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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. Danny and Uno are drinking beer at a party at Carmen’s house. Danny has enough money to go to Mexico, but he’s delayed buying a ticket. During a game of truth or dare, Raquel asks Uno about Manny. Uno says that he loves Manny because he’s always happy despite his miserable circumstances. Later in the game, Sofia tells the group that her biological mom left when Sofia was young and later overdosed. She thinks of Cecelia as her real mom.
Uno’s view of Manny reflects Uno’s newfound optimism—Manny is an example of someone whose circumstances do not determine his attitude. Similarly, Sofia’s anecdote reveals that her family history does not dictate her life trajectory. Sofia is well-adjusted and shows no signs of substance abuse despite her mother’s plight.
Themes
2. The group’s focus turns to Danny. They ask him about Liberty, but he doesn’t answer. Then they ask about his pitching, and everyone agrees that he’ll be a Major League Baseball player someday. Then they start asking about his background and why he doesn’t speak Spanish. Just before he can tell them that his mom is white, Liberty and Guita enter the party.
It's surprising that none of Danny’s friends realized throughout the summer that Danny is biracial, since Danny was overwhelmed with anxiety over this fact. This demonstrates just how complicated Danny’s identity as a biracial person is. His identity changes depending on how people view him, but he can never be sure exactly how others perceive him.
Themes
3. Liberty and Guita join the game, and Raul dares Sofia to go into a room alone with Uno for 60 seconds. As the rest of the group waits excitedly for them to come out, Danny looks at Liberty and thinks about how pretty she is. When 60 seconds are up, Uno and Sofia don’t come out. Raquel dares Danny and Liberty to go outside together, and everyone agrees. Liberty laughs as everyone cheers, and she heads out the front door with Danny.
Uno and Sofia staying in the room together confirms their mutual romantic feelings. Danny and Liberty already know that they both feel a connection to each other, but they’re both too shy to initiate contact without the support of their friends.
Themes
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4. Outside, Liberty and Danny realize that they can’t understand each other. They sit together in silence and look out at the city. Danny sees the recycling plant, and now that he’s closer he notices how much graffiti is on it. He thinks of the countless people over time who have marked its walls. In Spanish, Liberty tells Danny that he reminds her of a boy she knew back home; she didn’t tell him sooner because she’s embarrassed to speak English. Danny tells her in English that he wishes he was a “real” Mexican. He also wishes he could tell her in Spanish that he thinks she’s pretty. Liberty gives him a lollipop and rests her head on his shoulder.
Danny sees the recycling plant differently depending on his circumstances. In this way the plant is like Danny’s personal identity, which changes depending on how others see him. The countless people who leave their marks on the plant symbolize all the people who influence Danny’s self-image. Even though Danny and Liberty can’t understand each other’s words, they have a non-verbal mutual understanding of each other, and they show each other affection through their actions.
Themes
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