Themes: All Themes
Themes: Structure
Alvarez's unique narrative structure in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents emphasizes the sisters' challenges in their search for identity. The novel consists of fifteen short stories, sometimes centering on a single family member and other times on multiple members. These varying perspectives provide only glimpses into each character's life, never offering a complete view of any one individual. In an interview with Catherine Wiley for the
Themes: Biculturalism
Biculturalism is another of the author’s major concerns. Alvarez explores the difficulty her characters have reconciling the two very different cultures that shape their lives. For the García girls, the social liberation of the 1960’s and 1970’s—women’s rights, sexual freedom, drugs, and self-exploration—contradicts the strict behavior prescribed by Latin culture. In their attempts to be good Dominican girls—chaste, respectful of their elders,...
(Read more)Themes: Immigrant Experience
How the García Girls Lost Their Accentsexplores the personal, social, and political dimensions of the immigrant experience. Julia Alvarez spent her first ten years in the Dominican Republic in circumstances similar to those of her characters. She, too, emigrated to American and spent time “losing her accent.” Like Yolanda, Alvarez is a writer, poet, and teacher. This is a work of fiction, not an autobiography; however, Alvarez uses her personal...
(Read more)Themes: Gender Roles and Expectations
Part of this development process involves defining gender roles, which is complicated by the vastly different expectations placed on men and women in Latin American and American cultures. A clear example of these cultural differences emerges when Sofia falls for a traditionally macho man in Santo Domingo. He believes it is his responsibility to oversee the women in his life, and Sofia allows him to control her actions almost without question....
(Read more)Themes: Quest for Self-Identity
The cultural clash and racism the family faces lead to feelings of alienation, especially among the girls. At school, Carla and Yolanda feel excluded by their classmates, who tease them for their skin color and imperfect English. After Rudy Elmenhurst loses interest in her, Yolanda worries she will always be different and alone: "I would never find someone who would understand my peculiar mix of Catholicism and agnosticism, Hispanic and American...
(Read more)Themes: Racism and Social Class
The family sees America as a land of opportunity for moving between social classes—something that was much harder to achieve in Santo Domingo. However, the de la Torre-Garcia family encounters obstacles due to their skin color, which ironically had helped them attain a higher social standing in their home country. In Santo Domingo, their lighter skin distinguished them from the neighboring Haitians, who were often assigned to servant roles. As...
(Read more)Themes: Pursuit of the American Dream
The family's pursuit of the American dream of success is deeply intertwined with the central theme of cultural conflict. This aspiration drives both Papi and Mami to understand the importance of adjusting to their new surroundings. Although they held an upper-class status in Santo Domingo, relocating to the United States dropped them into relative poverty in a disadvantaged New York City neighborhood. This initial state of poverty is particularly...
(Read more)Themes: Cultural Clash and Tradition
The themes of cultural conflict, tradition, and change are central to the main struggle in How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accents. Each member of the de la Torre-Garcia family experiences a clash between the fast-paced American lifestyle and the more conservative Latin culture of the Dominican Republic. This conflict emerges from their efforts to maintain the customs...
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and traditions of their homeland while adapting to their new life in New York...
(Read more)Themes: Bildungsroman
The term "Bildungsroman" originates from German and means "novel of development." It is also referred to as a "Coming of Age" or "Apprenticeship" novel. The book How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents fits the description of a female Bildungsroman, as it chronicles the development and maturation of the de la Torre-Garcia sisters. In an article for the Women's Review of Books, Cecilia Rodriguez Milanes points out that the novel "is not merely about...
(Read more)Themes: Symbols/Imagery
A symbol is an object, character, or image that signifies something beyond its literal meaning while still keeping its original importance. The novel's title includes a symbol that plays a key role in the story's main theme. The Garcia girls are caught in a constant struggle between losing their Latin heritage and gaining acceptance in America. Their accents are a symbol of this heritage, and losing them would clearly indicate assimilation....
