"Revised Story Analysis"

The Yellow Wallpaper written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is about a woman who is ill.  At the beginning of the short story the protagonist speaks of a mansion that her husband John and herself have secured through inheritance.  The woman believes the mansion was a bargain because the mansion is haunted; otherwise why would it have been untenanted for so long.   John is a doctor and only believes of results through action and not theories of speculation.  Both John and her brother are doctors and both believe that she is not ill; that she for a moment has a temporary nervous depression which makes her think, act, and behave in a certain way.  She is given home remedies, stimulating physical exercise and natural breathing air from the surroundings that her husband has placed her in.  Causing conflict due to the fact that all work is forbidden of his wife until she is well again.  Even though she believes that work suited to her needs would make her feel better quicker.  She speaks about the beautiful home that was left empty for years which disrupts the thoughts and feelings of her home being haunted.    She takes her pain medication in front of John so she won’t respond quickly to take offense to the attitudes of others which makes her weary.  She is basically grateful for John because he takes care of her and has brought her to their mansion to recover.  She speaks of the room John has situated her in and to her it is revolting and suicidal from every corner and dimension in the room to the color.

I believe that she is having post partum depression because she states “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby.  Such a dear baby!” ”And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous (8)”.  John being a doctor gets her into this home which on his own can treat his wife and have only the familiar faces that he wishes to be around her.  She is alone most of the day so she is intrigued with this hideous yelow wallpaper and in visions what she wants to see in the yellow wallpaper.  She stays depressed because, she is not allowed near stimulating people which brings her spirits down and is also not allowed to concentrate on her work; which is writing causing feelings of hopelessness.  She explains of the figures she sees in the yellow wallpaper “Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere There is one place where two breaths didn’t match, and the eyes go all up and down the line, one a little higher than the other (9)” causing rising action.  She feels alone and without nothing to do imagines different images in the yellow wall paper, causing increasing conflicts, since John does not allow her to write and must write in secrecy throughout the short story.

John threatens her to pick up faster or he will send her to Weir Mitchell a specialist who treats for neurasthenia, hysterias, by absolute rest in bed, frequent and abundant feeding, and the systematic use of massage and electricity.  By this point she is feeling irritated and full of complaints crying at everything and nothing.  She is kept restrained to the mansion throughout the short story in an immovable bed which is nailed down.  She again speaks of the yellow wallpaper as to compare it to the life she is living.  She speaks of the yellow wallpaper as if describing how she feels.  She wants to snap out of her temporary state for her husband and babies sake and is thankful that their okay.  On the otherhand she is feeling better and believes the crisis is near its end ,but feels that John and his sister are acting strange due to her behavior.  Describing flashbacks of how the old yellow wallpaper reminds her of all the old bad yellow things she ever saw and that horrible bad stench that follows her like comparing it to her past.  Continuing to compare her life of when she was young to her present life with that old yellow wall paper she sees herself struggling inside those walls underneath the yellow wallpaper as she struggles to break out of her nervous breakdown.  She thinks of hanging herself with a rope or maybe jumping out the window, but that would not be proper for a lady of her stature.  She is struggling with herself to bring back the life that she has lost the life that she once had.  Back to the woman that she has always been not letting anyone restrain her any longer and continue her work.

List of Directions

wake up the kids; make the kids breakfast; drive the kids to school; drive your self to school; check for daily arons and follow through; pick up the kids from school; drop off the kids and make lunch for them; drive yourself back to school; come home and fix dinner if it's not already done; help the kids with their homework; do your own homework and wash the laundry at the same time; clean up the kitchen and the dishes; fold the laundry when it's ready; give the kids their allergy medicine before they go to sleep; 

"Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga"/Revised Draft

Myrna E. Vega

Professor Stacey Knapp

English 1B

March 20, 2011

“Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga”

