Analysis Of Never Marry A Mexican By Sandra Cisneros

In Sandra Cisneros’ “Never Marry a Mexican,” the narrator of the story recalls her troubled affair with a married white man. It is evident that the narrator is a Hispanic female, but her age is unknown. Nevertheless, most readers will infer that the events in “Never Marry a Mexican” occurred over a long period of time. Hence, “Never Marry a Mexican” is a brilliant, short story that discusses self-hatred and white privilege. White people are extremely influential in the Western Hemisphere due to the fact that their ancestors conquered the New World. Therefore, the forefathers of America designed a system that focused on the advancement of white people while excluding people of color (Blay 2011). In the beginning of the short story, the narrator, …show more content…
According to Yaba Amgborale Blay (2011), many people of color have adapted the ideologies of white supremacy and they are not aware of it. For example, Clemencia tells Drew that her mother told her to never marry a Mexican because she will have a hard life if she does. Thus, the mother implants self-hatred into the young Clemencia and this causes her to view Latino men as inferior to whites. It is not uncommon for people of color in the United States to views themselves as inferior because the system constantly tells them that they are not entitled to the same privileges as Whites. Also, the statement of Clemencia’s mother proves that people of color tend to believe that white people are more successful and …show more content…
That would have been marrying up, even if the white girl was poor” (Cisneros 110) and this proves that the narrator believes that white people are more prestigious than Mexicans. Clemencia was not interested in marriage, but she loved the attention of married white men. On page 114, she states, “And he took me under his wing and in his bed, this man, this teacher, your father. I was honored that he’d done me the favor” (Cisneros) and this quote tells the readers that the narrator admired the attention of a white man because it made her feel special. Additionally, Clemencia wants to be accepted by the white community so she can benefit from white privilege.
The narrator believes that Mexican-Americans are completely different from Mexican citizens due to the fact that they have adopted some of the White American culture. According to the narrator, Mexican-Americans are looked down upon because they are not fully Mexican and this is the reason why the narrator hates her ethnicity. Clemencia battles within herself because she understands that she will never be accepted by the White Americans or Mexicans. Moreover, it is clear that the narrator does not understand her heritage and she feels as if she must conform to the standards of White