final draft

Nereyda Camacho

Mrs. Knapp

English 1B

23 March 2011

Young Adult

In the novel, The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb, Sonny is a teenager living in South Central, Los Angeles who is exposed to a variety of people who influenced the development of his character. Sonny was raised by his mother Sylvia with his sister, and because his mom was always out with different guys, he had the freedom to be very independent and do whatever he wanted. The environment in which he was living was not that of a supportive and nurturing family; there were obviously few rules enforced in his home, allowing each sibling to make their own way through life. However when Sylvia marries Cloyd; a white man whom Sonny comes to hate, life at home drastically changes. Sonny’s transition from child to man is definitely the crux of this novel; Sonny is influenced by his relationships with both genuine and deceptive characters who contribute to shape his personality as a teenager and future adult.

The fact that when his mom married Cloyd he had to move a strange house initially changed his behavior for the worse, because he now had to listen to and mind his stepdad. “How [could my mom] be living with a [hickabilly] named Cloyd Longpre while I slept in some room with a checkered red camper bedspread” (Gilb 135). Sonny is obviously irritated and doesn’t like the idea of living with this man whom Sonny feels is now separating him from his mom and imposing rules he’s not used to following. Sonny relevantly makes the decision to work for Cloyd because he wants to see his mother happy seeing them get along; however, he knows she’s not happy, because her intention was for her family to live with Cloyd so they could benefit, having all the amenities they always wanted. Beyond making the sacrifice to work with Cloyd, Sonny also gets very angry when he realizes that he has to give up his dog, Goofy. His mom explained, “can’t live with us, m’ijo, I’m sorry. I know it’s hard. I’m sorry” (Gilb 20). Losing Goofy devastates him as, Goofy was a true companion making Sonny feel wanted and loved when his mother was not there for him. Goofy was a source of unconditional love and truly like a member of the family for Sonny. All that Sonny had left was fond memories of hanging out with Goofy, spending most of their time together watching T.V. and eating

Nica, the neighborhood babysitter whom Sonny was attracted to, and Cindy, a married neighbor who begins a sexual relationship with Sonny, also contribute to Sonny’s character development. At some point, everyone experiences being self-conscious when around someone he or she likes, and Sonny experienced this the first time he ate in front of Nica.

“I was too hungry, but I controlled myself. I wanted to seem you know, like, polite. I didn’t eat as fast as I wanted to. I even pretended I didn’t want to eat the last three pieces. . . so I went ahead and overate one more bite out of one and dropped it in the box” ( Gilb 99).

Sonny is worried that he’ll get something on his face or stuck in his teeth, and he feels self-conscious. The author’s intention was to demonstrate how people act when they like someone whom they’re eating for the first time. This also shows that Sonny really liked Nica, because if not, he wouldn’t be so polite so self-conscious. On the other hand, Sonny treats Cindy differently because of the manner in which she seduces him. Because of Cindy, Sonny becomes sexually active and, because he has a relationship with a married woman, he begins to believe that there are no morals between married couples, such as respect and loyalty. Sonny, however, is very aware that he’s not supposed to be in her apartment involved with a married woman. Nica helps influence Sonny’s sense of social responsibility by showing him that at an early age she assumed a position of responsibility, taking care of her little brother, Angel. Because he likes Nica, he shows her more respect and is less respectful of Cindy, knowing their relationship to be morally wrong.

Pink, the car salesman, is very significant in the novel because he influences Sonny to be more socially irresponsible. He contributes to developing the immoral side of Sonny. Unfortunately, Silvia has not taken time to talk to her son about life in general, including what’s happening what they think in their lives, and how Sonny is relating with Cloyd. Because Sonny and Sylvia have repressed so many positive emotions and negative feelings, they both seek a person who can fill the emptiness they feel. For instance, Silvia appears to care more about her husband than she does Sonny because she takes better care of Cloyd, preparing his food and doing his errands leading Sonny to believe that his mother doesn’t care about him. On the other hand, Pink seems to be very friendly and genuine with Sonny, “I just need you to be working with me, little brother . . . I think me and you, [we be] like partners” (Gilb 138) however, Pink is obviously pretending to care about Sonny by calling him little brother; Pink encourages Sonny to drink, and even gives him some car keys when Sonny doesn’t even know how to drive. Furthermore, the relationship between Sonny and Pink is almost vindictive in that they are trying to hurt Cloyd. Cloyd, a racist against African Americans, doesn’t want any black people living in his apartments because he believes racial stereotypes. Pink proposes Sonny act as a spy for the safety of the African Americans in the apartments. Although Sonny is unsure this proposal, and questions the safety and purpose of the crazy adventures he had with him, he still decides to spend time with this man. This relationship serves an example of what an individual may seek out without love and trust from family. Sonny enjoys being around Pink, who is ultimately a bad influence, and is destined to be a source of a lot of problems, especially with his mother and stepfather, Cloyd.

