“In more personal ways we had to get used to the Americans. They did not listen if you did not speak loudly, as they always did.”
Ernesto narrates his experiences in Sacramento from the cultural shock he undergoes and the consequent acculturation. Since he grew up in Mexico, the different culture in America prompt him to adjust quickly in order to maneuver the new environ. In the assertion, he notices the difference in social cues among white people that are quite the opposite for Mexicans. He points out that Mexicans use body language more alongside verbal contrary to the Americans who depend on verbal expressions mostly.
“Those of us who lived in it stayed there because our problem was to make a living and not to make money.”
Through the narrative, Ernesto apprehends the concept of money and social classes thereof. He notices the significance of economic worth and what it can secure for an individual, be it property or an affluent neighborhood. In the quotation, Ernesto observes their current neighborhood which was once populated by a wealthy populace until they secured better residences. In that, they moved up reaching a point where they are making a fortune rather than just making a living to survive.
