At the age around 15 to 16, Luis attempted to commit suicide two times. Chapter four of Always Running starts off with a description of how Luis contemplated about cutting his arm's arteries, for that matter being in an altered state of consciousness due to pills, liquor and sniffing spray. However, he could not go through with it.
Besides, we get to know that he has been exiled to the garage for already a couple of months because his mother could not keep up with his misbehavior anymore; in this passage of the book we also get further insight into the relationship of Luis and his mother. One can notice that Luis always had a certain kind of fear toward his her. Previously we got to know that she used to whip her children and permanently curse …show more content…
Nevertheless, this attitude would change when Luis met his mentor and with him started to adjust his perception of life.
Community Centers – A new mindset for Luis
At the age around 16, Luis was being initiated into the gang Las Lomas, which incorporated most of the former Tribe members. Their rivalry with the Sangra resulted in a severe increase of violence that led to the establishment of community centers in the affected areas.
By this time, however, Luis' identity struggle reached a crucial stage in which he actively starts to question himself and his world:
“By 1970 I felt disjointed, out of balance, tired of just acting and reacting. I wanted to flirt with the depth of mind, to learn more about my world. My society. About what to do. I became drawn to the people who came to work at the community centers” (Rodriguez 2005: …show more content…
He admired him in the way he was able to handle himself and always be in control of the situation, even if he had to deal with the tough kind of guys.
The encounter with Chente brought a lot of change into Luis' life. He returned to Mark Keppel high school, discovered his artistic and lyrical talent and joined Chente's group “the collective”. He hires him in order to paint murals in the town and Luis also wins contests for his writings as well. This is very essential for his development inasmuch as he is able to establish confidence for his accomplishments, which counteracts his regressing sense of inferiority.
“The collective” was a group which studied politics, philosophy and economics. Their way of discussing social issues and advancing toward the core of such was a whole new experience to Luis in which his perception and beliefs have been fundamentally challenged.
Before one study session, Luis had a relapse and consumed drugs again. Consequently, Chente forced him to make a choice between the crazy life of gang violence and a life preparing for the real world. This brought Luis to a point at which he could not evade to resolve his predicament anymore; now he had make a decision, one that would forever change his
Besides, we get to know that he has been exiled to the garage for already a couple of months because his mother could not keep up with his misbehavior anymore; in this passage of the book we also get further insight into the relationship of Luis and his mother. One can notice that Luis always had a certain kind of fear toward his her. Previously we got to know that she used to whip her children and permanently curse …show more content…
Nevertheless, this attitude would change when Luis met his mentor and with him started to adjust his perception of life.
Community Centers – A new mindset for Luis
At the age around 16, Luis was being initiated into the gang Las Lomas, which incorporated most of the former Tribe members. Their rivalry with the Sangra resulted in a severe increase of violence that led to the establishment of community centers in the affected areas.
By this time, however, Luis' identity struggle reached a crucial stage in which he actively starts to question himself and his world:
“By 1970 I felt disjointed, out of balance, tired of just acting and reacting. I wanted to flirt with the depth of mind, to learn more about my world. My society. About what to do. I became drawn to the people who came to work at the community centers” (Rodriguez 2005: …show more content…
He admired him in the way he was able to handle himself and always be in control of the situation, even if he had to deal with the tough kind of guys.
The encounter with Chente brought a lot of change into Luis' life. He returned to Mark Keppel high school, discovered his artistic and lyrical talent and joined Chente's group “the collective”. He hires him in order to paint murals in the town and Luis also wins contests for his writings as well. This is very essential for his development inasmuch as he is able to establish confidence for his accomplishments, which counteracts his regressing sense of inferiority.
“The collective” was a group which studied politics, philosophy and economics. Their way of discussing social issues and advancing toward the core of such was a whole new experience to Luis in which his perception and beliefs have been fundamentally challenged.
Before one study session, Luis had a relapse and consumed drugs again. Consequently, Chente forced him to make a choice between the crazy life of gang violence and a life preparing for the real world. This brought Luis to a point at which he could not evade to resolve his predicament anymore; now he had make a decision, one that would forever change his