Contrary to his stepfather’s racist ways, Sonny makes an important decision while eating at a bar; Sonny notices two African Americans, who were unable to order, because of a language barrier with Mrs. Zuniga, one of the owners only spoke a little English; Sonny decided to serve as a translator. This is a positive move for Sonny, because he learns that black men, are also human beings who have feelings and feel the impact of being discriminated, or excluded by society because of skin color. Sonny, like any individual, is also setting a good example for others by serving as a translator, literally breaking the ice that exists between races.

From my own experience, I know that leaving one's mom is a tough decision, despite not having the necessary love and attention during adolescence. I have a strong connection with Sonny, because we both had similar family situations that lead us to become more independent and open to the real world. Furthermore, I know that having a stepfather whom one dislikes, becomes an obstacle for having a strong communication with one’s mom. I decided to come to this country when I was twelve in search of a better education, and also to see if my mother cared for me. I believed that Sonny faced a similar situation when Nica asked him if he would go to Mexico with her, “I thought you were going . . . why [aren’t you] going?” (Gilb 248) Sonny was unsure whether or not to go with Nica and leave his mother in another country. Although Sonny decided not to go with Nica, he regretted losing Nica because she was permantly moving. Sonny has to make tough decisions, both good and bad, in this life; I have too. Ultimately it was both our actions and choices that heped shape our characters into a socially responsible adults.

Work Cited

Gilb, Dagoberto. The Flowers. New York: Grove, 2008. Print.

1st Draft Essay

Nereyda Camacho

Mrs. Knapp

English 1B

3 March 2011

Reader Response: Sonny’s Character

In the Novel, The Flowers, Sonny is a teenager that faces important events around his neighborhood in South Central, Los Angeles. Sonny was raised with his mother Sylvia and his sister. Ever since he was living with Sylvia and his sister; he was used to be very independent and do whatever he wanted. The environment in which he was living was not exactly the common one for a family. It seemed like if they were not rules in his home at all because each sibling would take their own way. However, when Sylvia got married with Cloyd, the white man who he hates; is when things were actually going the other way around. I think that Sonny’s change from child to man is definitely an important topic in this novel. There are positive/negative characters that contribute to shape his personality as a good/ bad teenager.

The fact that he was moving to a strange house made his behavior worst because he had to listen to his stepdad. “How could my mom be living with a hickabilly named Cloyd Longpre while I slept in some room with a checkered red camper bedspread” (135). This quote shows how Sonny is irritated and doesn’t like the idea of living with this man who is now somehow separating him from his mom.  The only reason why Sonny is working for Cloyd is because he wants to see his mother happy although he knows she’s not. Furthermore, Sonny gets very angry when he realizes that Goofy can’t live with him. This is because when he used to live in his previous; the only company he had was his dog which really helped him to not feel that lonely for not having his mother with him whenever he needed her. “She can’t live with us, m’ijo, I’m sorry. I know it’s hard. I’m sorry” (20).  This quote is very interesting because it shows how important Goofy is for him especially when he didn’t feel he had someone that loved him; for example, his mother Silvia and also because both of them would spend most of their time together watching T.V. and eating

