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Stuck in Uncle Tommy’s Apartment
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, Chico, and Raul are sitting outside on the curb dressed in T-shirts and Timberland boots. They discuss how Uno can come up with the money to go to Oxnard. The boys consider that Uno could deliver food for money and jokingly fantasize about an attractive older woman inviting Uno inside when he comes to the door. Uno thinks about what life is like in Oxnard and imagines Senior singing in a church. The boys run into Sofia and Carmen, and Sofia tells Uno that if he messes with Danny again, she’ll come into his house with a knife while he’s sleeping and “slice [his] stuff all up.”
The boys from National City dress in traditionally working-class clothes (Timberland boots are designed for outdoor labor), which is a stark contrast to Danny’s expensive surfer-style clothing. Senior talks a lot about his Christian faith, and the idea of Senior going to church seems strange to Uno; this suggests that Senior has changed a lot throughout Uno’s life. Sofia is fiercely protective of Danny, reinforcing how deeply she values her family. Her graphic threat to harm Uno illustrates National City’s culture—people there are socialized to be tough and confrontational.
Themes
