A picture may say a thousand words, but the silence of one person screams out even more. A person may portray an image of happiness and delight, but on the inside is emotionally drained and truly unhappy. Richard Rodriquez, the first educated member of his family, holds a simple, unfortunate memory in his heart that has changed him forever.
In the first line, it is very obvious of the mother’s direct feelings. It reads, “My other is not surprised that her children are well off.” Of course, if a parents raised a child to the best of their ability, the results are rather well, and that child or children will grow up to become successful. She later describes and praises the success of her children and how they must spoil and take care of her when she is old, in lines 4-10. Another important detail in the memoir is the Christmas gifts. In lines 11-13, Richard describes all the Christmas presents and how his mother’s floor is “carpeted with red and green wrapping paper” and “feet are wreathed with gifts.” Since there are many gifts beneath their Christmas tree and all around, which means someone must have purchased them. Since the mother’s children grew up and have successful jobs, they must be rich and replete with material possessions. Since their family is rich and own “expensive foreign cars”, depicted in line 25, which means they must be happy. But in many cases, money doesn’t buy happiness. Naturally, money is a pleasure and could possibly make people happy. Only in the end, family can make a person’s day or put a smile on their face. Not filthy, priceless money.
The immediate subject is Rodriguez’s memory and description of his family’s Christmas gathering. However, it is to important to realize that he is not interested in describing a specific Christmas gather, even though he does. Instead, he is trying to summarize the typical “routine” that is followed in all the family Christmas gatherings since he and his siblings have grown up and become successful....