Nica and Cindy also contribute to the new personality of Sonny. “I was too hungry, but I controlled myself. I wanted to seem you know, like, polite. I didn’t eat as fast as I wanted to. I even pretended I didn’t want to eat the last three pieces…so I went ahead and overate one more bite out of one and dropped it in the box” (99). It has happen to everyone at least once in our life. When we’re in front of someone that we like, we get embarrassed by eating in front of them. This is because we’re not use to eating with this person and we feel uncomfortable. Some people don’t really care and they act the same way with everyone, but for others we wish we could run out of the place so the person won’t stare at us. I think the author’s intention was to show the way people act when they like someone, and also to know that Sonny really likes Nica because if not he wouldn’t be acting so polite. Also because I think the author wanted to share with the reader what’s going on in Sonny’s mind when he sees Nica and realize that he cares for her. On the other hand, Sonny treats Cindy differently because of the seductive ways she acts with him. With the help of Cindy, Sonny becomes sexually active and in a way learns that there are no morals between a marriage couple such as respect and loyalty, although he knows that he’s not supposed to be in her apartment. Nica forms part of the innocence of Sonny and shows him that at an early age she has a huge responsibility; to take care of her little brother angel. Although he likes her, he knows how to control himself when he’s with Nica and treats her and Cindy differently.

The car salesman is very significant in this novel, because he influence Sonny to drink. This person is shaping the bad side of Sonny or contributing with it. Unfortunately Silvia, Sonny’s mom, has not been next to her son to talk about their inside problems; what they think of each other’s life, about Cloyd, and the reason why Silvia would go out so much. There are so many emotions/feelings that Silvia and Sonny have kept inside which makes them find another person to fill the empty parts of them. For instance, Silvia seems to care more about her husband than Sonny by having the food ready and doing others things for him which makes Sonny think that his mother doesn’t care about him. On the other hand, the car salesmen, seems to be very friendly and comprehensive with Sonny because he invites Sonny to drink, and even gives him some car keys when Sonny doesn’t even know how to drive. “I just need you to be working with me, little brother…I think me and you, we be like partners” (138). This quote shows how the car salesman pretends to care about Sonny by calling him little brother. Furthermore this quote represents the union between them to hurt Cloyd in a certain way. Although Sonny is unsure about the proposal the salesman made to him, and the crazy adventures he had with him; he still decides to join this man. This goes back to the idea of not having the love and trust from your love ones. Sonny likes to be around the car salesman; around the bad influence. I think that the man’s union with Sonny is going to bring him a lot of problems, especially with his mother and of course with Cloyd.

As the story progresses I noticed that Cloyd had some racism problems against the African Americans. He doesn’t want any black people to be living in his apartments. In the neighborhood where Sonny lives is pretty much full of Latinos. Sonny makes a huge and important decision in breaking the idea of racism. While eating at the bar, Sonny saw two African Americans who were ready to order but since Mrs. Zuniga only spoke a little bit of English; Sonny had to serve as a translator. I believe that this is a positive action because Sonny is showing that those guys are also human beings who have feelings and feel bad because they’re been rejected/excluded by society.  Sonny is also setting a good example for others breaking the ice of racism. I strongly believe that Sonny makes wrong and right decisions that help him shape his character

Femenist Perspective

From the feminist perspective Sylvia is not the perfect mother. It all depends on the culture and beliefs of the person to determinate how the “ideal woman” is supposed to be. In the novel, The Flowers, Sylvia plays the role of the ideal woman but with different characteristics of typical homemakers. There are many things that make Sylvia stand out from other women. Sylvia “had on a brand new apron. It was cute…she had a new dress on under it too, and too and was fixed up like behind the stove door wasn’t enchiladas” (51). This quote shows how Sylvia differs from other women when they’re in the kitchen cooking. Most women would not wear fancy clothes especially if they’re going to cook because they’ll be afraid of having a big stain in their new clothes. Furthermore, most women would not look that clean and be all perfumed with their nails done, but Sylvia is the exception. Some critics would agree with the idea that Sylvia is an independent woman who likes to enjoy her freedom. The role of the housewife is primary to have dinner ready for the family. Cloyd expects Sylvia to be the usual Mexican wife who knows how to cook all kinds of delicious plates. However, Sylvia doesn’t really know how to cook and she makes food in the modern way; frozen or canned food. The main reason why she chooses this method is because she doesn’t want to disappoint her husband Cloyd. She gets really serious about this idea that she asks Sonny to throw the garbage and not tell Cloyd that she didn’t make the “salsita”.  Same as other women, Sylvia likes to go shopping, but she makes it seem very suspicious like an excuse to get out of her house in search of other man rather than going out because she’s “a little bored” (141). It seems like Sylvia doesn’t play the role of mother because she’s somehow paying more attention to Cloyd. However, she does care about Sonny but doesn’t show it that much

Idea Paper

I’m not really sure if I want to do my paper based on gender, reader response or psychoanalytic criticism, but here are some of my ideas.

