Analysis Of Sandra Cisneros Never Marry A Mexican

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Events that occur early in a person’s life could have a major effect on who they become as adults. Dealing with the death of a close relative, and experiencing betrayal from a person, whom one would never expect it, can majorly mess up a person’s outlook on life. Such events were mentioned in Sandra Cisneros’ short story, “Never Marry a Mexican”. It tells a story about a woman, named Clemencia, who has trust issues because of things she witnessed and experienced in her family, with her mother mostly, when she was young. Witnessing and experiencing betrayal, infidelity and abandonment during coming of age could lead to negative effects on a person like developing trust issues and mental problems. Sometimes patterns in families repeat…show more content…
Abandoned children deal with their situation in their own way and are left with invisible scars that show up throughout their lives. Genevieve Van Wyden’s article, Understanding the Pain of Abandonment, states that “some children who have experienced a maternal abandonment will come to the mistaken conclusion that they are better off protecting themselves from any more hurt. They also decide that it’s better to do the abandoning than to go through the pain of being abandoned again.” Children who were victims of maternal abandonment then develop trust issues. They become reserved and do their best to avoid ending up in any sort of intimate relationship in general to avoid being hurt again. Similarly, in the story, Clemencia decides to build a wall and not let anyone have a deeply intimate relationship with her to avoid getting disappointed. “I’ll never marry. Not any man. I’ve known men too intimately. I’ve witnessed their infidelities…Not a man exists who hasn’t disappointed me” (Cisneros 171). Wyden states that abandoned children also develop low self-esteem and experience confusion and sometimes are left wondering if they are loveable. This is probably a small part of Clemencia’s thoughts and feelings after her mother abandoned her and her family, along with the feelings of hatred and disappointment towards her mother for what she did to them. Clemencia never found it in herself…show more content…
Clemencia witnessed her father’s death when she was young. She saw him in the hospital very weak and suffering until he took his last breath when the doctor was taking care of him. She couldn’t contain herself when he passed away. “I wanted to yell, Stop, you stop that, he’s my daddy. Goddamn you. Make him live. Daddy, don’t. Not yet, not yet, not yet” (Cisneros 177). Losing her father meant losing the only man in her life, the one man she could trust. In the section, The Influence Of Father Absence On The Self-Esteem And Self-Reported Sexual Activity Of Rural Southern Adolescents, in the ABNF Journal states that “With the loss of a father, there is a loss in protection, financial resources, and other support contributing to the identity, character, and providing the daily nurturing that the children need form both parents.” In the story, it looks as if the death of her father, even though it was not mentioned in lengthy sections, had a strong impact on Clemencia’s character as an adult. The ABNF Journal research also shows that “Father absent homes are more prone to poverty, teen pregnancy, poor academic performance, and psychiatric problems.” Clemencia had developed trust issues probably because the one man she knew she could trust was gone. She also developed socio pathologic problems that were revealed in her

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