Language as Idenitity

Through multiple characters' experiences, the author shows how strongly language can be tied to one's identity.

All the characters through the short story collection are of Mexican origin. Their residence in El Paso, close to the border, forces them to confront their dual identity time and time again. The characters are owners of two languages, Spanish and English, but the Spanish rears its head time and time again. Some characters embrace their Spanish side but for others it is a distant aspect of their identities, something they only recognize as a part of their Mexican heritage but not something they actively practice or speak; those characters are entrenched in El Paso but the crossing into Juarez is a reminder of the other part of their identity.

Who are these characters? Are they Spanish or English speakers, or are they both? Nick is forced to...