Sonny Bravo is a fifteen-year-old Mexican American portrayed in The Flowers written by Dagoberto Gilb.  Sonny has come to live at Las Flores apartment complex with his mother Silvia and stepfather Cloyd Longpre.  Sonny at the beginning of the novel is a laid back teenager who does not seem to have any cares or worries about the present or his future.  Before Cloyd, Sonny’s mother was always working or on the go, “My mom would be around for maybe an hour or two, and she’d either change clothes and leave or be so tired she went into her bedroom and went to sleep” (6).  It was certain that Sylvia never had time for Sonny on an individual basis.  Sonny did not have a father figure but also lacked a mother figure because, of the fact that Sylvia was always preoccupied with herself.  Sonny wants to do what he believes is the right thing to do and also does what he is told to do because he wants Sylvia to be happy with him and her new surroundings.  “It’ll be good living here,” she said.  “Don’t you think?” “I nodded like I was trying to really mean it.”  “You’ll see” (17).  Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga, the owner’s of the Alley Cats diner, serving as the parental figures Sonny never had and provided a temporary replacement for the family he yearns for.  I am writing from the reader response theory perspective to explain how visiting the Zuniga's gives Sonny the means to deal with the emptiness and void of a family environment.

Sonny has lacked many things throughout his life that I hold to be priceless.  Sonny never had a male role model who he could call his father.  Sonny once had a family surrounding him when his grandmother lived, but lost that sense of belonging somewhere when she passed.  “I used to hang out with my grandma, who didn’t speak English, and I could talk with my primos who lived there with my tíos, but that all stopped once Grandma died.”  “I never saw my cousins no more after that either” (37-38).  If Sonny had a supportive mother this loss might not have been so influential however Sonny never had the complete nurturing from his mother Sylvia that each child desires.  There was minimal to no attention and praise given to him.  “I couldn’t remember the last time she kissed me anywhere, unless it was for show when she’d also be drinking.”  “You know one of those Que guapo es my little man!”, and then a hard smooch like she couldn’t resist me, leaving her audience, her fans, usually her girlfriends, “giggling and aahing” (18).  The mother that Sonny hoped Sylvia would become seemed far from reach with the little acts she portrayed.

Since Sonny couldn’t find love, nurturing, or a homemade meal at home Sonny loved to go to the corner diner with the bowling alley, Alley Cats owned by a Mexican couple Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga whom spoke Spanish.  Sonny really liked eating there and wanted to get used to going into the diner because Mrs. Zuniga liked asking him questions which he enjoyed.  It was a diner with six lanes and Sonny was the only one who ever bowled.  At the beginning it was nerve wracking for Sonny because instead of everyone watching TV the customers on the stools at the counter would watch Sonny bowl.  Although after a while he got over it and he didn’t seem to mind the glaring eyes of the customers.  The diner was filled with a bunch of old men with bad eyesight and lonely drunks which Sonny stated they probably had nowhere else to go either.  Sonny paid close attention of the individual duties Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga had.  “Mrs. Zuniga did all the floors and dusting and dishwashing and cooking, and Mr. Zuniga had the tools, the register, the trash, the beer openers, and changed the channel on the TV up in the corner”(55).  Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga were always smiling but mostly Mrs. Zuniga smiled and winked at Sonny.  Sonny paid close attention to what was going on in the environment of the Alley Cats diner because, to Sonny it was a home Sonny felt cared for with the homemade food and the little extra attention Mrs. Zuniga gave to Sonny which we all know he’s not used to.  “To me it was going into a home except there was a bar and bowling alley and a cash register” (55).  Mrs. Zuniga always giving him so much more of everything, I believe that for Sonny this was the family he desired.  When he walked into this diner to Sonny it was more of a home to him than a dirty bar.  “I already put my favorite ball in a corner of the rack at the most distant corner, and I never had to worry about it getting moved” (56).  Sonny knew that no matter who came in he was always expected.  Sonny had his place in the diner without any worries of bringing in money if he didn’t have any which is typical of a family member.

Sonny is hungry for food when he visits the Zuniga’s at the Alley Cats, but he also hungers for the sense of a family.  He wants what every other child and teenager desires and that is a family.  He sees the Zuniga’s as parental figures or grandmother and grandfather figures to him.  Mrs. Zuniga always asking if he’s okay, how his day has gone and serving him like a grandmother would do for his grandson.  If you recall when Sonny’s grandmother was alive she expressed herself in Spanish and showed her grandchildren the meaning of togetherness and family.  I believe Sonny see’s his grandmother in Mrs. Zuniga just like his grandmother Mrs. Zuniga only speaks Spanish.  “Por que siempre cenas aquí, muchachito?”  “She always spoke to me in Spanish” (145).  Mrs. Zuniga always shows concern for Sonny especially once she gets to know him and his home life situation with Sylvia and his stepfather Cloyd.