(Read more)Themes: Culture Clash
The novel's central conflict explores themes of cultural collision, customs, traditions, and the process of change and transformation. Each member of the de la Torre-Garcia family faces the tension between the rapid pace of American life and the more traditional Latin culture of the Dominican Republic. This conflict stems from their efforts to hold onto their homeland's customs while also needing to adapt to their new environment in New York...
(Read more)Themes: Setting
The setting of a novel includes the period, location, and cultural environment in which the narrative takes place. This novel features two main settings: the Bronx in New York City and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. These settings provide a perfect backdrop for delving into themes of immigration, assimilation, and cultural adaptation. Each place represents a unique culture that significantly influences the de la Torre-Garcia family....
(Read more)Themes: Point of View
In fiction, the point of view indicates the angle from which the story is told. In How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, most of the tales are narrated by a third-person voice, referring to characters using "he" or "she." This narrator is typically omniscient, meaning they possess complete knowledge and can reveal the inner thoughts of all characters involved in the story. However, at certain points, one of the sisters takes over the...
(Read more)Themes: Sex Roles
A significant aspect of this developmental journey involves defining gender roles, a task made challenging by the vastly different expectations that Latin and American cultures impose on men and women. A notable cultural difference arises when Sofia becomes infatuated with a traditionally macho man in Santo Domingo. He believes it is his responsibility to manage his women, and Sofia almost unquestioningly allows him to dictate her every move....
(Read more)Themes: Search for Self
These feelings of being different and alienated drive the girls on a journey of self-exploration. As they slowly adjust to their surroundings, they become "Americanized," much to the disappointment of their father, who wants them to preserve their ties to the "old world." Despite this, they never truly feel at home in America, and this lack of a strong sense of identity and belonging leads to future relationship challenges.
Carla, the oldest...
(Read more)Themes: Difference
The sense of being different, especially for the girls, arises from the cultural conflict and racism the family encounters. At school, Carla and Yolanda feel alienated from their classmates, who tease them for their skin color and their imperfect English. After losing Rudy Elmenhurst's attention, Yolanda worries that she will always feel different and isolated: "I would never find someone who would understand my peculiar mix of Catholicism and...
(Read more)Themes: Race and Racism
The racism ingrained in American society poses a major obstacle for the family when they arrive in the United States. A woman living below them in the city accuses them of being "spies" and insists they "go back to where [they] came from." Yolanda's first boyfriend, Rudy, stereotypes her as "hot-blooded, being Spanish and all," and ends the relationship when she refuses to sleep with him. Ironically, racism had previously worked to their...
(Read more)Themes: Limitations and Opportunities
The family views America as a place where moving between social classes is possible—an opportunity that was much harder to come by in Santo Domingo. Nevertheless, the de la Torre-Garcia family encounters obstacles because of their skin color, which, paradoxically, had previously elevated their status in their home country. Their lighter complexion set them apart from nearby Haitians, who were frequently confined to servant roles. As children,...
(Read more)Themes: American Dream
The cultural clash is closely linked to Papi's and Mami's pursuit of the American dream of success. This ambition partly explains their understanding of the need to adapt to their new environment. Previously, the family enjoyed an upper-class lifestyle in Santo Domingo. However, after moving to the United States, they found themselves living in relative poverty in a low-income New York City neighborhood.
This initial poverty is a source of...
(Read more)Expert Q&A
What is the theme of "The Kiss" in How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents?
The theme of "The Kiss" revolves around the clash between traditional Dominican values and American cultural influences, as seen through the relationship between Sofía and her father, Carlos. Sofía's rebellion against her father's expectations highlights generational and cultural differences. Her assertive independence and desire for her father's approval reflect her struggle between these conflicting identities. Ultimately, the story explores themes of identity, cultural assimilation, and the complexities of familial relationships amidst changing cultural norms.
Themes, symbols, and setting in "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents"
The themes in "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" include cultural identity, assimilation, and family dynamics. Symbols like the mother’s jewelry represent heritage and identity, while the setting shifts between the Dominican Republic and the United States, illustrating the contrast between the García family's past and present, and their struggle to reconcile their Dominican roots with their American lives.
