The Rain God - Ethnic Class and Prejudices

Ethnic Class and Prejudices

First of all, there are the Mexicans, who are divided into upper and lower class Mexicans. Mama Chona and Tia Cuca are convinced that upper class Mexicans have Spanish ancestors and therefore they regard the Castilian Spanish as supreme to all kinds of dialects. This is why Mama Chona expects every member of her family to speak “proper” Spanish and to be educated. The woman and her sister do not only speak like upper class Mexicans, they even try to look like them. Therefore, they keep their skin light by using a parasol and gloves outside. However, their favouring of upper class Mexicans makes them really snobbish as well. This is why the sisters talk badly about the “Indians”. In Mama Chona’s and Tia Cuca’s eyes these people are supposed to serve and do the household, as the old ladies are too proud of doing it themselves. This attitude is why Tia Cuca, who cannot afford an “Indian” servant, finally ends up living in a total mess.

However, within the family some rebellion against Mama Chona’s and Tia Cuca’s opinion can be found as well. While Miguel Grande also looks down at lower class Mexicans by calling them “wetbacks”, he does not approve of his mother’s attitude towards cleaning. This shows that he is not totally in favour of Mama Chona’s ideas. Miguel’s brother Felix, however, rebels more openly by marrying the lower class Mexican Angie. Miguel Grande’s son Miguel Chico feels no need to rebel, as Mama Chona’s and Tia Cuca’s snobbery is a puzzle to him.

Of course there are examples of lower class Mexicans within the family as well. Lena, for example, has lower class friends and the fact that she does not care about family pride makes her an outsider of the family. Mema is often seen as lower class, because she has got an illegitimate child, whom she loves very much, though. Angie is a lower class Mexican because of her looks and her accent. As Maria is not educated, she seems to be a lower class Mexican as well. Still, she is wise enough to figure out what Miguel Chico needs. Therefore, Maria is able to teach him about joy, religion and love.

Furthermore, the homosexuals Felix and presumably Miguel Chico as well form a particular group within the novel. When it comes to homosexuals, some people do not only seem to be prejudiced against them, but Miguel Grande, for example, feels that being homosexual is something shameful and disgusting. For him, a homosexual could never be a real man. The brother of Felix almost seems to think that being homosexual and acting this out is a crime. This gets clear, when he does not want to make Felix’s murder public. Miguel’s brother was killed when he tried to convince a young soldier to sleep with him. The last big social group is formed by those trying to live like Americans. Here, the members of the Angel family have different opinions as well. Miguel Grande, on the one hand, admires the American way of life and the American dream has worked for him as he tries to buy a house and have a prestigious job. On the other hand, there is Felix, who sometimes calls the Americans “stupid gringos”. This shows that he does not approve of their lifestyle.

It is interesting to also see what Americans think about the Mexicans. For them becoming an “American” is not easy. Lena has the impression that life is hard for Mexicans and that they are left alone with the problem adaptation brings along. By not getting any help integration is made even more difficult for Mexicans. Another example is Miguel Grande who tries to apply for a good job. It is mentioned that the city seems ready to have Mexicans obtaining good positions. Still Miguel Grande feels the force to have a flawless background in order to attest his qualification for the prestigious job. This is made clear as Miguel Grande does not want to spread the news that his brother was a homosexual. Then there also is JoEl, who goes to college and is quite fair. Still his friend’s parents call him a worthless, drug-addicted Mexican as JoEl began to take drugs to handle his difficult situation.

However, there is a different example as well. Miguel Chico managed to adapt to the American lifestyle. He leaves his origins when moving away from his family. In the new environment Miguel Chico studies very successfully. His achievements can be seen as a symbol for Miguel being generally accepted by Americans.