Sonny always had it in his thoughts that he should always be at the Alley Cats diner because, he felt so comfortable there.  Why not eat their every single day, but then he felt embarrassed because this would mean Mrs. Zuniga would think he did not want to be at home.  He also had respect towards the Zuniga’s like you do with your grandparents or parents which leads me to believe that he sees them more like family then just the corner diner owner’s.  “I cussed loud this once when I missed a way-easy spare, and that’s when Mr. Zuniga shouted at me that if I didn’t watch my mouth, he wouldn’t let me bowl here again”(146).  Sonny always defending himself or talking back would never do that with the Zuniga’s because he didn’t want to screw up because he wanted to come back to the diner.  Sonny even said I’m sorry to Mr. Zuniga as he was leaving the diner and Mr. Zuniga said “Thank you very much” (146).  Mr. Zuniga thanked Sonny I believe because to earn respect you must give respect and mutually they liked one another.

Sonny knows Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga as well as you would get to know someone you cared about this also tells the reader that he feels closeness to them and desires their well being.  For example, the scene with the two African Americans in the diner Sonny sensed Mr. Zuniga’s fear and Mrs. Zuniga’s nervous front.  Even though the men looked like two well dressed business men because of their ethnicity this made the Zuniga’s uncomfortable.  Sonny assisted the Zuniga’s with the two African American customers by translating and giving the Zuniga’s a sense of comfort that he was there to ease the situation at hand.  I believe Sonny again helped the Zuniga’s because in many ways they have made him feel at home and have gone beyond hosting him like a family member which in return Sonny is doing the same for the Zuniga’s. 

Sonny noticed that Mrs. Zuniga always showed concern for him like he wished he had at home.  “Why are you here at this hour, muchachito?  “It’s late for a young boy.”  “Aren’t you in school by the morning?” (186)  If Sonny was hungry he knew where to go where he felt at home to the Alley Cats diner.  No matter what time he got there he was feed and taken care of as well as listened to if he needed to talk to relieve his mind and put him at ease.  “She didn’t ask what I wanted to eat.”  “She made me a plate of enchiladas with hamburger meat and onion and chunks of green chile with white cheese all over it.”  “Beans, rice.”  “It was as good as food got!” “Home cooking.”  “If only my mom cooked” (187).  Sonny felt comfortable enough to where he could tell Mrs. Zuniga what went on at home like if he were speaking with his grandmother.  Mrs. Zuniga treating him like a grandson “She gave me two more enchiladas while she was talking.”  “They were the last ones in a glass casserole.”  “I could’ve eaten more” (187).  “Thank you,” “I told her as she took the plate.”  “Until tomorrow,” she said (188).  “Mr. Zuniga didn’t look at me when I asked him how much I owed.”  “He barely shook his head.”  “Thank you very much,” he said” (188).  Just like a grandmother does Mrs. Zuniga at times even went out of her way to make Sonny feel comfortable and bring up his spirits.  Just like in the scene when Sonny comes in all upset and does not want to eat and he states he’s not hungry Mrs. Zuniga brings him a hamburger and chocolate shake anyway.  Mrs. Zuniga never brought food to the lanes before, but this time she did for Sonny’s sake, “You feel better” (207).  The last time that Sonny went to the Alley Cats diner is when he realized that the diner was busted up.  Sonny showed concern for the Zuniga’s especially Mrs. Zuniga.  Sonny and Mrs. Zuniga I believe lifted up each other spirits when something was making them feel bad or uneasy they seemed to be there for each other.  Mrs. Zuniga was I believe a grandmother for Sonny. 

With the Zuniga’s Sonny had a sense that he belonged somewhere that someone actually cared for him and what happened to him.  Sonny had a home in his mind that he could come to and express how he felt as well as ease his mind and body of any bad thoughts he was carrying with him.  Sonny in some strange way had the family he yearned for throughout his life.  Sonny seemed happier when he was with the Zuniga’s he seemed to make the best of what the world had in store for him when he was at the diner.  Sonny’s void for the need of love and family was given and shown by Mrs. Zuniga throughout the novel The Flowers.

