Macho!: Analysis of Major Characters
"Macho!: Analysis of Major Characters" delves into the lives of key figures within a rural Mexican community, focusing on themes of tradition, masculinity, and societal change. Central to the narrative is Roberto Garcia, a responsible and mature eldest son who shoulders the burdens of his family due to his father's alcoholism. His character reflects the complexities of the Spanish male tradition, navigating the tension between honoring his heritage and adapting to new realities. Alongside him is Juan Aguilar, an experienced and often self-serving migrant worker, who sees Roberto as a surrogate son while also relying on him for protection during their travels.
Esperanza, Roberto's intelligent younger sister, represents hope for change, encouraging her brother to challenge restrictive traditions. The character dynamics are further enriched by Don Carlos Villanueva, the wise landowner, and Gloria Sanchez, who embodies a clash of cultural values with Roberto through her modern outlook. The portrayal of these characters highlights the intricate relationships they share, marked by both conflict and support, as they each navigate their individual struggles within a rapidly evolving social landscape. The narrative ultimately explores the balance between honoring the past while embracing the potential for growth and transformation.
Macho!: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Victor Villaseñor
First published: 1973
Genre: Novel
Locale: Mexico and California
Plot: Bildungsroman
Time: The late 1960's
Roberto Garcia (rroh-BEHR-toh gahr-SEE-ah), the eldest child in a large family of poor farmers, natives of a rural village in Michoacan, Mexico. Because of his father's drinking, Roberto, not yet eighteen when the story begins, must provide for his mother and the other children by doing most of the farm labor. His maturity, strength, and intelligence are immediately evident. Roberto embodies the best of the Spanish male/macho tradition: He silently accepts his father's condition and does his work for him; he competently oversees the older men with whom he works, offering no excuses for anything; and he tactfully deals with those who challenge him—but fights when necessary. Roberto's struggle between tradition and change quickly becomes the novel's central conflict. Roberto meets every test with honor, and, in the process, shows that a real man, while honor-bound, may choose not only how he honors his traditions but also how he may change them.
Juan Aguilar (hwahn ah-gee-LAHR), the most experienced and most dominant of the village norteños, who travel north across the Mexican border illegally each year to work seasonally on U.S. farms. Like most norteños, Juan returns to the village each year to squander his earnings. Prematurely old, Juan is feeling the effects of his hard and dissolute life; thus, mostly out of predatory self-interest, he asks Roberto to accompany him north. Although the extent to which Juan will exploit Roberto remains uncertain, Juan sees in Roberto an image of the son he never had and gradually develops a genuine sense of responsibility for him. Ironically, it is often Roberto who protects Juan on their travels.
Pedro, Juan's norteño companion of the past ten years and Roberto's sworn enemy, because he humiliated Roberto's father. Roberto exacts a measure of revenge, and Pedro literally loses face midway through the novel, but their differences remain unresolved.
Esperanza (ehs-pehr-RAHN-sah), the eldest, at sixteen, of Roberto's younger siblings. Her desire for improvement, coupled with her natural intelligence and resourcefulness, has allowed her to transcend the educational constraints normally imposed on women of her village. She supports and encourages Roberto's efforts to challenge tradition whenever it impedes progress. Despite his belief that Esperanza is too idealistic and too hopeful, Roberto is closer to her than to anyone else in his family.
Don Carlos Villanueva (vee-yah-new-EH-vah), Roberto's patrón, the aged owner of the land Roberto and the others work. The don was the first in the local community to see that the volcanic dust of a newly formed volcano had improved the soil. With his erect bearing and intelligence, his love of horse racing, and his success without compromise, Don Carlos represents the finest of old Spanish Mexico.
Gloria Sanchez (SAHN-chehs), the potential romantic interest who is most similar to Esperanza. Although Roberto and Gloria are greatly attracted to each other, Gloria's Americanized and outspoken personality naturally clashes with Roberto's traditional values of hard work and stoicism. Their cultural conflict makes it difficult for a relationship to develop.
Lydia Sanchez, Gloria's much less studious younger sister. Lydia has not seriously evaluated Roberto's or Gloria's values. Although both sisters are physically attracted to Roberto, Lydia, unencumbered by ideology, has the advantage when it comes to developing a romantic relationship.
Antonio, the aging former foreman, who chooses Roberto as his successor. Antonio represents the Mexican male traditions of hard work and deceptively clever resourcefulness. He is a respected older worker, though a minor stock character.
Pablo Reyes (RREH-yehs), the eldest of the thirteen Reyes brothers. Together, Pablo and his brothers personify the age-old Mexican tradition of violence and revenge. When the Reyes brothers retaliate in ambush for a humiliation, the resulting deaths initiate a norteños-Reyes feud.