American History Judith Ortiz Cofer Summary

“There is so much wealth and so much misery at the same time, that it seems incredible that people can endure such class difference.” In this quote by Frida Kahlo, she epitomizes the contrast between affluence and poverty, underlining the social inequality that many people currently face. Judith Ortiz Cofer’s short story “American History” conveys an equivalent objective, set in the bleak domain of Paterson, New Jersey. From the perspective of a Puerto Rican adolescent girl, the story navigates through the complexities presented by the divides of two teens with completely divergent backgrounds. The girl’s intimate relationship with a boy is shunned away from her due to a conflict that alters her outlook on society indelibly. Throughout the
First, when Elena told Eugene’s mother she lives in El Building, his mother, “looked intently at me for a couple of heartbeats then as if to herself, I don’t know how you people do it” (Cofer 8). In this quote of diction, Eugene’s mother regards those who live in El Building as “you people”, which exemplifies how she stereotyped those who live there as penurious humans due to their living differences that varied from her own. This highlights the divide between Elena and Eugene’s family due to his mother’s inconsiderate behavior and view of those like Elena. This is significant because it shows how not everyone accepts people who aren’t just like themselves. Furthermore, Mr. DePalma used upsetting language during his talk about the President’s death at their school, “The president is dead, you idiots. I should have known that wouldn’t mean anything to a bunch of losers like you kids” (Cofer
In conclusion, Judith Ortiz Cofer depicts through her diction how differences in wealth can ultimately affect how some people treat others. Cofer uses similes to portray how people treat those of lower socioeconomic status when encountering them. First, Eugene’s mother was very hesitant to let Elena into her home, questioning her by asking where she lived, “‘You live there?’ She pointed to El Building, which looked particularly ugly like a gray prison with its many dirty windows and rusty fire escapes” (Cofer 301). Eugene’s mother talking about El Building sounded greatly hypercritical of her, even after only meeting Elena for the first time. This depicts how his mother was quick to judge her based on her living background and not for how she truly is as a person. This is significant because Eugene’s mother doesn’t welcome Elena due to her socio-economic status, showing the barrier between the two characters and their lifestyle differences. Subsequently, Elena felt appalled by Eugene’s mother acting dismissive towards her and didn’t know what to do, “‘Listen.