"Story Analysis"

The Yellow Wallpaper written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is about a woman who is ill.  At the beginning of the short story the protagonist speaks of a mansion that her husband John and herself have secured through inheritance.  The woman believes it was a bargain because the mansion is haunted otherwise why was it left untenanted for so long.   John is a doctor and only believes of results through action and not theories of speculation.  Both John and her brother are doctors and both believe that she is not ill that she for a moment has a temporary nervous depression which makes her think, act, and behave in a certain way.  She is given home remedies, stimulating physical exercise and air, but all work is forbidden until she is well again.  Even though she believes that work suited to her needs would make her feel better quicker.  She speaks about her beautiful home that was left empty for years which disrupts the thoughts and feelings of her home being haunted.    She takes her pain medication in front of John so she won’t respond quickly to take offense to the attitudes of others which makes her weary.  She is basically grateful for John because he takes care of her and has brought her to their mansion to recover.  She speaks of the room John has situated her in and to her it is revolting and suicidal from every corner and dimension in the room to the color.

I believe that she is having post partum depression because she states “It is fortunate Mary is so good with the baby.  Such a dear baby!” ”And yet I cannot be with him, it makes me so nervous (8)”.  John being a doctor gets her into this home which he can on his own treat his wife and have only the familiar faces that he wishes to be around her.  She is alone most of the day so she is intrigued with this hideous wallpaper and in visions what she wants to see in the wallpaper.  She stays depressed because, she is not allowed near stimulating people which brings her spirits down and is also not allowed to concentrate on her work which is writing causing feelings of hopelessness.  She explains of the figures she sees in the yellow wallpaper “Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere There is one place where two breaths didn’t match, and the eyes go all up and down the line, one a little higher than the other (9)” causing rising action.  She feels alone and without nothing to do she imagines different images in the yellow wall paper causing increasing conflicts since John does not allow her to write and must write in secrecy throughout the short story.

John threatens her to pick up faster or he will send her to Weir Mitchell a specialist who treats for neurasthenia, hysterias, by absolute rest in bed, frequent and abundant feeding, and the systematic use of massage and electricity.  By this point she was feeling irritated and full of complaints crying at everything and nothing.  Again she is kept restrained to the mansion throughout the short story in an immovable bed which is nailed down.  She again speaks of the yellow wallpaper as to compare it to the life she is living.  She speaks of the wallpaper as if describing how she feels.  She wants to snap out of her temporary state for her husband and babies sake and is thankful that their okay.  She believes John and his sister are acting strange.  She on the other hand is feeling so much better and believes the crisis is near its end.  Again describing how the old yellow wallpaper reminds her of all the old bad yellow things she ever saw and that horrible bad stench follows her like comparing it to her past.  Continuing to compare her life of when she was young to her present life with that old yellow wall paper she sees herself struggling inside those walls underneath the yellow wallpaper as she struggles to break out of her nervous breakdown.  She thinks of hanging herself with a rope or maybe jumping out the window, but that would not be proper for a lady of her stature.  She is struggling with herself to bring back the life that she has lost the life that she once had.  Back to the woman that she has always been not letting anyone restrain her any longer and continue her work.

"Transitions"

Addition Category:  again, also, and, and then, besides, equally important, finally, first, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last, moreover, next, second, still, too
Comparison Category:  also, in the same way, likewise, similarly
Concession Category:  granted, naturally. of course
Contrast Category:  although, and yet, at the same time, but at the same time, despite that, even so, even though, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, neverthless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, regardless, still, though, yet
Emphasis Category:  certainly, indeed, in fact, of course
Example or Illustration Category:  after all, as an illustration, even, for example, for instance, in conclusion, in deed, in fact, in other words, in short, it is true, of course, namely, specifically, that is, to illustrate, thus, truly
Summary Category:  all in all, altogether, as has been said, finally, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to put differently, to summarize
Time Sequence Category:  alter a while, afterward, again, also, and then, as long as, at last, at length, at that time, before, besides, earlier, eventually, finally

