Classics: Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida

Picture from Amazon.com

Bibliography

Martinez, R. (2013). Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida. New York, NY: HarperCollins. ISBN: 9780062290571.

Summary

14-year-old Manuel Hernandez lives in suffocating poverty that is only exacerbated by the sweltering and freezing conditions in the mountains of California. Because his father, brother, and mother are unemployed, the relatively large family is relegated to a "project" home, with his older sister as the sole breadwinner. Every member is rocked by the meager living conditions and their own internal struggles, and they lash out through insolence, withdrawal, seething anger, defeated resignation, and retreat. Sensitive Manny desperately tries to define himself as a vato firme, a hardworking man who brings honor to his family. He is a smart kid who dreams of going to a better school and wants to do the right thing. However, the oppressive forces of alcoholism, domestic and gang violence, racism, pride, insecurity, and bitterness thrust him into a crossroads. He has to decide whether to take the common road for boys in his barrio, or to block out the negativity around him and see his optimism as a gift and a promise rather than a weakness.

Critical Analysis

Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida’s themes definitely minister to the emotional, social, and circumstantial challenges that young adults face. Many teenagers, particularly those in urban and rural communities, are acquainted with poverty (I certainly was – my family resided in low income housing apartments until I went to college). They will identify with Manny and his brother, Bernardo picking chili peppers in the opening scene to “pull their own weight,” because today’s teens often work while in high school to help support their families. Readers will also relate to the ever-present dangers of living in the ‘hood, as impoverished communities are rife with bullies and gangs (for Manny, the Garcia brothers and the Callway Projects Gang that courts him) that you are forced to avoid, confront, or assimilate to.

The desires to define oneself and be accepted are issues that also make Parrot an accessible, age-appropriate read. Manny, like scores of high-schoolers before and after him, tries on many “hats” – intelligent pseudo-teacher’s pet, conscientious worker for his family, thug in training, athlete, neighborhood wimp. When he swoons over various girls both in and out of his league, declaring that he would be amenable to even the plainest classmate just to feel the gentle finger of young love tap him on the heart, my tween self nodded knowingly. When he agreed to attend the party of his boss’s daughter, although painfully aware that she did not want him there and saw him as nothing more than the help and an exotic curiosity, the teen girl in me hung my head with him in bitter remembrance.

The horrors of violence and drug abuse haunt the household of youth, filling them with rage, or fear, as in Manny’s case. At home, his father is a frothing-at-the-mouth alcoholic who curses, swats, breaks things, and cannot keep a job. On the block, the dirty, ignorant Garcia brothers pounce on him for his family’s perceived arrogance. Tragically, kids of all ages can relay instances of having to defend themselves and siblings from an abusive family member or getting “jumped” by classmates/neighbors.

Finally, race and class rear their ugly heads at this age because teens are able to fully comprehend discrimination based on color and income. Adolescents can be suspicious and defensive, and would bristle at being patronized, in the case of Manny’s teacher. Being followed around in a store or accused causing trouble, railing against the haves while alternately wanting to be one of them – these scenarios are relatable. One of the most common forms of racism is school zoning. I felt Manny’s pain and frustration at having the potential to be a great student, but being stuck at a poor school and watching the haves get treated and taught better.

 Unfortunately, the plot was frenetic and not really defined. There were a lot of random, unconnected events and a sense that the story was not progressing toward a resolution. Manny picked chili peppers, buries a relative, contemplated a tree, misfired a gun…I found it hard to stay invested because the plot yanked me from one almost-drama to another. Suspense led to let down in several places, as Manny over dramatized (i.e. the scene where he thought he shot his sister; the arrest of his dad). A young reader will get excited, thinking this is the big conflict s/he was waiting for, only to exclaim, “Really, dude? That’s it?” upon realizing that it was another exaggerated scene or close call. The ending is particularly anti-climactic.

Characters were very mean, particularly to sensitive Manny. He was perpetual victim; no one nurtured him. The entire family and bullies took their frustrations out on him because he was visibly weak, leaving us with very few, if any, likeable characters. I wanted his older brother and sister to support and encourage him, but they mostly made jokes at his expense. Bernardo was not as fleshed out as the others; we never get a sense of why he was so lazy and apathetic. I was also disappointed that his mother was so abrasive. I expected an abused woman to be especially attentive to her children. Oddly enough, the only person she was outwardly loving toward was her husband.

The writing style was medium-formal, with figurative language on most every page. It was obvious that an older, mature, nostalgic Manny was speaking, The use of Spanish slang (vato, gavacho, ese, chale) and references to Mexican cuisine (cornmeal, bunuelos, sweet potatoes) balance out the ornate language and make it accessible for teens. Between the flowery diction and Manny’s soft demeanor, some boys may not find him relatable. On the other hand, some teens may see him as a champion of their meek inner selves, as he freely expresses the vulnerability that must stuff down.

 Awards

• 1998 Pura Belpre Author Award
• 1996 National Book Award for Young People's Fiction

• 1996 Americas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature

• 1996 Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year

• 1997 Books for the Teen Age (New York Public Library)

Reviews

Booklist, 11/1/96: “This contemporary novel, lyrically related in a series of vignettes, tells the story of a Mexican-American family's struggle to maintain its integrity in the face of poverty, discrimination, and cultural alienation…His narrative is poetic, at times almost delicate, in depicting the joys, sorrows, and traumas of the Hernandez family.”

Horn Book Guide, 3/1/1997: “Martinez uses metaphor and poetic language to tell stories of a culture still too rarely portrayed in books for young adults. Horn Rating: Outstanding, noteworthy in style, content, and/or illustration.”

Extension Activities

1. Figurative Language Family Tree – Students draw a family tree and use similes, metaphors, hyperbole, etc. to describe each member.

2. Dos Mannys – Manny appears weak and pathetic, constantly at the mercy of other characters. Manuel, Sr., who drinks, swears, and blusters, is quite the opposite; some may see him as strong and defiant. In actuality, who is really strong? Explain the irony. Draw parallels between the two using examples from the story.

3. Literary Pictionary – (grandmother's garden, for example) and draw it using only the vivid description from the story.

4. I Saw the Sign – Identify on of the symbols from the story (Manny’s mitt, his mother’s obsession with cleaning, the money his teacher gives him). Draw it as an icon. Then, explain what it symbolizes and why.

5. Close Calls – Manny has several close calls (the almost-shooting of Pedi, confrontation at Dorothy’s party, near arrest with the gang, father’s arrest). Pick one and write an alternate ending.

Related Literature

• Cisneros, S. (1984). The House on Mango Street. Logan, IA: Perfect Learning. ISBN: 978-0780743229. This novel discusses poverty, coming of age, Latino culture, and a desire to escape the barrio. This can be a paired reading, as it is from a female perspective and written in semi-verse.

• Alvarez, J. (2009). Return to Sender. New York, NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 978-0375858383. This novel exposes poverty and racism from an outside perspective. It demonstrates positive relations between Whites and Hispanics, in contrast to Parrot’s pessimism. It also gives deeper insight into strong, Latino work ethic and culture.

• Quinero, I. (2014). Gabi, a Girl in Pieces. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN: 978-1935955948. This novel is also set in an impoverished section of California and discusses issues that an older Manny will encounter: graduating from high school and contemplating college, harnessing the gift of language, as well as those he already deals with: fitting in, insecurity, drug abuse and pregnancy in the family, etc.