I Am Not your Perfect Mexican Daughter Literary Elements

Young Adult Fiction

Modern-day Chicago, in a low-income, predominantly Latinx neighborhood

The narrator of the story is Julia Reyes. Julia is also the narrator, and the story's events are told from a first-person point of view.

Due to Julia's narration, the novel often takes on a cynical, sarcastic tone. The mood is melancholy and reflective, as Julia is reeling from the death of her older sister, Olga.

The protagonist is Julia, a young Mexican-American teenager growing up in inner-city Chicago. At the beginning of the novel, Amá, Julia's mother, is portrayed somewhat as an antagonist. However, as time progresses, Julia empathizes with Amá and the two reconcile.

The major conflict of the novel is internal. Julia, the story's protagonist, is deeply depressed and anxious following the sudden death of her older sister, Olga. She hopes to leave Chicago and study to become a famous writer, but she is stifled by her parents' expectations of perfection. Throughout the story, Julia begins to accept herself, receive help for her depression, and reconcile with her family.

Julia's suicide attempt is the climactic point of the novel. For the first time, Julia's parents realize how much their daughter is struggling with her mental health. They work to get her the help she needs, and Julia benefits from their increased attentiveness.

Julia has a dream about Olga in which she is a mermaid trapped in the water. This dream foreshadows that there are elements of Olga's personality that are unknown and that are inhibiting Julia from moving on with her grieving process.

Many times throughout the novel, Julia says that she is "okay" when she is suffering. This understatement is a form of denial, and it leads to Julia's feelings getting beyond the scope of her control.

When Julia is hospitalized, she references One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest to explain her resentment towards being in a psych ward. This allusion demonstrates the protagonist's love of reading and her sense of humor.

In Los Ojos, Julia describes the tranquility of the town with visual and olfactory imagery. She explains, "The night is always perfect here. Never too cold, the air smelling of dirt and leaves... I can't think of anything more calming than the sound of crickets and the rustle of the fig tree."

Julia feels that she is a walking paradox of the "perfect Mexican daughter." However, as the novel progresses, we realize that this concept is flawed and Julia is a dutiful and respectful daughter in her own way.

Julia explains that she hates her mother's nosiness. However, she parallels this nosiness when she goes into her mother's former room in Los Ojos and peeps around.

Mr. Ingman uses synecdoche when he explains that "no college" is going to track down Julia's undocumented parents and report them to immigration. His use of the word college refers to the individuals that work at the admissions office instead of the entire institution.

Julia recalls that sweat from stress smells worse than sweat produced from exercise. In a moment when Julia begins sweating from anxiety, she uses personification to explain that she can "picture the stink lines hovering around [her]."