Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal

Pocho by Jose Antonio Villarreal

People around the world have a belief that every Mexican born child is Catholic. This specific stereotypical concept was very popular in the history of Mexicans. 'Pocho' is a novel written by a Mexican American author Jose Antonio Villarreal. The story focuses on the development of an American-Mexican child, and the imposition of a specific culture and religion on him. In 1959, Knopf Doubleday published this novel for the first time. The leading character of the novel is Richard Rubio who was the son of Mexican parents. His parents migrated from Mexico to America during the depression-era. The author reflected the experience of a child who called himself a 'Pocho'. The term Pocho is used for those children who were born during the depression era of Mexican American transition. Richard Rubio used to say that he is a Pocho, and he speak like this because, in California, they know the art of making Castilian words out of English words (Villarreal, 1959, pp. 165).

The Chicano experiences were popular during the period of 1920s to 1940s. The term Chicano refers to those children who belong to Mexican parents but are living in America. The parents of Richard Rubio were migrants farm workers who imposed their religious thoughts and traditions over their American child. This novel discusses several aspects of this authoritative imposition on Richard that affected his personality in many ways. He faced several spiritual issues due to forced beliefs on his mind. These issues were common in Mexican children of that time who were born and raised up in American culture. Throughout the novel, Richard Rubio struggles and strives for getting to know his place in the world. The novel reflects the adolescence and life of Richard Rubio as a Pocho child. He draws his weaknesses and strengths between two different concepts of American and Mexican culture and tradition (Villarreal, 1959, pp. 135).

The main theme and plot of the story is the difference in American and Mexican cultures and the problems faced by Pocho children. This creates a sense of tension and confusion among those children throughout their life. The author has described his views regarding this issue using a narrative approach. The Pocho boy Richard Rubio is constantly pulled and pushed between the two cultures, two languages and two beliefs. Richard Rubio is presented as a child who pretends his inclination towards the ...