He remembers how his mother had spent weeks to sew all four children’s outfits, and how it was the first time he had been dressed up for a stranger. Richard even remembers how the priest sounded when he laughed, claiming that “It was the first time I had heard such sounds in the house” (86). The remembrance of these minor details proves how important of an experience this was to Rodriguez. After dinner was served, Rodriguez states that the priest consecrated the house and left a “large picture of sad eyed Christ, exposing his punctured heart” (87). He explains how this picture has “retained a position of prominence in all the houses my parents have live in since” (87), showing how there is a deeper connection than just one of faith. I believe that this picture serves multiple purposes, the first is a representation of becoming Americanized. This is so because it was one of the first public American experiences of this family. They felt welcomed by the “gringos” for the first time, giving them a chance to create a public identity. Rodriguez mentions how “(American) Catholics could, after all, participate fully in American public life” (84), this is something that is important to his family because in order to be more successful, they must create this public identity, and the inability to speak English,
He remembers how his mother had spent weeks to sew all four children’s outfits, and how it was the first time he had been dressed up for a stranger. Richard even remembers how the priest sounded when he laughed, claiming that “It was the first time I had heard such sounds in the house” (86). The remembrance of these minor details proves how important of an experience this was to Rodriguez. After dinner was served, Rodriguez states that the priest consecrated the house and left a “large picture of sad eyed Christ, exposing his punctured heart” (87). He explains how this picture has “retained a position of prominence in all the houses my parents have live in since” (87), showing how there is a deeper connection than just one of faith. I believe that this picture serves multiple purposes, the first is a representation of becoming Americanized. This is so because it was one of the first public American experiences of this family. They felt welcomed by the “gringos” for the first time, giving them a chance to create a public identity. Rodriguez mentions how “(American) Catholics could, after all, participate fully in American public life” (84), this is something that is important to his family because in order to be more successful, they must create this public identity, and the inability to speak English,