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Stripping Tile and Slinging Tar
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Mexican WhiteBoy, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Race and Identity
Fate vs. Opportunity
Violence, Power, and Coping Mechanisms
Coming of Age
Family, Friendship, and Culture
Summary
Analysis
1. Uno and Danny are at the spot near the train tracks, playing Uno’s game and hitting the sign with rocks. Danny hits five out of five on all of his wishes. The game determines that Danny will see Liberty again and that Sofia will go to college. Uno says he’s going to play on seeing Danny’s dad tomorrow. He hits the sign three times. Uno explains that he did research and knows which prison Javier is in and how to get there. Danny recently realized that he can be happy without his dad, but he’s still interested in seeing him.
Uno and Danny play the game just for fun, knowing that it has no real effect on the future. Danny worked hard throughout the summer to be able to see his dad, so it’s ironic that—now that Danny no longer has this goal—seeing Javier is more accessible than Danny ever imagined it would be.
Themes
Uno suggests they leave to get a good night’s sleep, but Danny says they should stay and watch the sunrise. They stay, and Danny thinks about what it will be like to see Danny's dad. He can no longer imagine the condition he was in when he cut his arm with the tweezers. As the sun rises over the recycling plant, Danny thinks that it is both ugly and beautiful. They stay awhile to watch the sunrise. Danny knows that his entire life will change the next day, but in this moment he is happy.
That Danny no longer feels a need to self-harm is another sign of his inner growth. The recycling plant symbolizes the multifaceted nature of personal identity. Danny finally sees the nuance of the recycling plant, as he can understand it as both ugly and beautiful. This mirrors Danny’s new ability to accept his identity as nuanced and in flux. Who Danny is—and how he sees himself—depends on his surroundings and will continue to change throughout his life.
Themes
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