"Mr. & Mrs. Zuniga"/Final Draft

Myrna E. Vega

Professor Stacey Knapp

English 1B

March 8, 2011

“Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga”

Sonny Bravo is a fifteen-year-old Mexican American portrayed in The Flowers written by Dagoberto Gilb.  Sonny has come to live at Las Flores apartment complex with his mother Silvia and stepfather Cloyd Longpre.  Sonny at the beginning of the novel is a laid back teenager who does not seem to have any cares or worries about the present or his future.  Before Cloyd, Sonny’s mother was always working or on the go, “My mom would be around for maybe an hour or two, and she’d either change clothes and leave or be so tired she went into her bedroom and went to sleep” (6).  It was certain that Sylvia never had time for Sonny on an individual basis.  Sonny never seemed like a happy teenager from the beginning.  Sonny did not have a father figure but also lacked a mother figure because, of the fact that Sylvia was always preoccupied with herself.  Sonny wants to do what he believes is the right thing to do and also does what he is told to do because he wants Sylvia to be happy with him and her new surroundings.  “It’ll be good living here,” she said.  “Don’t you think?” “I nodded like I was trying to really mean it.”  “You’ll see” (17).  Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga, the owner’s of the Alley Cats diner, fulfilling as parental figures Sonny never had and provide a temporary replacement for the family he yearns for.  I am writing from the reader response theory perspective to explain how visiting the Zuniga's gives Sonny a family environment.

Sonny has lacked many things throughout his life that we hold to be priceless.  Sonny never had a male role model who he could call his father.  Sonny once had a family surrounding him when his grandmother lived but, lost that sense of belonging somewhere when she passed.  “I used to hang out with my grandma, who didn’t speak English, and I could talk with my primos who lived there with my tíos, but that all stopped once Grandma died.”  “I never saw my cousins no more after that either.” (37-38) Sonny never had the complete nurturing from his mother Sylvia that each child desires.  There was minimal to no attention and praise given to him.  “I couldn’t remember the last time she kissed me anywhere, unless it was for show when she’d also be drinking.”  “You know one of those Que guapo es my little man!”, and then a hard smooch like she couldn’t resist me, leaving her audience, her fans, usually her girlfriends, “giggling and aahing.”  (18)  The mother that Sonny hoped Sylvia would become seemed far from reach with the little acts she portrayed.

Sonny loved to go to the corner diner with the bowling alley, Alley Cats owned by a Mexican couple Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga whom spoke Spanish.  Sonny really liked eating there and wanted to get used to going into the diner because Mrs. Zuniga liked asking him questions which he enjoyed.  It was a diner with six lanes and Sonny was the only one who ever bowled.  At the beginning it was nerve wrecking for Sonny because instead of everyone watching TV the customers on the stools at the counter would watch Sonny bowl.  Although after a while he got over it.  The diner was filled with a bunch of old men with bad eyesight and lonely drunks which Sonny stated they probably had nowhere else to go either.  Sonny paid close attention of the individual duties Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga had.  “Mrs. Zuniga did all the floors and dusting and dishwashing and cooking, and Mr. Zuniga had the tools, the register, the trash, the beer openers, and changed the channel on the TV up in the corner.”(55)  Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga were always smiling but mostly Mrs. Zuniga smiled and winked at Sonny.

Sonny paid close attention to what was going on in the environment of the Alley Cats diner because, to Sonny it was a home, “To me it was going into a home except there was a bar and bowling alley and a cash register.” (55)  Sonny felt cared for with the homemade food and the little extra attention Mrs. Zuniga gave to Sonny which we all know he’s not used to.  Mrs. Zuniga always giving him so much more of everything, I believe that for Sonny this was the family he desired.  When he walked into this diner to Sonny it was more of a home to him than a dirty bar.  “I already put my favorite ball in a corner of the rack at the most distant corner, and I never had to worry about it getting moved.”(56)  Sonny knew that no matter who came in he was always expected.  Sonny had his place in the diner without any worries of bringing in money if he didn’t have any which is typical of a family member.

