Short Story Mericans By Sandra Cisneros

The best short story I have read is, “Mericans” by Sandra Cisneros. The story is about a little girl who is narrating where she is caught between the ‘old’ world and the ‘new’ world. I like the mixture of Spanish words in the story such as La Virgen de Guadalupe and la ofrenda because it gives a sense of a different culture. I also like the humorous use of the ‘awful grandmother’ because the reader can visualize a specific heritage and cultural behavior. I enjoy this short story, it reminds me of my Heritage because of how hispanic grandmas pray then give ofrendas at church and take their time while doing so. The author uses many details in the story for us to visualize the cultural environment. The usage of Spanish words in the story …show more content…
As the grandmother clings on to her heritage she does not quit accepting the children’s American heritage. While the ‘awful grandmother’ is praying inside the church, the girl and her brothers are stuck outside the church. There are descriptive hints towards the plaza describing the carrying banners and flowered arches. During the wait, the kids are not allowed to walk to the plaza, where there are modern things to do. But they are also not allowed to come inside the church.
The grandmother is trying to keep her beliefs and cultural heritage by not forgetting where she came from. In this story, she is showing her country's beliefs, and praying by not letting the kids do anything while she is inside of church praying. The story’s setting is quite familiar to me because of the children running around carefree. My grandmother is also religious and is proud of her heritage so she commits to it. I would watch her give la ofrenda and pray in everyone’s name. She would not let us play around as she was too busy praying she would never actually notice until she would come out of the