More Room
In the short story “More Room”, Judith Ortiz Cofer memorizes her infancy experiences at Puerto Rico. Judith traces her memories to her Mama’s (grandmother) house where she lived as a child. The house is small with a uncomplicated design but sufficient to accommodate all her children including the grandchildren. Her grandmother’s bedroom is at the center of the house and it is slightly bigger than any other room. The bedroom has a large Mahogany bed where she conceives all her children. Every time she gets expectant, she asks grandpa to add an extra room to the main house. Mama also allows grown-up daughters into her bedroom when they visit to seek advice concerning their troubled marriages.
Various cryptograms of power characterize Mama’s bedroom. Her dresser has packaged herbs instead of makeup. There is also a steaming cup, which she uses to wake up any lazy child who thinks she can sleep beyond the acceptable hours. The wardrobe keys hang on a chaff robe where Judith and her cousins cannot reach. The other notable symbols are Mama’s Bible and her Rosary showing that she is staunch Catholic. Besides authority symbols, Mama’s room has gifts from her children from the various states of America. Mama adds more items to her room occasionally because when her children visit, they bring along many special gifts for her, which she strategically stores in her room.
Most of the time Mama sleeps alone in her room because she values her space and privacy. When she is expectant, she asks Papa (Grandpa) to sleep in another room. She also reminds Papa to build an extra room before they welcome their newborn. After giving birth to her last child, Mama asks Papa to quit any further sexual activity because that is how her Catholic teachings dictate. The church does not entertain the use of contraceptives but advocates for abstaining. Therefore, she asks Papa to use another bedroom henceforth to prevent any future pregnancy. During her last pregnancy, she asks Papa to build an extra room as usual. After the room is complete, she tells Papa to live in it permanently. The last new room is not part of the main house.
Talking to the Dead
‘Talking to the Dead’ is a fictional short story by Judith in which she reflects the life of his grandfather’s (Papa) life in Puerto Rico during her childhood. Her grandfather has spiritual prowess that enables him to have direct communication with the spiritual world. Besides being a spiritualist, her grandfather is a talented house builder, poet, and musician. His talents and humbleness make him a popular figure in Puerto Rican society and this earns him respect among the inhabitants. Many people visit him regularly for spiritual consultation. The most challenging thing for Papa has been living with Mama (grandmother) who strictly believes in her senses and in most times her decision is final. Unlike many other families in Puerto Rico where husbands are the heads, things are different in grandfather’s house. Mama does not believe in Papa’s spiritualist activities and she does not want him to counsel people within the main house a fact that pushes Papa to use a different building within the homestead.
Judith’s Papa is a spiritualist who greatly believes in God because he consults the Bible as one of his symbols of authority. When the wounded and widows come for spiritual help, Papa performs a ceremony of healing in his room. Judith is not sure whether Papa communicates with the dead but what she is sure is that he is consulting spirits for intervention in his healing mission. Papa convinces his clients that at the end of life, one reunites with God and in God’s place; there is no suffering like what the inhabitants of Puerto Rico are going through.
Judith’s grandmother comes to believe in her husband’s premonitions when their middle male child, Herman disappears. When he gets eighteen years old, Mama gives him permission to travel to the U.S to seek for a job. However, Papa is not happy with this decision but as always, Mama has the final word. The agreement is that once Herman gets to the US, he must write back to update the family about his well-being. Surprisingly, many months after his departure, Herman goes missing and the non of his family members knows his whereabouts. Papa sees in his dreams that his son is suffering and is living as a prisoner in the foreign land. He shares his feelings about their son with Mama and for the first time, she listens to him because she is depressed as well. Both Mama and Papa make every attempt using their contacts in the USA to trace Herman. Surprisingly, when Herman the locate him, he is found suffering exactly as Papa had seen in his dreams. From this day henceforth, Mama starts to believe and listen to Papa’s spiritual advice.