I believe Sonny is hungry for food when he visits the Zuniga’s at the Alley Cats but, he also hungers for the sense of a family.  He wants what every other child and teenager desires and that is a family.  He sees the Zuniga’s as parental figures or grandmother and grandfather figures to him.  Mrs. Zuniga always asking if he’s okay, how his day has gone and serving him like a grandmother would do for his grandson.  If you recall when Sonny’s grandmother was alive she expressed herself in Spanish and showed her grandchildren the meaning of togetherness and family.  I believe Sonny see’s his grandmother in Mrs. Zuniga just like his grandmother Mrs. Zuniga only speaks Spanish.  “Por que siempre cenas aquí, muchachito?”  “She always spoke to me in Spanish.”  (145)  Mrs. Zuniga always shows concern for Sonny especially once she gets to know him and his home life situation with Sylvia and his stepfather Cloyd.

Sonny always had it in his thoughts that he should always be at the Alley Cats diner because, he felt so comfortable there.  Why not eat their every single day but, then he felt embarrassed because this would mean Mrs. Zuniga would think he did not want to be at home.  He also had respect towards the Zuniga’s like you do with your grandparents or parents which leads me to believe that he sees them more like family then just the corner diner owner’s.  “I cussed loud this once when I missed a way-easy spare, and that’s when Mr. Zuniga shouted at me that if I didn’t watch my mouth, he wouldn’t let me bowl here again.”(146)  Sonny always defending himself or talking back would never do that with the Zuniga’s because he didn’t want to screw up because he wanted to come back to the diner.  Sonny even said I’m sorry to Mr. Zuniga as he was leaving the diner and Mr. Zuniga said “Thank you very much.” (146)    Mr. Zuniga thanked Sonny I believe because to earn respect you must give respect and mutually they liked one another.

Sonny knows Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga as well as you would get to know someone you cared about this also tells the reader that he feels closeness to them and desires their well being.  For example, the scene with the two African Americans in the diner Sonny sensed Mr. Zuniga’s fear and Mrs. Zuniga’s nervous front.  Even though the men looked like two well dressed business men because of their ethnicity this made the Zuniga’s uncomfortable.  Sonny assisted the Zuniga’s with the two African American customers by translating and giving the Zuniga’s a sense of comfort that he was there to ease the situation at hand.  I believe Sonny again helped the Zuniga’s because in many ways they have made him feel at home and have gone beyond hosting him like a family member which in return Sonny is doing the same for the Zuniga’s. 

Sonny noticed that Mrs. Zuniga always showed concern for him like he wished he had at home.  “Why are you here at this hour, muchachito?  “It’s late for a young boy.”  “Aren’t you in school by the morning?” (186)  If Sonny was hungry he knew where to go where he felt at home to the Alley Cats diner.  No matter what time he got there he was feed and taken care of as well as listened to if he needed to talk to relieve his mind and put him at ease.  “She didn’t ask what I wanted to eat.”  “She made me a plate of enchiladas with hamburger meat and onion and chunks of green chile with white cheese all over it.”  “Beans, rice.”  “It was as good as food got!” “Home cooking.”  “If only my mom cooked.” (187)  Sonny felt comfortable enough to where he could tell Mrs. Zuniga what went on at home like if he were speaking with his grandmother.  Mrs. Zuniga treating him like a grandson “She gave me two more enchiladas while she was talking.”  “They were the last ones in a glass casserole.”  “I could’ve eaten more.” (187) “Thank you,” “I told her as she took the plate.”  “Until tomorrow,” she said. (188)  “Mr. Zuniga didn’t look at me when I asked him how much I owed.”  “He barely shook his head.”  “Thank you very much,” he said.” (188)  Just like a grandmother does Mrs. Zuniga at times even went out of her way to make Sonny feel comfortable and bring up his spirits.  Just like in the scene when Sonny comes in all upset and does not want to eat and he states he’s not hungry Mrs. Zuniga brings him a hamburger and chocolate shake anyway.  Mrs. Zuniga never brought food to the lanes before but, this time she did for Sonny’s sake, “You feel better.” (207)  The last time that Sonny went to the Alley Cats diner is when he realized that the diner was busted up.  Sonny showed concern for the Zuniga’s especially Mrs. Zuniga.  Sonny and Mrs. Zuniga I believe lifted up each other spirits when something was making them feel bad or uneasy they seemed to be there for each other.  Mrs. Zuniga was I believe a grandmother for Sonny. 

