Wednesday, March 30, 2011
under the same moon blog discussion
The main reason Rosario left her son, Carlos, in Mexico with his Grandmother was so she could cross the border into the U.S. where she has the chance to make more money in order to better provide for her son. This was a very difficult decision for her because in order to do what she thinks is best for her son, she has to leave him. A lot is at stake leaving him at such a young age and for so long, such as him starting to doubt her love for him, and him harboring bitterness for having to grow up without her. A common thread throughout the characters of the movie was that they were willing to take this great risk despite the consequences. Many illegal immigrants suffered many injustices and subhuman conditions in order to have a chance at improving the quality of their lives and the lives of their loved ones. The way in which Rosario deals with the pain of being apart from her son is by shutting herself off from social or leisure interaction. It was as though to say,"I can not relax and have fun while my heart aches for my son". This was clear in her avoidance of advances by a very eligible courter and ultimately her refusal to marry him. Carlos faced many problems living away from his mother. For one, he risked being taken from his grandmother and into the care of some very uncaring greedy family members, which surely would have made his life miserable. Once his grandmother died and he was in pursuit of reaching his mother, he risked near suffocation under the flooring of the van crossing the border. He then barely escaped being sold into child slavery/prostitution when he hooked up with a shady character in the bus station. Trouble continued as he had close run ins with the authorities when working to pick tomatoes and then again when sleeping on the park bench in LA. Few mother's in the U.S. have had to make decisions as tough as the decision Rosario had to make when she left her son, since for the most part, our quality of living is not dire. However, I do think that no sacrifice is too great in regard to a mother's love. If a mother in the U.S. is faced with a desperate harmful situation and has the opportunity to provide something better for their child, they would do the same.
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Beth,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading everyone's blog it is clear we all agree that it was an extremely difficult decision for Rosario to leave Carlitos. We all agree she was motivated by the desire to provide a better life for the two of them. Both of them faced great risks to achieve the end goal. You brought up a good point that Rosario risked Carlitos doubting her love for him and the resentment and bitterness he felt growing up without her. He was at a very tender, young age when she left. While it would be difficult for a child at any age to be left by their mother, at that age he wouldn't have the comprehension to understand it as an older child would.
Rosario suffered from not only the emotional trauma from being away from her son, but also the isolation from the rest of her family and friends. Then you add, as you mentioned, the social injustices she suffered being an illegal immigrant. She was obviously a very storng woman who was willing to put her needs and safety aside to provide for heer son.
Carlitos was a "chip off the old block". he was willing to do whatever it took to be withn his mother. However, at his age he had no way to know the risk he was taking trying to get to America and his mother. He avoided disaster after disaster to get to his mother. He had a guardian angel watching over him!
I agree completely with you..."no sacrifice is too great in regards to a mother's love". Maybe it goes both ways. No sacrifice is too great in regards to a child's love for thier mother!
Beth,
ReplyDeleteYou made a good point about Rosario shutting herself away from social and leisure activities. I liked how you said Rosaria was saying, "I cannot relax and have fun while my heart aches for my son." I believe that is exactly how she felt. You really have to admire her for this. Carlitos' father left Mexico and made a new life for himself. Rosario could have done the same. Rosario was young and could have followed in her friend Alicia's footsteps to go out on the town. She even had a respectable man pursuing her. Rosaria's inner character shines bright throughout the movie.
Carlitos risked his life many times to reach his mother. As a 9 year old child he may have been unaware of the dangerous situations he was putting himself in. However, he is to be admired for not giving up. Most 9 year olds would never strike out on their own. If they did it would be unlikely they would make it far. Carlitos not only made it, on the way he made an impact on others along the way.