1) Rosario made her way to the United States on her own for a few reasons. First of all it would have been unsafe to take her son with her because of the risk of losing him or worse having him taken away. Rosario had a plan and that plan was to go to the America’s and make as much money as she could so that she could bring Carlitos to the United States to be with her. At the same time she would be able to help take care of her ailing mother by finding work wherever she could to send money each month. If Carlitos was with her she would not have been able to work and take care of her son at the same time.
2) Rosario knew what she had to do to make life better for her and Carlitos. Life in Mexico was not what she wanted for herself or her son. She wanted out and to do this she had to make one of the most extreme sacrifices any parent could ever face. Being separated from one’s child for as long as Rosario is heartbreaking and we see this each time she talks to Carlitos every Sunday when she calls him. So the decision was extremely difficult because she knew she would be separated from her family but she also knew what she could do to make things much better for them and that is why she chose to leave.
3) As time went on Carlitos became more and more worried that he would never see his mother again. He even says this while sitting at the table with his Grandmother as he starts to cry. Carlitos was more or less taking care of his Grandmother and had no one else to rely on and was becoming more and more lonely. He was even confronted with an aunt and uncle he never knew. I think he felt like the world was crashing in around him without his mother there especially after his grandmother passed away. I know this is why he set out to find his mother.
Rosario was having the same problem Carlitos was - that being away from her son. They were both yearning for each other’s company. I think Rosario felt helpless, guilty and sad that she was without her son and was even having second thoughts wondering if she had made the right decision and was ready to return back to Mexico.
4) I don’t think it would matter where a mother lived in this world I think they would do whatever it took to do right by their children. Making life the best for our children is what all parents strive for or what they should strive for anyway. Parents go to extreme measures to make life good so they can take this with them when they have their own children.
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Great posting, thank you for presenting your answers well organized. Do you think the feeling of sadness and guiltiness that Rosario experience is common to other mothers who are immigrants in the United States?
ReplyDeleteBy all means yes. Leaving famliy behind has to be very hard on anyone who is separted from their loved ones. As this country was being established this happened quite often. The "Land of the Free" was the place to be back then and many traveled the ocean to get here. My relatives came through Ellis Island from Scotland. We have a copy of the actual documentation of their arrival - ship they were on - ages when they arrived. Kinda cool to see that.
ReplyDeleteGreat depiction of the film. I agree with everything you said. Carlitos and Rosario had so much love for each other, they were having doubts about it. I think that is why Rosario backed out of getting married. At first she was going to do it because she knew that Carltios would be able to come to the US. After she thought about it, bringing Carlitos to the US with a new father he had never met, just wasn't right. They were going to have to spend time together just to make up for what was lost, and I am sure having a new man around, wouldn't be the way that Carlitos would want it, especially after being the man of the house for so long.
ReplyDeleteThe "Land of the Free" I am sure that is what Rosario thought, but understood that there is no "Free" here in the good ole US. Although I am sure the pay was much better than in Mexico, having to work 3 jobs just to make ends meet, is not the "American Dream".