Analysis of the novel When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago

1. When I Was Puerto Rican
THE TEACHING OF THE NOVEL
II. Content Standards
After reading, discussing, and analyzing the novel assigned to the level, the
students will:
A. Identify and analyze the elements of non-fiction
1. Plot
a. Single Plot
Esmeralda recalls her childhood in Puerto Rico. As a child she lives
with mami, papi, and her younger sisters. She talks about the birth of
her other siblings and about the constant fighting of her parents.
Eventually, mami and the children move to another house and she
starts to work in a factory and leaves the children with, Gloria, a
neighbor. Later on mami tells Esmeralda that she’s going to have to
start helping with the children and the housework. One day, while
mami is at work and Esmeralda is taking care of the children,
Esmeralda’s cousin Jenny starts to give rides to the children in her new
bicycle. Jenny overrides Esmeralda’s demand that their siblings must
come home and takes Raymond on a ride with her. Raymond’s foot is
mangled in the chain of the bike and he’s taken to the hospital.
Esmeralda feels responsible though everyone agrees that it was
Jenny’s fault.
Raymond's foot continues to be a problem and the doctors begin
talking about amputation, which prompts mami to take him to New
York in an effort to find better medical treatment. Esmeralda is left
behind with her cousins and is angry, not at being left but at being left
out of her mother's plans. Mami soon makes another trip to New York
and this time returns with a new hairdo, new clothes and a new sense
of confidence. Esmeralda's father soon tells her that her mother is
planning to move to New York. Once in New York, mami becomes
involved with another man, Francisco, with whom she fathers a child,
but Francisco soon dies of cancer.

2. Esmeralda hates her life in New York, saying that she misses the
nature of Puerto Rico. She hates the fact that there is so much crime
in the city that she is seldom allowed away from the house alone and
that all the children are kept cooped up inside most of the time.
Esmeralda is asked by a school official what she wants to do and she
gives it some thought, eventually gaining some help gaining
admittance into a school for performing arts. In the Epilogue,
Esmeralda reveals that she was admitted to that school, that she
graduated there and was preparing for graduation from Harvard.
b. Multiple plots
Chapter 1: Jibara
When Esmeralda Santiago is four years old she and her family move to
Macun. The family's house is made of tin and the children sleep in
hammocks. Esmeralda is called "Negi" because of her darker skin.
Esmeralda's mother tells her to stay out of the way as her father
repairs the house, but her father lets her help. When Esmeralda picks
up the wood, it is filled with termites which bite Esmeralda. She
believes she has been punished for disobeying her mother.
Chapter 2: Fighting Naked
Esmeralda's father leaves the family behind to go into town and mami
accuses papi of an affair. During one of her parent’s fight, Esmeralda
hears the name "Margie", and later learns that Margie is her half-
sister. Esmeralda starts school and she learns about other types of
families. One day Esmeralda comes home from school and finds out
that she and her family are going to move to the city.
Chapter 3: Someone is coming to take your Lap
The family moves into a house at La Parada in Santurce outside San
Juan. Esmeralda struggles to fit in and the children in school call her
"jibara". Esmeralda's mother becomes pregnant with Alicia. Papi visits
more frequently after his daughter is born, and eventually, mami and
papi reconcile and they all move back to Macun. In Macun, Esmeralda
befriends Juanita. When Juanita's grandfather dies, papi participates in
the funeral and Esmeralda and Juanita lead the funeral procession to
the cemetery. Ramona gives birth to Edna. During a storm in May,
Ramona allows the children to play in the rain. Since it is supposed to
be lucky.

3. Chapter 4: American Invasion of Macun
The parents are invited to a meeting where they are educated about
proper nutrition and hygiene. Mami stores the food samples they
received for when they are hungry and don’t have anything. Esmeralda
goes to Macun Elementary School and receives a polio vaccine.
Esmeralda acts brave so she will not be teased. Esmeralda hates the
school's breakfast, but Juanita loves it. Esmeralda is told by a
classmate that the breakfasts are a political move to gain supporters
for the election; which is true since the program ends when the
election is over.
Chapter 5: Why women remain jamona
Esmeralda goes with her father to spend a week with her
grandmother. Esmeralda attends mass with her. When papi is
supposed to pick her up, Esmeralda waits in her best clothes, but he
never comes. Eventually Ramona comes to pick Esmeralda up, and
speaks to Esmeralda's grandmother about papi. Esmeralda decides
that being "jamona" cannot be worse than having a neglectful
husband.
Chapter 6: Mami gets a job
Esmeralda's mother has another child, Raymond. Mami leaves the
children with a neighbor, Gloria, because she has to work to sustain
her family. Glorida talks to Esmeralda about the ways of womanhood.
The family begins to feel the society's scorn for Mami's decision to take
a job. Esmeralda must begin to look after her siblings. The children
have a spoiled cousin named Jenny. When Jenny gets a new bicycle,
she gives each of them rides. When Raymond wants a ride, Esmeralda
tries to stop him, but doesn’t succeed. The bike falls, injuring
Raymond's foot. Esmeralda feels responsible, but the adults blame
Jenny. Esmeralda and her family move to the city.
Chapter 7: El Mangle
Mami and the children arrive at El Mangle. The family is staying with a
friend of mami in a house on the pier. Esmeralda is refuses to use the
outdoor commode. Esmeralda starts school and realizes that she is
behind and that her teacher seems to dislike children.
Chapter 8: Letters from New York
The family moves to the back of a bar where they can hear the
jukebox and the bar's drunkards at all hours. Papi moved back in with
the family. Raymond's foot doesn’t get better and the doctors start

