‘The Feeling in My Blood, The Rattle”

Having encountered numerous works of literature by Latinos, I can not help but wonder—are

the intense feelings, the yearning for freedom, and the urge to flee entangled within Latino

culture? Whether driven by love, education, work, or the new world, the circumstances allude

that this is inseparable. Could this be a part of each narrative? History almost urges that, yes,

it must. Latino literature in the United States dates back to the sixteen century, yet: ‘It took

first relatively largescale wave of Latino students in the U.S. universities in the context of the

overall civil rights movement and the emergence of an anti-establishment, anti-Vietnam war

counter-culture, to produce both the writers and readers of this literature.” The literature

written by immigrants and their offspring is expected to incorporate this element. However, I

aim to highlight not the border-crossing freedom/escape but the pursuit of love or the need to

scratch this itch beneath their skin. As Lola expressed: ‘It was that feeling I had, that my life

was waiting for me on the other side.” Sofia from ‘So Far From God,’ Lola and Josephine

from ‘La Maravilla,’ and now Oscar and Belicia from ‘The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar

Wao’ leave their home hoping for love and freedom. Was it due to challenging family

dynamics, the way of raising children, mixed with generational trauma, or simply the work of

magical fukú? Even from Diaz’s work, we gather that physical punishment was a common

way of teaching children how to behave. Although the mother/child love is present, it is often

conveyed through prayer, providing silent glances rather than talking and showing affection.

Could this dynamic drive them toward very vibrant, but in the end, primarily tragic, romantic

relationships? Perhaps it stems from their inability to find their place in the predominantly

white country and their ongoing battle with identity. They seek love as validation: Oscar is

desperate to assert his Dominican identity, while Vea’s Lola strives to distance herself from

her heritage. Nevertheless, sometimes, love is just love—liberating, challenging, and at times

even deadly—the inevitable race after the feeling.

 Citations

Zimmerman, M. (n.d.). LATINO LITERATURE IN THE CULTURAL PROCESS. In U.S.

LATINOS: THEIR CULTURE AND LITERATURE. essay. Retrieved from

http://tigger.uic.edu/~marczim/latlit/.

Zublin, F., & Rosenberg. (2014). The brief wonderous life of oscar wao: Junot Diaz.

GradeSaver.