George Washington Gomez: A Mexicotexan Novel by Americo Paredes - Book Report/Review Example

George Washington Gómez: A Mexicotexan Novel (1990) Overview Of all Paredes’ works, George Washington Gómez: A Mexicotexan Novel (1990) is the most outstanding contribution to Chicano fiction. The novel was composed between 1936 and 1940, but Paredes’s academic career and various activities inhibited the final arrangement of the script for publication. In many ways, the novel can be viewed as authentically set on the onset of the World War in Europe, against the Great depression, and was also set against the century old conflict of culture over the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. It is a depiction of the hardships that were present in that era, and that left a mark on the Chicanos in South Texas (Saldívar, 1993). The novel is not so much about the struggle between Mexico and the United States, but more about Mexico and Texas. At one point in the Novel, Paredes tells a story of a man in Colorado who made it quite clear that he was not a ‘fan of the Mexicans’ while at the same time remaining outstandingly polite. While the novel extensively revolves round Texans of the white race, the prejudice cannot be stated to be exclusive to just them. The term “Mexicotexan” in the title may be deemed to be used to depict the main character, George, who is in some form of identity crisis. Sometime he is George, while at others he is Gualinto. Paredes also depicts George as a Native American, while at other instances he is Spanish. This identity crisis takes up a huge chunk of the novel as this character spends most of the novel swapping between these different characters relative to his mood and scenario he is in. The term “Mexicotexan” is fitting as George/ Gualinto is not one or the other, a Mexican or a Texan, but both (Saldívar, 1993). Although the novel was not published until 1990, it is Paredes most successful work. The novel follows the story of a young man growing up in a fictional city Paredes refers to as Jonesville on the River. In the work, George exposes the conflict in identity the young man undergoes while growing up in an Anglo-Texan environment, particularly regarding the educational system. The novel can also be described as a coming of age tale that commences just before George/Gualinto is born and trails him all the way into adulthood. The storyline chronicles the life of a young Mexican destined to be a great man who helps his deprived people, despite the extreme prejudices directed towards him in this border town he now calls home. Themes One of the most apparent themes in this novel is that of identity. The name George Washington Gomez was given to the main character since the father wanted his son to become a great man that would help the people in his native community. The name ‘George Washington’ meant a lot to his father and held that it would spur his soon to achieve more than the people in his native community. This can be seen as the beginning of an identity crisis that is apparent all through the novel. The two identities that George struggles with is that of being a Mexican or a Texan, Gualinto or George. There is little reference of the United States in the novel, rather Paredes prefers to refer to Texas. There is a hint that the author deems Texans to hold a different perspective towards Mexicans as compared to other Americans although some instances such as that of the man in Colorado suggest otherwise (Pérez, 1998). George has to play a complex role of switching his identity in order to fit into the individual environments. At times he has to identify with George Washington in order to live up to his father’s will, and at other times he has to solely identify with his Mexican classmates and friends. George’s family is has significant influence in the decisions that he makes at to what identity to adopt and when to do so. There are times they make him very proud to be a Mexican and detest the Texans, but at other times is ashamed of them and does not want to be recognized with them (Sorensen, 2008). One of the other issues addressed in the novel is that of the education system, particularly how Mexican students are treated in schools in the border towns. Racism can be another term to explain this theme only that it is way too complex and strong to verify. Children of Mexican descent were treated differently in the schools in Texas that they mostly attended. In the early stages of education for George, the Texans did not treat him very horribly but there is a teacher who ‘mercilessly taunts, tortures, and abuses him’ in front of all the other children. Surprisingly enough, the teacher is Mexican. However, as George goes through education, he has to endure struggles and tensions between the Texans and the Mexicans despite the efforts of many teachers to keep peace (Schedler, 2000). Appeal After reading the book different individuals are fascinated by different themes that make up the novel. On a personal basis, what stands out of all facts that revolve around it is that although the novel was composed in the 1930s, it was first published in 1990. It is alarming to know that some of the perceptions held in the 1930s could be studied in the 1990s and also today. It is sought of learning history from the people who lived through it. It is interesting to know that many people that may have been around way before 1990 may have not be in a position to learn as much as Paredes reveals in the George Washington Gómez: A Mexicotexan Novel. It is more of like uncovering a history that has remained hidden over decades and one that remains relevant to society today. Paredes composed the novel in a way that those who read it in the future would have a very informed perspective of how it was for a young Mexican child to grow up in a Texas border town before, during, and after the great depression. It expounds on this topic in depth in ways such as family relations, the relations the north had with the south, and the education system. One can get a clear picture of all these aspects in the 1930s. It is a study of history in an interesting way, and one that is not restrained to one theme. This is arguably one of the reasons as to why it was the most successful work by Parades. The story is revealing and one that tells history because Paredes lived through a life like that played by George. Jonesville in the story was actually Brownsville in Texas. Paredes published With His Pistol in His Hand in 1958 which was a tale of Cortez Gregorio and his encounters with the Texas Rangers. In this work, he portrays the Texas Rangers in a negative way, which was rather incomprehensible in the history of the organization. Predes does not portray the Rangers too favorably in the George Washington Gómez: A Mexicotexan Novel. In the same year that Paredes published the With His Pistol in His Hand, he was hired as a tutor by UT Austin, forever changing the face of the school curriculum that had been use for a very long time. This formed a foundation in which Paredes would join the Chicano movement along with other notable figures, and would also found the Center for Mexican American Studies and the Center for Folklore Studies. Essentially, Américo Paredes had numerous accolades even before his major story was even published. In 1990 when the George Washington Gómez was published, Paredes was 76. This gained him a lot of fame regardless of the fact that he had composed it many decades ago. References Paredes, A. (1990). George Washington Gómez: A Mexicotexan Novel. Houston: Arte Publico Press. Pérez, H. (1998). Voicing Resistance on the Border: A Reading of Américo Paredess George Washington Gómez. MELUS, 23(1), 27-40. Saldívar, R. (1993). The Borderlands of Culture: Americo Paredes George Washington Gomez and Chicano Literature at the End of the Twentieth Century. American Literary History, 5(2), 275-295. Schedler, C. (2000). Inscribing Mexican-American Modernism in Américo Paredes George Washington Gómez. Texas Studies in Literature and Language, 42(2), 154-168. Sorensen, L. (2008). The Anti-Corrido of George Washington Gómez: A Narrative of Emergent Subject Formation. American Literature, 80(1), 111-127. Read More