Enrique's Journey

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In the novel Enrique's Journey Sonia Nazario takes us through the life of Enrique. She tells about all of the choices and sacrifices that had to be made by his mother and himself. The book was written in third person perspective so the reader never gets into the heads of any of the characters. She still managed to connect the reader using emotion. The reader starts to feel for Enrique from the beginning when his mother is getting ready to leave him. The reader starts to sense the emotional impact that will have on Enrique. His mother leaving had a major affect on Enrique because that left him moving from home to home. Her decisions affected his decisions in the long run. If Lourdes would have stayed and raised her kids, would Enrique have made the same choices? or would he be a completely different person because he did not spend his entire adolescence missing his mother?

Parents choices have lasting affects on their kids even if they do not realize it. Lourdes should have shaken her pride and went back for her kids instead of getting sucked farther and farther in. Her decision not only affected Enrique but it also affected Belky. Not only did Enrique's mother leave him but his father also left him to go with another woman and raise a family. Had his father chosen to stay and be a role model for Enrique he probably would not have spent his entire adolescence wondering and missing his mother. Since his father left so quickly after Enrique got there it did not affect him as much because he did not have the same bond with his father like he did with his mother, but he still felt abandoned. Enrique struggles with abandonment issues during his adolescence so he turns towards drugs as a way to not feel anything and to feel secure.

How might Enrique be different had his mother stayed or even come back? How would he be different if his father would have chosen him over the woman? What are some ways that he could have risen above his circumstances?

Comments

  1. Eva YoussefNovember 23, 2019 at 8:25 PM

    I really like the questions you posed. I wonder too how profoundly Lourdes actions affected Enrique's development. I wonder how his life would be if she had stayed with her family, like so many mothers would in this situation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ally DunlapNovember 24, 2019 at 5:28 PM

    I really like the questions you asked at the end. I think these are important questions to ask while reading this book especially if we are teaching it to our future class.

    ReplyDelete

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