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Description

Multifaceted trauma is a common aspect of the minority experience in the United States, and Latinx are no exception. They experience discrimination, racism, poverty, and a convergence of cultures that leave them with an ambivalent sense of identity. The premise of this research is to show how historical traumas provoke in the main characters a desire to escape their plight through seeking education, expressing themselves through writing, and distancing themselves from their heritage. This study utilizes Sandra Cisneros’s The House on Mango Street (1983), Ernesto Quiñónez’s Chango’s Fire (2004) and Taína (2019), Érika L. Sánchez’s I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (2017), and Reyna Grande’s A Dream Called Home (2018). These narratives highlight many of the traumas experienced by Latinx living in the United States and their reactions to these traumas, which force them to confront the realities that their communities face. In this process, their identities are transformed, and they must choose a new role to play in their communities. In doing so, they learn to embrace their cultural heritage, finding belonging and peace in their identities as Americans and as Latinx. These narratives provide to the reader positive examples of resilience, inspire hope for healing, and instill a desire to uplift their communities.

Publication Date

12-9-2021

City

Logan, UT

Keywords

Latinx, trauma, literature, shared experience

Disciplines

Anthropology | Spanish and Portuguese Language and Literature

Trauma in Latinx Communities in the United States as Seen Through Literature

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