With the Zuniga’s Sonny had a sense that he belonged somewhere that someone actually cared for him and what happened to him.  Sonny had a home in his mind that he could come to and express how he felt as well as ease his mind and body of any bad thoughts he was carrying with him.  Sonny in some strange way had the family he yearned for throughout his life.  Sonny seemed happier when he was with the Zuniga’s he seemed to make the best of what the world had in store for him when he was at the diner.  Sonny’s void for the need of love and family was given and shown by Mrs. Zuniga throughout the novel The Flowers.

"Mr. & Mrs. Zuniga"/ Rough Draft

“Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga”

Rough Draft

Sonny Bravo is a fifteen-year-old Mexican American who has come to live at The Flowers with his mother Silvia and stepfather Cloyd Longpre.  Sonny I believe at the beginning of the novel is a laid back teenager who does not seem to have any cares or worries about the present or his future.  Before Cloyd, Sonny’s mother was always working or on the go, “My mom would be around for maybe an hour or two, and she’d either change clothes and leave or be so tired she went into her bedroom and went to sleep.” (6) It was certain that Sylvia never had time for Sonny on an individual basis.  Sonny never seemed like a happy teenager from the beginning.  Sonny did not have a father figure but also lacked a mother figure because, of the fact that Sylvia was always preoccupied with herself.  Sonny wants to do what he believes is the right thing to do and also does what he is told to do because he wants Sylvia to be happy.  Sonny wants Sylvia to be happy with him.  “It’ll be good living here,” she said.  “Don’t you think?” I nodded like I was trying to really mean it.  “You’ll see.”  (17)

Throughout Sonny’s life he has lacked many things in his life that we hold to be priceless to us.  Sonny never had a male role model who he could call his father.  Sonny once had a family surrounding him when his grandmother lived but, lost that sense of belonging somewhere when she passed.  “I used to hang out with my grandma, who didn’t speak English, and I could talk with my primos who lived there with my tíos, but that all stopped once Grandma died.  I never saw my cousins no more after that either.” (37-38) Sonny never had the complete nurturing from his mother Sylvia that each child desires.  There was minimal to no attention and praise given to him.  “I couldn’t remember the last time she kissed me anywhere, unless it was for show when she’d also be drinking.  You know one of those Que guapo es my little man!, and then a hard smooch like she couldn’t resist me, leaving her audience, her fans, usually her girlfriends, giggling and aahing.”  (18)

Sonny loved to go to the corner diner with the bowling alley, Alley Cats where he would go to eat most of the time.  It was a diner with six lanes and Sonny was the only one who ever bowled.  At the beginning it was nerve wrecking for Sonny because instead of everyone watching TV the customers on the stools at the counter would watch Sonny bowl.  Although after a while he got over it.  The diner was filled with a bunch of old men with bad eyesight and lonely drunks which Sonny stated they probably had nowhere else to go either.  Sonny paid close attention of the individual duties Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga had.  “Mrs. Zuniga did all the floors and dusting and dishwashing and cooking, and Mr. Zuniga had the tools, the register, the trash, the beer openers, and changed the channel on the TV up in the corner.”    Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga were always smiling but mostly Mrs. Zuniga smiled and winked at Sonny.

Sonny paid close attention to what was going on in the environment of the Alley Cats diner because, to Sonny it was a home, “To me it was going into a home except there was a bar and bowling alley and a cash register.” (55)  Sonny felt cared for with the homemade food and the little extra attention Mrs. Zuniga gave to Sonny which we all know he’s not used to.  Mrs. Zuniga always giving him so much more of everything, I believe that for Sonny this was the family he desired.  When he walked into this diner to Sonny it was more of a home to him than a dirty bar.  “I already put my favorite ball in a corner of the rack at the most distant corner, and I never had to worry about it getting moved.”(56)

