. . . And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold
". . . And Now Miguel," authored by Joseph Krumgold, is a coming-of-age story centered around a young boy named Miguel, who struggles with his identity as a middle child within a traditional Hispanic sheep-raising family in New Mexico. The narrative unfolds as Miguel yearns to join the men of his family on their summer journey to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, reflecting his desire to prove his maturity and worthiness. Throughout the story, he grapples with the challenges of familial expectations, pride, and the complexities of growing up, especially in the shadow of his accomplished older brother, Gabriel, and his content younger brother, Pedro.
Krumgold intricately weaves in authentic details about sheep ranching, drawing from real-life experiences and a film documentary on the subject, which adds depth to the cultural setting. The plot also touches on themes of family dynamics, the consequences of one's wishes, and the moral dilemmas that arise from them. As Miguel navigates his journey, he faces an unexpected twist when he is offered the chance to go to the mountains, but not in the way he envisioned, leading him to a deeper understanding of sacrifice and responsibility. Recognized as a landmark in multicultural literature, this work provides insight into the daily life and traditions of a Hispanic family while also resonating with universal themes of growth and self-discovery.
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Subject Terms
. . . And Now Miguel by Joseph Krumgold
First published: 1953; illustrated
Type of work: Moral tale/psychological realism
Themes: Coming-of-age, family, and religion
Time of work: The early 1950’s
Recommended Ages: 10-13
Locale: A sheep ranch near Taos, New Mexico
Principal Characters:
Miguel Chavez , a boy, just turned twelve, whose dearest wish is to go with the sheep to the mountainsGabriel Chavez , his older brother, who Miguel believes can easily accomplish anythingPedro Chavez , his younger brother, who thinks that Miguel has a plan that will achieve his wishOld Blas Chavez , his father, to whom Miguel must prove himself ready to go to the mountainsGrandfather Chavez , a wise and moral manUncle Eli , a materialistic man who argues principles with Grandfather Chavez
The Story
The plot of . . . And Now Miguel unfolds as Miguel tells the story. He begins by sharing two important facts about himself. First, it is not easy to be a middle child between nineteen-year-old Gabriel, to whom everything comes easily, and seven-year-old Pedro, who is content with what he has. The second, and crucial, fact is his longing to be included among the men of his family when they take the sheep to the summer pasture in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
Originally sheepherders in Spain, Miguel’s family has continued that tradition for generations in New Mexico. The family life revolves around a centuries-old cycle of wintering the sheep on the mesa, returning to the ranch for birthing the lambs and shearing, then taking the sheep to the mountains for the summer. Every member of Miguel’s extended family has age-appropriate responsibilities during each phase of the cycle. Miguel decides that he must demonstrate that he can do a man’s work so he will be counted among the men and invited to help take the sheep to the mountains. Miguel recounts his successes and his failures during each phase of the yearly cycle as he attempts to prove to his father, Old Blas, that he is capable of doing those tasks assigned to the men.
When his pride is hurt, Miguel reveals his secret wish to his younger brother and sister and, untruthfully, boasts of a plan to go to the mountains this year. Once the secret is known, Miguel is committed to making it come true. He is surprised that opportunities are given to him by his father to perform more difficult tasks as the year passes. When he tries to speak to his father about the mountain trip, however, his father says that Gabriel is to go again and Miguel must wait. Miguel despairs and seeks help by praying to San Ysidro, patron saint of his village and all farmers, to arrange things for him.
An incident occurs during sheepshearing so embarrassing to Miguel that he is convinced that everyone will ridicule him and he will have no chance of being invited to go with the men this summer. He is sure that not even San Ysidro can help. When he is at this lowest point, he receives word to prepare his bundle because he must accompany the sheep to the mountains. The joyful Miguel is devastated, however, to learn that he is to go in the place of his adored older brother Gabriel, who has been drafted into the army. Miguel is tormented with guilt, because he is absolutely sure that this sequence of events is a consequence of the prayer he made to San Ysidro. With the help of Gabriel, Miguel wrestles with the problems of why the saint would answer his prayer in such a manner and, more important, why the wish he no longer wants cannot be reversed through further prayer.
Context
. . . And Now Miguel is written in the tradition of many tales about how prayers or wishes that were granted went awry. Like King Midas in Greek mythology and other characters in the folklore of many countries, Miguel is unhappy with the results of his prayer, the accompaniment to his wish come true. Joseph Krumgold sets this conflict in modern times and goes beyond the moral “beware of what you wish for” to have Miguel and Gabriel explore why this should be true.
Krumgold based . . . And Now Miguel upon a film documentary on sheep-raising in New Mexico. He visited the family depicted in the film, experienced ranch life, and told their story through the eyes of the middle child (Miguel). The wealth of information Krumgold provides about sheep ranching is authentic. The setting of this story is in the early 1950’s, when selective service was in existence in the United States and many young men were drafted into military service.
Krumgold received the first of his two Newbery medals for . . . And Now Miguel in 1954 (the second was for Onion John in 1960). Both of Krumgold’s award-winning books are realistic fiction. When it was issued, . . . And Now Miguel was considered a landmark in multicultural literature because it was one of the first major juvenile books to concern the contemporary everyday life of a main character of Hispanic background.