Fiction text: "El Patron"
Fiction reader: Linda Quarles

Nonfiction text: "Like Mexicans"
Nonfiction reader: Jonathan McClure

Recorder: Sabrina Frith

22 February 2001 

LINDA: We began with the fiction story "El Patron," by Nash Candelaria. This short story is clearly fiction for several reasons. Among those reasons are: the language, the lack of details, the convenience noted in the story, a quick resolution to the problem encountered in the story, and a happy-ever-after ending.

The language is quite descriptive. On page 216 the narrator refers to

Tito as a "twilight gift." On the same page the narrator is struggling with where Tito might possibly be he and pictures Tito as going "Underground! I had visions of drug-crazed revolutionary zealots. Bombs exploding in federal buildings. God knows what kind of madness." On page 218, the description of the dinner gives the reader an unappetizing and funny picture. The narrator’s wife has in the past called her father a "macho, chauvinist jumping bean!" and she is described previously as a "brown-skinned kewpie doll." On page 219 there is a description of the father that causes the reader to be able to produce a very accurate picture of him in his mind. On page 220, we find the father relenting and his "stone face cracked."

A second element that makes the story a fiction story is in the lack of details. On page 216, the father waves away his daughter like she’s unimportant. This reminds one of the scene in How the Garcia Girls Lost

Their Accents in which the mom is talking and she just waves the dad away.

She says let me get on with my story. Mr. Martinez in "El Patron" is essentially doing the same thing by telling his daughter "Why don’t you go to the kitchen with the other women." Another example of the lack of details is in the description of the war history of Mexicans on page 217. The whole story is shortened to one paragraph. This is also an example of one scene standing for many scenes.

There is a convenience in the story that makes it unbelievable. On page 218 the narrator conveniently gets paid back for a favor so that Tito will have a place to stay. Also, Lola points out on page 220 the background of her father and this action conveniently allows the resolution to come quickly.

The quick resolution is another area in which the reader can tell that the story is fiction. On page 219 it is noted that the very next day following Tito’s arrival at his sister’s home the father and Tito are already sitting down together to work out their problems. The whole problem is completely resolved by page 221. The narrator says "There. It was out. They had had their talk in spite of their disagreements." This statement clears the way for a happy-ever-after ending, a common one in fiction.

JONATHAN: I felt "El Patron" was a fairly traditional fiction piece and did not bend genres much. First of all, the reader is drawn into this "mini-drama" type story and begins to feel closely involved with the family's dillema. Fiction usually draws its readers into the narrative more than non-fiction. The narrator also allows us to see things from each character's point of view and not solely his own - another fictional element. The narrative has a typical fictional structure as well. Setting, rising action, and climax all fall neatly into place. The only non-fiction elements I saw in "El Patron" were some of its dated references. For example, page 218, at the top, mentions the Middle East war for oil and the Russians as enemis of America. These conflicts occurred mainly during the Cold War and the Persian Gulf War, which is the period when the story was written - over time these references will become even more dated.

OPEN DISCUSSION: Sylvia commented that the reference to Pancho Villa in

"El Patron" dates the story. Cleo made the point that the story is a comedy and that in reality no one can be funny all the time. She also noted conspiratorial aspect of the story. The narrator makes derogatory comments about his family that he could never make if the story were nonfiction. In response to this, Dr. White pointed out that the author has poetic license because it is fiction. Dr. White also stated that the homely details make the story seem more real, but everything as too easy and quick to be nonfiction. It was a story compressed into one scene. Someone else compared it to a sitcom.

JONATHAN: "Like Mexicans," by Gary Soto, reminded me more of an anecdote more than it reminded me of a fictional story or a nonfiction essay. It sounds like a father reminiscing humorously to his son about how he met and married the son's mother. Genre-bending is present within "Like Mexicans," because it contains both fictional and nonfictional attributes. I'm going to primarily discuss the non-fiction aspect of the piece, but I would like to point out the humor in the piece. The episode with the cats hanging from the screen door was extremely funny for example. The overall tone of the piece was humorous. Humor is more frequently associated with fiction than non-fiction.

The non-fiction aspects that stood out were the point of view of the piece; the way many scenes spanning across years of time were lumped together; and the usage of outdated terms. First of all, the author strictly related the action from his own point of view. The reminiscent, autobiographical feel of "Like Mexicans" also suggested that it was a true story. The author also jumped across time very quickly throughout the piece. The reader sees a scene of the adolescent narrator at the mall and then quickly flashes to a scene of the twenty-year old, engaged narrator. "Like Mexicans" shows its age when references are made to "okies," a derogatory term that was coined during the Great Depression to describe poor, migrant, Midwestern farmers that sought work on the West Coast. The narrator also asks his fiancee to have a talk "over a soda" at one point. Such a reference reminds me of a "Leave it to Beaver" episode or 1950s teen culture. Overall, there is much genre-bending in this piece. If I had to classify "Like Mexicans" I would call it an autobiographical anecdote.

LINDA AND OPEN DISCUSSION: Linda agreed with Jonathan about the nonfiction elements of the story "Like Mexicans." When Linda commented about the humor in the story reminding her of fiction, especially the scene on page 302 in which the boy inserts his fingers in his mouth in comparison to a vagina, Dr White pointed out that that scene was too odd to be made up. Linda said that like a fiction piece, "Like Mexicans" has a happy-ever-after ending. Dr. White responded by saying that it is hard sometimes to remember which book we are reading from because of the elements in the story.