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Abuela
Tata is Mami's mother. She lives in New York with her "friend," Don Julio, and her brother Chico. She's quite tall and is generally very kind and generous to Negi, Mami, and their family. For most of the year, Tata drinks beer and wine through the evening. Don Julio says that Tata's blood never "thickened," so in the winter she starts drinking early in the day. When she drinks she gets very nasty, though she's still able to cook for and feed Mami's children when she's drunk.
Tata Quotes in When I Was Puerto Rican
The When I Was Puerto Rican quotes below are all either spoken by Tata or refer to Tata. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
12. You Don't Want to Know
Quotes
Mami became, even more than before, both mother and father to us. We could count on her in a way we had never been able to count on Papi, Tata, or Francisco, who had made everyone happy for such a short time before dying and becoming a ghost that haunted us all for the rest of our lives.
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"Hit me, go ahead. You can kill me if that makes you feel better," I screamed loud enough for the world to hear. I stood in front of her, shaking all over, hands at my sides, martyrlike, fully aware of the dramatic moment that might backfire but willing to take the chance.
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Get the entire When I Was Puerto Rican LitChart as a printable PDF.
Tata Quotes in When I Was Puerto Rican
The When I Was Puerto Rican quotes below are all either spoken by Tata or refer to Tata. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
12. You Don't Want to Know
Quotes
Mami became, even more than before, both mother and father to us. We could count on her in a way we had never been able to count on Papi, Tata, or Francisco, who had made everyone happy for such a short time before dying and becoming a ghost that haunted us all for the rest of our lives.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
"Hit me, go ahead. You can kill me if that makes you feel better," I screamed loud enough for the world to hear. I stood in front of her, shaking all over, hands at my sides, martyrlike, fully aware of the dramatic moment that might backfire but willing to take the chance.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