 I believed that Sylvia, Sonny’s mother, is an important character in the Novel “The Flowers”. The relationship of mother and son between Sylvia and Sonny has changed ever since his mother and Cloyd got married. The marriage of this couple is very unusual because although they live in the same house; each one of them goes their own way. For instance, Sylvia always wants to go out shopping because she’s always “bored” and wants some type of distraction. There were times where it seemed like if Sylvia was only going out in search of another man.  On the other hand, Cloyd is always working and when he comes home he expects Sylvia to have dinner ready. Sylvia contrasts the idea of a typical Mexican homemaker, because she doesn’t really know how to cook and when she cooks is canned and frozen food. Although Sylvia doesn’t know how to cook, she doesn’t want to disappoint her husband and asks Sonny for his discretion. “Don’t tell him I didn’t make this” (78). Also another characteristic that differences Sylvia from other women is the idea of beauty. She has fancy and sometimes new clothes when she’s about to cook, wears her beautiful apron and has her nails done; she looks clean and gets ready even if she’s not planning to go out.

I think that Sonny’s change from child to man is definitely an important topic in this novel.  Furthermore, the environment in which he lives forms a huge part of Sonny’s change especially when he’s dealing with people he dislikes and different personalities all combined in the same neighborhood. There are positive/negative characters that contribute to shape his personality as a good/ bad teenager. Pink is setting a bad example for Sonny because he gives Sonny the car keys as an exchange of his words about Cloyd, “all I need is you to listen for me is all…be wide-open ears” (139).  Furthermore, with the help of Cindy, Sonny becomes sexually active and in a way learns that there are no morals between a marriage couple such as respect and loyalty, although he knows that he’s not supposed to be in her apartment. On the other hand, Mr. and Mrs. Zuniga feed Sonny with the food he likes and bowls to have a great time. Nica forms part of the innocence of Sonny and shows him that at an early age she has a huge responsibility; to take care of her little brother angel. Although he likes her, he knows how to control himself when he’s with Nica and treats her and Cindy differently. The twins are really funny and make Sonny feel more mature than them. Cloyd teaches Sonny the importance of life by showing him how to work and take some responsibility as he gets older becoming the janitor of The Flowers. Sylvia shows that he cares for Sonny but in a poor way; not having a strong mother and son relationship. One the things these two characters have in common are that they don’t like to express/share their feelings and they keep everything within themselves. I strongly believe that Sonny makes wrong and right decisions that help him shape his character.

Car Salesman and Prediction

I think the car salesman is very significant in this novel, because he influence Sonny to drink. This person is shaping the bad side of Sonny or contributing with it. Unfortunately Silvia, Sonny’s mom, has not been next to her son to talk about their inside problems; what they think of each other’s life, about Cloyd, and the reason why Silvia would go out so much. There are so many emotions/feelings that Silvia and Sonny have kept inside which makes them find another person to fill the empty parts of them. For instance, Silvia seems to care more about her husband than Sonny by having the food ready and doing others things for him which makes Sonny think that his mother doesn’t care about him. On the other hand, the car salesmen, seems to be very friendly and comprehensive with Sonny because he invites Sonny to drink, and even gives him some car keys when Sonny doesn’t even know how to drive. “I just need you to be working with me, little brother…I think me and you, we be like partners” (138). This quote shows how the car salesman pretends to care about Sonny by calling him little brother. Furthermore this quote represents the union between them to hurt Cloyd in a certain way. Although Sonny is unsure about the proposal the salesman made to him, and the crazy adventures he had with him; he still decides to join this man. This goes back to the idea of not having the love and trust from your love ones. Sonny likes to be around the car salesman; around the bad influence. I think that the man’s union with Sonny is going to bring him a lot of problems, especially with his mother and of course with Cloyd. Sonny’s behavior could end up separating his mom and Cloyd. Furthermore, I think that someone is going to find out that Sonny was going to Nica’s house at night. Nica and Sonny might become boyfriend and girlfriend. I also think that the car salesman wants to do something bad to Cloyd because he’s very racist and doesn’t want any black people to live in his apartments. At the end of the novel, Sonny is going to have so many experiences because of the good/bad things he has learned in his neighborhood. His experiences are going to have a big impact on him; physically and emotionally. They’re also going to form his character and give others the best of him. In conclusion, Sonny is going to break the racism chain within his neighborhood/ or the apartments respecting and showing that no one is above others regardless of age, race, and time.

