The Last of the Menu Girls by Denise Chávez
"The Last of the Menu Girls" by Denise Chávez is a collection of seven interrelated stories centered around Rocío Esquibel, a young Mexican American woman navigating her identity and connections within a culturally rich community in southern New Mexico. Set in the summer of 1966, the title story introduces Rocío as she begins her first job as a hospital aide, where her compassionate interactions with patients help her to better understand herself and her emotional depth. As the narrative unfolds, Rocío reflects on her personal and cultural history, while also envisioning her future aspirations.
Throughout the stories, she dedicates herself to documenting the lives of the ordinary people she encounters, often those who lack a voice, ultimately merging her own narrative with those of her community. Chávez's background in theater and poetry enhances her storytelling, allowing for vivid character portrayals and a blend of humor and poignant insight. Rocío's journey from girlhood to womanhood encapsulates themes of empathy, cultural identity, and the power of storytelling, making this collection a significant exploration of the human condition and the diverse experiences within a Mexican American context.
On this Page
The Last of the Menu Girls by Denise Chávez
First published: 1986
The Work
Denise Elia Chávez’s The Last of the Menu Girls is a collection of seven interrelated stories about Rocío Esquibel, a young Mexican American woman in southern New Mexico who seeks to understand herself, her family, and her community. Rocío’s development from girl to woman gives unity to the collage of stories. Rocío observes those around her she provides a portrait of a culturally diverse community and a clear insight into the human condition.
The title story introduces Rocío at age seventeen beginning her first job as an aide in a hospital in her home town. It is the summer of 1966. One of her tasks is to take menus to patients and get their requests for meals. Rocío studies the patients with great attention. She sees them as individuals with differing needs, and her heart reaches out to them so fully that she suspects she is too emotional for the job. Her emotional investment, however, helps Rocío understand others and makes her better able to understand herself. By the end of the summer Rocío has been promoted to other duties in the hospital and the system has changed; she is literally the last of the menu girls. Her compassion for others continues to serve her well as a way of understanding herself and her relationship to the world.
In the other stories Rocío increasingly looks to the past, to her personal history and to that of her Mexican American culture. She also tries to envision the future, to create the woman she hopes to be. By the end of the stories Rocío has found her mission. As her mother says, it would take a lifetime to write even the story of their home; there are stories all around. Rocío dedicates herself to writing the lives of the ordinary people she knows, people who often cannot speak for themselves. In the process of telling their stories, Rocío will speak for herself and for her culture.
Chávez’s talents as a playwright and a poet give a distinctive quality to her fiction. She captures the small gestures and the precise voice of her characters and shows rather than tells their actions. Her work is filled with humor and the hope of the heart that makes her characters enduring.
Bibliography
Balassi, William, John F. Crawford, and Annie O. Eysturoy, eds. This Is About Vision: Interviews with Southwestern Writers. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1990.
Herrera-Sobek, María, and Helena Maria Viramontes, eds. Chicana Creativity and Criticism: Charting New Frontiers in American Literature. Houston, Tex.: Arte Público Press, 1988.
Reed, Ishmael. Hispanic American Literature. New York: HarperCollins, 1995.