Enero by Mary Helen Ponce
"Enero" by Mary Helen Ponce is a poignant exploration of family, loss, and cultural identity set against the backdrop of a woman's experience in Southern California. The narrative centers on Constancia, who is expecting her tenth child while grappling with the imminent death of her eldest daughter, Apollonia, who is suffering from tuberculosis. As Constancia prepares for the arrival of her new baby, she reflects on her past life in Mexico, her marriage, and the challenges of adapting to a new culture in the United States.
The story highlights the contrasts between her life in Mexico, where family ties and traditions are deeply rooted, and her current reality, where economic struggles and the demands of American life shape her family's experiences. Constancia's internal journey reveals her deep affection for Apollonia and her desire to honor her daughter's memory through the new child. This emotional narrative addresses themes of motherhood, cultural dislocation, and the resilience of family bonds, making it a significant piece within the realm of social realism.
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Enero by Mary Helen Ponce
First published: 1990
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of work: The 1940's
Locale: Southern California
Principal Characters:
Constancia de Paz , a woman pregnant with her tenth childJusto de Paz , her husbandApollonia , their eldest daughter, who is dying of tuberculosis
The Story
Expecting her tenth child, Constancia has just been examined by Dr. Greene, who has told her that her baby is due in January (the "Enero" of the title). This will be her first winter baby, and she only hopes it will be strong enough to fight disease.
Constancia's eldest child, seventeen-year-old Apollonia, is dying of tuberculosis, despite undergoing surgery and special drug treatments. During the three years that Apollonia has been in a sanatorium, Constancia has visited her faithfully. After Constancia's new baby is born in January, Constancia will have to stay in bed for several weeks; she fears that Apollonia will die in the interim. As she moves around the house doing her daily chores, she thinks about the past, present, and future, reviewing her life now in Southern California and remembering her earlier life in her native Mexico, where Apollonia was born.
Constancia herself was one of five children carefully spaced three years apart, thanks to her mother's careful use of church-approved birth control—abstinence. Her father, Don Pedro, managed a large ranch in the state of Guanajuato; her mother supervised the women who did chores on the ranch. Constancia met her own husband, Justo, when he was working for her father. He later wrote her letters from California, telling her about the very different life there. He was twenty and she was eighteen when they married. Some time after Apollonia was born, they moved to the United States, separating Constancia from her family and her roots.
After bearing nine children, and especially after the difficult delivery of her last baby, Constancia did not plan to have any more. She recalls her cousin Amador's visit, when he brought a jug of wine to share with Justo, who seldom drank. Unable to drive home, Amador was forced to spend the night. "Much to Constancia's chagrin, he was given her husband's bed [and] soon after Constancia knew she was in the family way." "Weary . . . of childbearing," she and Justo will sleep apart again after the baby's birth.
Life in California has changed the life of the Paz family. Unlike Mexican ranchers, American ranchers do not feed their workers, who must carry cold lunches to work. Constancia is too tired to make tortillas every day, so her family eats white American bread, which the children like. "Americanas" buy it, she thinks, so why should she not?
Constancia's wandering thoughts finally focus on the task she has been avoiding—sorting the baby clothes in preparation for the new arrival. She has carefully stored Apollonia's baby clothes, hand sewn in Mexico by her mother and sisters, wrapped in tissue paper in the bottom of the trunk. Unlike the baby clothes of her other children, Apollonia's have never been worn by anyone else. Now that Apollonia is dying, however, Constancia has no reason to keep them. She clutches Apollonia's baptismal dress to her heart, crying for the impending loss of her daughter. She suddenly decides to dress the new baby in Apollonia's tiny dress, and all of her other clothes. It will make Apollonia happy. With that thought, Constancia walks out of the dark bedroom and into the warmth and light of her kitchen.