Book Scene

“I was too hungry, but I controlled myself. I wanted to seem you know, like, polite. I didn’t eat as fast as I wanted to. I even pretended I didn’t want to eat the last three pieces…so I went ahead and overate one more bite out of one and dropped it in the box” (99). I relate this quote not only to me, but also to other people. I think that it has happen to everyone at least once in our life. When we’re in front of someone that we like, we get embarrassed by eating in front of them. This is because we’re not use to eating with this person and we feel uncomfortable. Some people don’t really care and they act the same way with everyone, but for others we wish we could run out of the place so the person won’t stare at us. I think the author’s intention was to show the way people act when they like someone, and also to know that Sonny really likes Nica because if not he wouldn’t be acting so polite. Also because I think the author wanted to share with the reader what’s going on in Sonny’s mind when he sees Nica and realize that he cares for her.   

Character Description

I think Silvia is one of those women who like to be well dress and look pretty even though she is not planning to go out, and wear cute brand clothes.  “She had on a brand new apron. It was cute; she’d call it, probably from an expensive department store” (51). I also think that Sylvia doesn’t really like to cook or knows how to cook, and that the only reason why she cooks is because of her husband. As a housewife she has the responsibility to feed the family but in this case she pays more attention to Cloyd than Sonny. Furthermore, I think Sylvia is one of those modern women who buy a lot of can/frozen food.  Sylvia doesn’t want to upset her husband by telling/showing him that she didn’t make the delicious salsa Cloyd like, and that she had bought it from the store. To me it seems like Sylvia is a young woman who still wants to have fun with her friends and is one of those persons who doesn’t like to give explanations of her actions. “That’s who I’m going with is all…I haven’t seen her since I moved here” (82). A few times I thought Sylvia was hiding something from Cloyd and Sonny and got to the point were it seemed like she wasn’t really going to meet with one of” her friends”. This is because before she had married Cloyd she used to talk to different men. In conclusion, I think Sylvia is one of those mothers who don’t like to show the love she has for her children because it was weird when she would tell Sonny something sweet. Sylvia is more open to her husband than to his son and sometimes I think that’s one of the reasons why Sonny does the things he does. Sonny doesn’t really like someone to advice him or guide him because most of the times he’s on the streets bowling or just getting a bad example from the wrong people.

The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb (first 50pgs).

I think that Sonny is going to learn a lot about the lives of his neighbors in the apartments. Since Sonny doesn’t like Cloyd, I think he’s going to be involved in a lot of problems. The only reason why Sonny is working for Cloyd is because he wants to see his mother happy although he knows she’s not. Furthermore, I think Sonny is going to take more responsibilities that would help him become mature. He’s also going to be learning a lot from his own mistakes and would reflect back to them realizing that the choices he’s been making are not the best ones. I also think that Cindy is going to seduce Sonny or she’s going to want to have some relationship with him. On the other hand, I think Sonny is going to look more for Nica. Sonny might have to face a lot of obstacles. At the end he’s going to become a hard worker and would protect his mother Silvia.

Sonny,” she said.

            “I only wanna know what happened to Goofy.” I said.

            “And all I meant to say, all I said was, she’s fine,” he said.

            “My mom got pissed off eyes for him, so didn’t look at him.

“She can’t live with us, m’ijo, I’m sorry. I know it’s hard. I’m sorry” (p20).

·         I thought this passage was interesting because Sonny shows how important Goofy is for him. Also, because both of them would spend most of their time together watching T.V. and eating. I think Sonny became really attach to the dog especially when he didn’t feel he had someone that loved him; for example, his mother silvia.

Who Am I?

I am Nereyda Camacho. I attend to GECA (Gilroy Early College Academy) at Gavilan College. I am taking high school and college classes. I am part of the first senior class at this high school. (Class of 2011). I want to do something in the medical field such as Nutritionist and/or Physical Therapist. I would also like to become a marriage and family counselor and get a minor in Spanish. I like to dance any type of music and play sports. Soccer, volleyball, Track & Field, and Hockey are my favorite. I don’t like talking in front of people, but I like to help others and work in a friendly and positive environment. I like reading books that have strong/significant morals that would motivate others to overcome their barriers and to fight for what they want.