4. talking about amputation. Mami takes Raymond to New York to find a
better medical treatment. When mami returns from New York, she
picks Esmeralda up at her cousin’s house and takes her to the family's
new house.
Chapter 9: Casi Señorita
Mami sends the children to church so she can have time alone. Papi
works in exchange for Esmeralda's piano lessons with Don Luis. When
Don Luis touches her inappropriately, Esmeralda attacks him. Mami
and papi speak to Don Luis and he leaves her alone. The family lives at
Calle Castro Vina and is near Esmeralda's grandmother's home. Mami
travels again to New York and leaves the children with Titi Generosa
who is easily manipulated. Papi is still living at home but it is almost
never there. Esmeralda and the siblings decide to misbehave so that
Papi calls Mami and make her come home.
Chapter 10: Dreams of a better life
Mami returns from New York and finds out that Papi has moved to
Macun with the five children. Mami's appearance has changed, she
returned with a new hairdo, new clothes and a new sense of
confidence. Mami and Papi start a deli service from a truck but it fails.
Mami and Papi keep fighting about their relationship. Esmeralda
attends Ramon Emererio Betances School and tries to find an escape
in school whenever her parents are fighting. Just before her thirteenth
birthday, Papi tells Esmeralda that Mami is planning to move to New
York.
Chapter 11: Angels on the ceiling
Esmeralda travels on the airplane to New York, arrives in Brooklyn,
and meets her mother's mother, whom she calls Tata. Mami and the
children soon move into an apartment of their own, which has angels
painted on the ceiling. Although she was in eight grade in Puerto Rico,
Esmeralda is told that she'll have to be held back a year while she
learns more English. Esmeralda objects, and the principal agrees to let
her try eighth grade for six months. Mami begins seeing a man named
Francisco. He spends a lot of time with the children and he makes
Mami laugh. Mami, Francisco and the children soon move to an
apartment of their own.
Chapter 12: You Don’t want to know
Mami gets pregnant with Francisco’s son. Francisco is diagnosed with
cancer and dies at his parents' house. Mami mourns and lights candles

5. for him for a year. Mami asks Esmeralda to translate whenever she
has to apply for public assistance. Esmeralda fears that she'll translate
something wrong and their request will be denied. Also, Esmeralda
does not like translating for people who lie. During a fight with her
mother, Esmeralda says she hates America.
Chapter 13: A shot at it
Esmeralda talks to the school counselor about her future and tells him
that she wants to be a model. He suggests acting, and she agrees.
Esmeralda is scheduled to perform a monologue at PA 66, a school for
performing arts. After the audition, Esmeralda is convinced that she
failed and is miserable all the way home.
Chapter 14: Epilogue
Esmeralda returns to PS 66 ten years after her graduation. Esmeralda
talks to one of the judges, who is also a teacher at the school, and
who tells her that despite the poor performance during the monologue,
they were impressed that she was courageous enough to perform.
Esmeralda says she's glad the teacher called and reassured her that
she wasn't the only child whose family needed assistance.
c. Flashbacks
- Esmeralda is in New York and by taking a guava starts
remembering about her childhood. She starts remembering about
how she ate it, its texture, and color.
d. Foreshadowing
- In casi señorita, mami alerted Esmeralda that she was going to
become a señorita soon, since it is part of growing up. In angels on
the ceiling Esmeralda becomes a señorita and mami buys her bras
and kotex.
2. Character
a. Characterization by:
1. Speech
- Although Esmeralda did not always understood things, she was
a mature, intelligent and optimistic girl.

6. 2. Thought
- While she thinks about how much her family is hurting because
of her father’s actions, Esmeralda comes to believe that being
single (or “jamona”) could not possibly be any worse than this.
3. Action
- Esmeralda helps a lot with the chores in the house and takes
care of her siblings.
4. Conversations of others
- When talking with others she always seemed to understand
them.
5. Appearance
- Esmeralda has a dark skin color, curly black hair, and brown
eyes.
6. Author’s direct comments
- Page 54: “The doubt in his voice let me know that I knew
something he didn’t, because my soul travelled all the time, and
it appeared that his never did. Now I knew what happened to
me when I walked beside myself. It was my soul wandering.”
b. Character development
- Esmeralda went through several difficult times in her life. And
over the years she grew up both personally and physically.
3. Setting
a. Time
- The story begins in Macun, Puerto Rico in the 1950s.
b. Socio-economic set up
- Extreme poverty
c. Historical moment (Space)
- American invasion
- Luis Muñoz Marín Government
- Santa Clara Hurricane
d. Place
- Rural area of Puerto Rico (example: Macun)
- Urban area of Puerto Rico (example: Santurce)
- United States of America  New York
4. Point of view

