Student Question
What does Eugene's mother likely want Elena to "understand" in "American History"?
Quick answer:
Eugene's mother wants Elena to understand the socioeconomic and racial differences between their families. She implies that Elena, being from a different class and race, is not suitable company for her son, Eugene. This is highlighted by the physical and social divide between their residences, and her dismissive attitude when she refers to Elena's home disparagingly and uses the term "you people," emphasizing her prejudice and the societal barriers between them.
Eugene's mother wants Elena to understand that Elena's family and her family are different. It's implied that she does not want her son hanging around people like Elena because she is not of the same class/race as Eugene's family.
There are two pieces of evidence that connect to this claim. The first is the foreshadowing leading up to Elena knocking on the door. Elena reflects on the setting:
Small, neat, single residences like this one could be found right next to huge, dilapidated apartment buildings like El Building. My guess was that the little houses had been there first, then the immigrants had come in droves, and the monstrosities had been raised for them—the Italians, the Irish, the Jews, and now us, the Puerto Ricans and the blacks.
This quote shows that there is a clear difference between where Elena lives and where Eugene lives. Elena makes a comment about...
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the houses being there first, which could symbolize the "original" settlers of the land and how the immigrants were the cause of the "dilapidated apartment buildings." Elena understands the implicit message that immigrants are not necessarily welcomed, but she doesn't fully comprehend this idea until Eugene's mom tells her to leave.
The evidence that confirms their differences stems from Eugene's mom when she says,
"You live there?" She pointed up to El Building, which looked particularly ugly, like a gray prison with its many dirty windows and rusty fire escapes ...
She looked intently at me for a couple of heartbeats, then said as if to herself, "I don’t know how you people do it."
It's clear from this quote that Eugene's mom is separating her reality from that of the people who live in the "dilapidated apartment buildings." By saying "you people," she is separating her life from those of the immigrants residing next to her house. Because of her prejudiced and contemptuous attitude, Eugene's mom sends Elena away based on her race and socioeconomic status, reinforcing their differences.