Sandra Cisneros and Reyna Grande through their subjective narratives emphasize the important contributions that migration played about their family relations and the development of their personal identity. Both authors touch upon similar themes relating to transnationalism and liminal identities, however they greatly differentiate when discussing the factor of citizenship and mobility. Cisneros is born in the U.S. while Reyna Grande is born in Mexico and later migrates to the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant. Even though, both experience reflect liminal identities and are address the erroneous ideology of “pure” identities, since their identity between the United States and Mexico. Grande’s novel is centered on a round trip, coming and returning
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Internally Grande harmoniously identifies as part of both countries. However, as defined by outsiders, her identity is more liminal. When she visits Iguala, Guerrero, she is seen as pocha, and is treated as an outsider by her childhood friends. Her difference is inevitable: “Even though my umbilical cord was buried in Iguala, I was no longer considered Mexican enough. To the people there, who had seen me grow up, I was no longer one of them” (Grande 2013:28). She negotiates this experience by accepting the difference by creating a dual identity “Mexican American”. As Mexican American (a liminal/in-between identity) and a legal resident Grande is allowed to move between both countries. She is personally in harmony with her identity; however in her visit to Mexico she is viewed as an in-between/liminal individual. Reyna at times finds herself living in the hyphen of her Mexican American. To her Mexican childhood friends she is not Mexican enough and to her American friends she is too Mexican (Grande 2013: 320). This at times can be conflicting; however she finds internal harmony by stepping out of the traditional boundaries and creating a new identity that includes both of her cultures. The achievement of harmony and peace between both cultures and being able to tolerate the ambiguity along with the insensitive comments by outsides is an embodiment of Gloria Azaldúa’s …show more content…
Celaya during her visits to her awful grandmother’s house in Mexico and interactions with her friends in the U.S. highlights the evolution of her liminal identity. On her visits to Mexico her otherness was pointed out by her grandmother that made her feel less Mexican due to her customs and Spanish fluidity. On the last part of Caramelo (2002) Celaya comes to terms with her bicultural identity and goes over the experience of living in the United States zona fronteriza where the debate between what it means to be Mexican, American and/or Chicano was very relevant. Lala defends her identity by arguing that she is “Mexican, even though [she] was born on the U.S. side of the border” (353). Her identification as Mexican caused her confrontations with her Chicana peers due to her recognition of her Spanish roots. Celaya’s confrontations with her Chicana peers serve to highlight the friction and diversity of self-choice identities of those of Mexican ancestry that live in the U.S. Celaya does not identify as a Chicana and that causes her problems since the Chicano movement was predominant. Lala due to her physical and emotional bonds with Mexico embraces the Mexican identity something that can be hard to understand those that closely relate identity with geographical
Internally Grande harmoniously identifies as part of both countries. However, as defined by outsiders, her identity is more liminal. When she visits Iguala, Guerrero, she is seen as pocha, and is treated as an outsider by her childhood friends. Her difference is inevitable: “Even though my umbilical cord was buried in Iguala, I was no longer considered Mexican enough. To the people there, who had seen me grow up, I was no longer one of them” (Grande 2013:28). She negotiates this experience by accepting the difference by creating a dual identity “Mexican American”. As Mexican American (a liminal/in-between identity) and a legal resident Grande is allowed to move between both countries. She is personally in harmony with her identity; however in her visit to Mexico she is viewed as an in-between/liminal individual. Reyna at times finds herself living in the hyphen of her Mexican American. To her Mexican childhood friends she is not Mexican enough and to her American friends she is too Mexican (Grande 2013: 320). This at times can be conflicting; however she finds internal harmony by stepping out of the traditional boundaries and creating a new identity that includes both of her cultures. The achievement of harmony and peace between both cultures and being able to tolerate the ambiguity along with the insensitive comments by outsides is an embodiment of Gloria Azaldúa’s …show more content…
Celaya during her visits to her awful grandmother’s house in Mexico and interactions with her friends in the U.S. highlights the evolution of her liminal identity. On her visits to Mexico her otherness was pointed out by her grandmother that made her feel less Mexican due to her customs and Spanish fluidity. On the last part of Caramelo (2002) Celaya comes to terms with her bicultural identity and goes over the experience of living in the United States zona fronteriza where the debate between what it means to be Mexican, American and/or Chicano was very relevant. Lala defends her identity by arguing that she is “Mexican, even though [she] was born on the U.S. side of the border” (353). Her identification as Mexican caused her confrontations with her Chicana peers due to her recognition of her Spanish roots. Celaya’s confrontations with her Chicana peers serve to highlight the friction and diversity of self-choice identities of those of Mexican ancestry that live in the U.S. Celaya does not identify as a Chicana and that causes her problems since the Chicano movement was predominant. Lala due to her physical and emotional bonds with Mexico embraces the Mexican identity something that can be hard to understand those that closely relate identity with geographical