Santiago by Pura Belpré
"Santiago" by Pura Belpré is a children's story that explores the themes of cultural identity and acceptance through the experiences of a young Puerto Rican boy, Santiago Roman. After moving to New York City, Santiago grapples with feelings of homesickness and longing for his pet hen, Selina, which he proudly describes to his classmates. Despite their skepticism, a turning point occurs when Santiago and his teacher, Miss Taylor, see a beautiful white hen in a parking lot, validating his claims. This moment leads to a visit to Santiago's home, where his mother shares family treasures that connect the children to Puerto Rican culture, including a carved gourd that tells the history of the island. The story highlights the cultural differences between Santiago and his classmates, particularly their unfamiliarity with the concept of a pet hen, which adds tension but ultimately fosters understanding. As the narrative unfolds, it illustrates how Santiago successfully navigates the challenges of assimilation while honoring his heritage, embodying a blend of both cultures. Through Santiago's journey, Belpré presents a hopeful perspective on cultural integration, demonstrating the potential for mutual respect and learning in a diverse society.
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Subject Terms
Santiago by Pura Belpré
First published: 1969; illustrated
Type of work: Social realism
Themes: Education, emotion, and race and ethnicity
Time of work: The 1960’s
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: New York City
Principal Characters:
Santiago Roman , an immigrant from Puerto Rico living in New York City in the 1960’sSelina , his pet hen, who is still in Puerto Rico and is the object of Santiago’s thoughts and conversationErnie , a classmate of Santiago, who does not believe in Selina’s existenceMiss Taylor , Santiago’s teacherMrs. Roman , Santiago’s mother
The Story
Santiago Roman’s story is one of finding acceptance at his new school in New York City after his family moves there from Puerto Rico. The youth misses his home, friends, and remaining family members—but most of all, he misses Selina, a beautiful, large, white hen, which, as his pet, had been the object of his attention and affection. Santiago boasts of the hen’s beauty and grandeur to his teacher and classmates, all of whom indicate that they do not believe in the hen’s existence. Moreover, they show that if such a pet does exist, they do not accept Santiago’s accuracy in describing it.
At the beginning of the story, Santiago is on his way to school when he sees such an animal in a parking lot near the school: a large and beautiful white hen. He announces that to the class after he enters the schoolroom, and no one, even Miss Taylor, the teacher, accepts the accuracy of the story. On the same day, however, a field trip is planned, and as the students and Miss Taylor exit the school grounds they do, in fact, see just the hen that Santiago had been describing.
This event gives credibility to Santiago’s earlier claims about his pet in Puerto Rico. Thus, he pleads with Miss Taylor to permit the class to visit his home (Santiago and his family live only a block from the school) so that he can prove that Selina exists just as he had maintained. Miss Taylor agrees, and she and the class walk to the Roman home, where Mrs. Roman lets the children look at pictures of the pet through a stereoscope, a device brought from Puerto Rico that serves to show pictures. Santiago’s mother also shows the class another family treasure: a large carved gourd that contains engravings tracing the history of Puerto Rico. Accordingly, as Mrs. Roman explains the items and events depicted on the gourd, the visit to the home becomes a profitable educational experience for all.
The class leaves the Roman house to march onward to the Hudson River, where they will eat lunch on the riverbank. All are happy—especially Santiago, who has proven himself through the discovery of the hen in the parking lot near the school as well as through the pictures of his pet left behind. He is especially pleased that Ernie now believes him and that he has earned the respect of his teacher and classmates.
Context
Santiago is the most successful of Pura Belpre’s children’s books, all of which deal with problems of Spanish-Americans living in the United States. As is typical, the young Puerto Rican is assimilated into the dominant culture, but it is never a matter of leaving the old culture behind in order to assume the new one; rather, the best of both worlds serves to define the identity of the child becoming an adult in his own, new world.
The most noticeable aspect of the Puerto Rican heritage in Santiago is his pet hen. The other children, undoubtedly accustomed to dogs and cats, birds and goldfish, or perhaps a hamster, do not understand or believe in the existence of a pet hen. Neither they nor their teacher realize that pet roosters and hens are quite common in Spanish-speaking countries, and this cultural differentiation provides dramatic tension for the story. Before it is resolved, however, Belpre manages to include a history lesson about Puerto Rico for the other students as well as for the benefit of Miss Taylor.
Pura Belpre has written a lovely, first-class children’s story in Santiago. She sees the world of New York City as a place where the great American melting pot will eventually solve all problems to the benefit of both cultures. Santiago is left, at the end, a proud product of Puerto Rico and a proud member of his new school class. Belpre shows that assimilation is not only possible but also inevitable, and she writes of such a transformation in a positive framework; the institutions of family and education serve this purpose, and yet it is somehow a certain goodness of human nature itself which validates Santiago’s entrance into the new culture while embracing the best aspects of the old.