7. a. Personal point of view (point of view of the main character)
- The story is written in first person from Esmeralda’s point of view.
b. Omniscient author point of view
- In the novel the author talks about her life, her personal
experiences and feelings.
5. Symbolism
a. Conventional
- Page 50: “His eyes were closed, and his hands, which I’d never
seen without his machete, were clasped on his chest with a rosary
wrapped around them so that the large cross covered his fingers.”
- Rosaries and crosses are conventional symbols of Christianity.
b. Created by author
- Guava is a symbol of childhood memories.
6. Theme and effect
- Coming of Age  as the book proceeds we observe how Esmeralda
grows both emotionally and physically over time. An example of
this coming of age we can observe it when Esmeralda was jealous
because she couldn’t spent more time with her mom since she had
to share her with her brothers and sisters. But despite all, she
keeps all of her feelings to herself because she knows that if she
says anything to her mother, she would only add a greater burden
to her mother (Pages 180-181). And this is a definite sign of
maturity.
B. Identify and understand the story pattern
1. Exposition
- The novel begins with Esmeralda recalling her childhood in Puerto
Rico. She talks about her parent’s constant fighting.
2. Rising action or complication
- While Esmeralda is in charge of her siblings, because mami is
working, Raymond disobeys her and injures his foot.
3. Climax
- Raymon’s foot does not get better and doctors start to talk about
amputation. Mami takes him to New York in search for a better
medical treatment.

8. 4. Resolution
- Because of mami’s constant search for a better life, she decides
that going to New York is their best option. They all move to New
York, Esmeralda enters the School of Performing Arts and at the
end she ends up graduating from Harvard with honors.
C. Identify and interpret conflict and the forces behind it
1. Man vs. himself
- Esmeralda struggles with herself about helping or not people lie to
get the citizen’s benefits.
2. Man vs. man
- Mami and papi constant fighting through the novel.
3. Man vs. environment
- When hurricane Santa Clara destroyed Macun.
4. Man vs. technology
- When they have a TV but Esmeralda couldn’t enjoy it because she
kept looking at the mouths which moved out of synchronization
with the voices.
D. Identify the choice of words used by the author (diction)
1. Figurative language
a. Simile
- Page 63: “She wore skirts to just below the knees, but from there
down, her legs were shaped like chicken drumsticks, rounded and
full at the top, narrow at the bottom.”
- Here Esmeralda compares Mrs. Jiménez legs with chicken
drumsticks.
b. Metaphor
- Page 199: “It won’t flower when you want it to, Mami said. Keep
taking care of it and you’ll see. One day it will surprise you.”
- Like the gardenias, we has to take our lives one step at the time.
And with the right care we will some day blossom.

9. c. Personification
- Page 192: “Cold air blew in, whistling a mournful tune like the dead
singing.”
d. Irony
- Page 53: “Papi was to lead the novenas for Don Berto.”
- The irony of papi leading the novenas when he wasn’t a full
christian.
2. Sensory imagery
- Sight  Page 3: “The guava is not quite ripe; the skin is still a dark
green…A ripe guayaba is yellow, although some varieties have a
pink tinge.”
- Tact  Page 3: “I picked one the size of a tennis ball and finger the
prickly stem end.”
- Smell  Page 3: “I smell it and imagine a pale pink center, the
seeds tightly embedded in the flesh.”
- Taste  Page 3: “A green guava is sour and hard.”
- Hear  Page 13: “His voice faded as Papi carried him into the
house just as Delsa and Norma came out for their oatmeal.”
3. Symbol
- Guava is a symbol of Esmeralda’s childhood memories.
E. Identify and understand techniques for plot
1. Mystery
- Page 133-134: “I stood over the hole and spread my legs as far as
I could. Below, water flowed to the left, faster than it did by the
bedroom window. I felt dizzy. Cold air came up between my legs,
and I jumped back and bumped into Mami. “What’s the matter?”
“I…I felt something.”
2. Suspense
- Page 128: “But the screams were loud and frightened, more than I
would have expected from a simple fall. They were screams of
terror, of pain. I ran, and as I did, it seemed that the whole barrio
was converging in a circle around the bicycle, around Raymond
whose toes were caught in the chain, his foot twisted on itself,
mangled into a mess of blood, grease, and dirt.”

10. F. Identify, discuss and clarify ethical values revealed by the actions of the
characters.
- Rules on behavior
- Page 173: “No picking your nose. No sucking your thumb. No
speaking unless spoken to…No pushing or shoving each other. Say
with your permission and muchas gracias and you’re very
welcome…If you need to use the bathroom, aim so you don’t make
a mess, and wash your hands afterwards.”
- Ethical values
- Pages 250-251: “I didn’t know what to do. To tell the interviewer
that I knew the woman was lying seemed worse than translating
what the woman said as I accurately as I could and letting the
interviewer figure it out. But I worried that if people from other
countries passed as Puerto Ricans in order to cheat the
government, it reflected badly on us.”