Chicano On The Storm Summary

In Richard Montoya’s monologue “Chicano on the Storm,” Montoya is dressed in a straightjacket and seems to be confined in a room. In the beginning of the monologue, the audience sees Montoya talking to Enigma, the nurse. From their dialogue, the audience learns that they are in Montoya’s mind which is “confused and full of rage” (Montoya, Ricardo, and Herbert 93) because, as they later find out, Montoya is having an identity crisis. He asks Enigma, “what is going to happen to the word “Chicano”?” in which Enigma responds that “tropical anal mist” will replace it (Montoya, Ricardo, and Herbert 93). By replacing ‘Chicano’ with ‘tropical anal mist,’ Culture Clash is comparing Chicano, specifically Chicano activism, to a fart. A fart stinks up …show more content…
He tells the audience “I’m loco in the cabeza. I’m your postmodern Mexican Hamburger Helper” (Montoya, Ricardo, and Herbert 94). Montoya’s monologue shows his mental breakdown and self-degrading of his identity because he states that he’s crazy and that he’s the stereotypical hamburger man. This explains why Chicanos are confused; Chicanos are confused because they are confined to the stereotypes that society labels them. By accepting and acknowledging these identities, Montoya shows that he could face realities’ perception of Chicanos and that by doing so, it allows Montoya the possibility of change. Montoya then asks, “Haven’t you ever seen a multicultural nightmare coming unglued right before your very eyes, man?”, which shows that Chicano is not simply Mexican American, but it is a mixture of many cultures. This question opens up the Chicano identity for reevaluation which makes the audience, specifically the Chicanos (because “Chicano on the Storm” directly addresses Chicanos in the title of the monologue), think about their own identity. As Montoya talks about all these different identities, the camera focuses on Montoya and different aspects of him to illustrate the confusion and rage of his