48 pages • 1 hour read
Judith Ortiz CoferAmerican History
Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1993A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Essay Topics
Cofer describes the residences in Elena’s Paterson community very carefully while giving rather spare descriptions of characters’ physical appearances. Why do you think she does this?
What does Elena’s mother mean when she warns Elena that she is “heading for humiliation and pain” (26)?
Elena and Eugene’s fathers never speak in the story. Why do you think Cofer relegates these characters to the background?
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By Judith Ortiz Cofer
