, 1930’s, California, West, U.S., Law or legislation, Multiculturalism, Mexican Americans, Migrant labor, Mexico or Mexicans, Bilingualism, Latinos
- Locales: Santa Clara, CA
The Novel
Pocho recounts the lives of Mexican migrant farm laborer Juan Rubio, his wife, and their nine children as they attempt to hold their family together, survive the Depression, and adjust to American culture. As family bonds disintegrate, the only son, Richard, defines himself against both Mexican and American cultures and affirms his determination to become a writer. The first of eleven chapters introduces Juan Rubio, a colonel in Pancho Villa’s army, and depicts his grief over the Mexican Revolution’s failure, his flight from Mexico, and his resettlement in...
[The entire page is 2420 words long]
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