Breaking Through

Francisco and his older brother, Roberto, suffer from the loss of emotional security caused by the absence of their parents as well as the stimulating atmosphere of living with a large family. The author notes that he misses “[t]he sounds of Papa’s coughing,[…] and the rolling of Mama’s twelve-inch lead pipe as she pressed dough to make tortillas” (19). Although the virtue of obedience is stressed by his parents, Francisco is happy to be relieved of the daily morning duty of emptying the bedpan for his parents and younger siblings, a chore he had despised. He recalls an occasion of uncharacteristic rudeness in response to being teased by an adult neighbor who asked what he was carrying; Francisco had replied, “[y]our coffee and pan dulce” (20).

Both boys adhere to the tenets of a disciplined existence: cleaning the house, cooking breakfast, and washing dishes. When they are invited out to dinner by Mary O’Neill, the widowed owner of the ice cream shop where Roberto works during his school lunch hour, they heat water in a pot and take baths in an aluminum tub in their family’s storage shed. They bathe with Fab laundry detergent “[…] because soap and shampoo were too mild to cut the sulfur and oil in the water” (24). The steak restaurant where she treats them to a fine dinner is part of their introduction to American culture and customs, one of many instances where the boys observe and imitate the behavior of those around them.

The concept of responsibility for family members is deeply ingrained in both brothers; Roberto is devastated when he finds that his after-school job as a school janitor has been given to another man while the family was in Mexico. In addition to his anxiety about being unable to send money to his parents, he and Francisco are both upset at the prospect of returning to work as “pickers” in the fields. In addition to being arduous, this task causes the boys to experience extensive physical pain. The author recalls that “[t]o ease the pain, we took turns lying flat on our stomachs in the furrows and pressing down on each other’s backs with our hands” (23). They subsist largely on baloney sandwiches, canned ravioli, and canned vegetables, and miss the tasty meals that had been prepared by Mama. Eventually, the janitorial replacement is fired, so Roberto regains the position and hopes to be able to secure work for Francisco, as well; nonetheless, he feels compassion for the janitor who was fired. He has his younger brother leave the fields to help him with his cleaning duties.

Roberto sends funds to his family in Mexico every two weeks, when he is paid, and he keeps the remainder of the cash under the mattress to pay for living expenses for himself and Francisco. The house is burglarized while the boys are at work one day, and the cash is stolen from its hiding place. Subsequently, “Roberto hid the cash inside a chipped ceramic bust of Jesus Christ that we had found in the public dump” (28). 

Francisco and Roberto continue to feel lonely due to the absence of their parents and younger siblings, and the author notes that he even missed his father’s “[…] bad moods and constant complaints about his back pain and headaches” (29). Always a dedicated student, Francisco excels in math; his performance in the subject is exceeded only by that of Marjorie Ito, the daughter of the sharecropper who employs the family.

Both brothers make efforts to adapt to American teenage pastimes. They discover rock ‘n’ roll, and Francisco, in particular, feels that “[…] music and dancing were more interesting and fun than sports or cars” (30). They particularly enjoy Elvis Presley, a popular singer in the 1950’s, whose songs were “[…] melancholy, like some Mexican ranchera songs” (31). Francisco is actually able to lip-synch a Presley song when the class performs skits, and earns the admiration of his classmates. This leads to the brothers attending a dance at the Veterans memorial, where they pay attention to the dancing couples and practice dance together at home. Their goal is to become better acquainted with American customs and to be able to socialize with American teenagers. Francisco becomes such an adept dancer that his brother dubs him “Rubber Legs” (36).

Francisco meets a girl named Peggy, and the two always have the last dance together. When she gives him her phone number and requests that Francisco call her, he asks neighbors to allow them to use his phone. He has no experience with the instrument and requires help dialing. Unlike his American counterparts, Francisco dislikes conversing with Peggy by phone, “[…] because I could not see her face” (38). When he is invited to Peggy’s middle-class, suburban home, replete with a manicured lawn and a pet poodle, Francisco is introduced to Peggy’s parents. Mrs. Dossen, Peggy’s mother, asks whether he is Spanish, noting that she “detect[s] a strong accent” (39). Peggy invites him to see her bedroom, which makes Francisco uncomfortable as he considers the fact that “Papa and Mama would never allow this” (40). The boy is further discomfited when Peggy asks him to sit down with her on the bed. Subsequently, Peggy avoids him at school and is driven home every day by her mother, leaving the author “[…] hurt and puzzled” (41). The dances at the Vet deteriorate as more boys start to drink and fight, and the brothers start to attend American movies instead of the dances.