I believe Sonny is hungry for food when he visits the Zuniga’s at the Alley Cats but, he also hungers for the sense of a family.  He wants what every other child and teenager desires and that is a family.  He sees the Zuniga’s as parental figures or grandmother and grandfather figures to him.  Mrs. Zuniga always asking if he’s okay, how his day has gone and serving him like a grandmother would do for his grandson.  If you recall when Sonny’s grandmother was alive she expressed herself in Spanish and showed her grandchildren the meaning of togetherness and family.  I believe Sonny see’s his grandmother in Mrs. Zuniga just like his grandmother Mrs. Zuniga only speaks Spanish.  “Por que siempre cenas aquí, muchachito?”  She always spoke to me in Spanish.  (145)

Sonny always had it in his thoughts that he should always be at the Alley Cats diner because, he felt so comfortable there.  Why not eat their every single day but, then he felt embarrassed because this would mean Mrs. Zuniga would think he did not want to be at home.  He also had respect towards the Zuniga’s like you do with your grandparents or parents which leads me to believe that he sees them more like family then just the corner diner owner’s.  “I cussed loud this once when I missed a way-easy spare, and that’s when Mr. Zuniga shouted at me that if I didn’t watch my mouth, he wouldn’t let me bowl here again.”  Sonny always defending himself or talking back would never do that with the Zuniga’s because he didn’t want to screw up because he wanted to come back to the diner.  Sonny even said I’m sorry to Mr. Zuniga as he was leaving the diner and Mr. Zuniga said “Thank you very much.” (146)    

Sonny knows Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga as well as you would get to know someone you cared about this also tells the reader that he feels closeness to them and desires their well being.  For example, the scene with the two African Americans in the diner Sonny sensed Mr. Zuniga’s fear and Mrs. Zuniga’s nervous front.  Even though the men looked like two well dressed business men because of their ethnicity this made the Zuniga’s uncomfortable.  Sonny assisted the Zuniga’s with the two African American customers by translating and giving the Zuniga’s a sense of comfort that he was there to ease the situation at hand.  I believe Sonny again helped the Zuniga’s because in many ways they have made him feel at home and have gone beyond hosting him like a family member which in return Sonny is doing the same for the Zuniga’s. 

Sonny noticed that Mrs. Zuniga always showed concern for him like he wished he had at home.  “Why are you here at this hour, muchachito?  It’s late for a young boy.  Aren’t you in school by the morning?” (186)  If Sonny was hungry he knew where to go where he felt at home to the Alley Cats diner.  No matter what time he got there he was feed and taken care of as well as listened to if he needed to talk to relieve his mind and put him at ease.  “She didn’t ask what I wanted to eat.  She made me a plate of enchiladas with hamburger meat and onion and chunks of green chile with white cheese all over it.  Beans, rice.  It was as good as food got! Home cooking.  If only my mom cooked.” (187)  Sonny felt comfortable enough to where he could tell Mrs. Zuniga what went on at home like if he were speaking with his grandmother.  Mrs. Zuniga treating him like a grandson “She gave me two more enchiladas while she was talking.  They were the last ones in a glass casserole.  I could’ve eaten more. “(187) “Thank you,” I told her as she took the plate.  “Until tomorrow,” she said. And Mr. Zuniga didn’t look at me when I asked him how much I owed.  He barely shook his head.  “Thank you very much,” he said.” (188)  Just like a grandmother does Mrs. Zuniga at times even went out of her way to make Sonny feel comfortable and bring up his spirits.  Just like in the scene when Sonny comes in all upset and does not want to eat and he states he’s not hungry Mrs. Zuniga brings him a hamburger and chocolate shake anyway.  Mrs. Zuniga never brought food to the lanes before but, this time she did for Sonny’s sake, “You feel better.” (207)  The last time that Sonny went to the Alley Cats diner is when he realized that the diner was busted up.  Sonny showed concern for the Zuniga’s especially Mrs. Zuniga.  Sonny and Mrs. Zuniga I believe lifted up each other spirits when something was making them feel bad or uneasy they seemed to be there for each other.  Mrs. Zuniga was I believe a grandmother for Sonny. 

With the Zuniga’s Sonny had a sense that he belonged somewhere that someone actually cared for him and what happened to him.  Sonny had a home in his mind that he could come to and express how he felt as well as ease his mind and body of any bad thoughts he was carrying with him.  Sonny in some strange way had the family he yearned for throughout his life.