Alfredo’s monologue, illustrates the defiant claim that his true identity is an American one, despite the contrasting opinion by others that he does not belong in America. The portion of Alfredo’s monologue that I consider significant is during the moment in which he pushes the barrel of the Remington closer to the male illegal immigrant that they have captured. He begins to question what motivates a man lose his dignity, and wonders why the man that they have captured continues to keep his dignity despite eventual death. However, Alfredo knows that Gil does not care for the reason of why the man is fighting to keep dignity, “…Alfredo knew Gil didn’t care. Gil’s hatred was not the same as Alfredo’s, but instead aimed at Alfredo. To Gil, Alfredo,
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Through third POV of the narrator, Alfredo acknowledges the fact that although he identifies himself as strictly American, people like Gil, still group him with all the other illegal immigrants that they assault. Yet, according to Alfredo, the whole operation was part of his vision, meaning that he controls the killing or assaulting of illegal immigrants since he defends the Americans, the group in which he classifies his belonging to. Moreover, the passage highlights the contrasting opinions of what defines national belonging in America. Alfredo views himself as purely American and his motive to kill is rooted in hatred for the people, he calls “anti-American” (41). While, Gil’s hatred is driven towards Alfredo, since he perceives Alfredo as one of the wetbacks. Alfredo’s contemplation of Gil’s strong hatred towards him, is conveyed through the consecutive questions concerning Gil’s ethnicity and his parents’ social status. Furthermore, Alfredo infers that Gil thinks he is more capable of controlling the operation, since he is not Mexican and therefore more superior than those who are Mexican in the …show more content…
Moreover, in the eyes of Alfredo, the “American way” is presented as those who assimilate into American society, know the language, and respect the flag. In doing so, he addresses the ways in which the illegal immigrants contradict the “American way” (41). By using shifting POV that shifts from using ‘we’ to ‘you’, readers may observe the directness Alfredo has in isolating the group from the illegals as much as possible; inferring that they strongly believe that they are part of this “American way” and that the illegal immigrants should not take part in it. Conversely, Alfredo lists why these people are their prisoners, from stating they are a public nuisance since they do not pay taxes, overburden public institutions, contaminate the welfare system, and undermine the economy by working for less than minimum wage, etc. Particularly, Alfredo states that they give working Mexican Americans a bad name, which he strongly emphasizes due to the fact that he is a Mexican American himself. He is disgusted, as a Mexican American, for being grouped with those who destroy the Mexican identity with poverty and crime. Consequently, the group eventually flees from the scene. This is due to the fact that the Border Patrol sent out a chopper and is now searching the premises. Although Alfredo stated that the American police, army, Border Patrol,
Through third POV of the narrator, Alfredo acknowledges the fact that although he identifies himself as strictly American, people like Gil, still group him with all the other illegal immigrants that they assault. Yet, according to Alfredo, the whole operation was part of his vision, meaning that he controls the killing or assaulting of illegal immigrants since he defends the Americans, the group in which he classifies his belonging to. Moreover, the passage highlights the contrasting opinions of what defines national belonging in America. Alfredo views himself as purely American and his motive to kill is rooted in hatred for the people, he calls “anti-American” (41). While, Gil’s hatred is driven towards Alfredo, since he perceives Alfredo as one of the wetbacks. Alfredo’s contemplation of Gil’s strong hatred towards him, is conveyed through the consecutive questions concerning Gil’s ethnicity and his parents’ social status. Furthermore, Alfredo infers that Gil thinks he is more capable of controlling the operation, since he is not Mexican and therefore more superior than those who are Mexican in the …show more content…
Moreover, in the eyes of Alfredo, the “American way” is presented as those who assimilate into American society, know the language, and respect the flag. In doing so, he addresses the ways in which the illegal immigrants contradict the “American way” (41). By using shifting POV that shifts from using ‘we’ to ‘you’, readers may observe the directness Alfredo has in isolating the group from the illegals as much as possible; inferring that they strongly believe that they are part of this “American way” and that the illegal immigrants should not take part in it. Conversely, Alfredo lists why these people are their prisoners, from stating they are a public nuisance since they do not pay taxes, overburden public institutions, contaminate the welfare system, and undermine the economy by working for less than minimum wage, etc. Particularly, Alfredo states that they give working Mexican Americans a bad name, which he strongly emphasizes due to the fact that he is a Mexican American himself. He is disgusted, as a Mexican American, for being grouped with those who destroy the Mexican identity with poverty and crime. Consequently, the group eventually flees from the scene. This is due to the fact that the Border Patrol sent out a chopper and is now searching the premises. Although Alfredo stated that the American police, army, Border Patrol,