Material Success In Hunger Of Memory By Richard Rodriguez

Hunger of Memory

In Richard Rodriguez's passage from Hunger of Memory, the superficiality of material success is depicted well. The Rodriguez children have achieved the American Dream of material success. The material success that they have accomplished has made them have very little or no concern towards their parents and siblings. In the Richard Rodriguez's description of his family at Christmas, the emptiness of material success is made clear through descriptions of siblings, mother and his views about his family and their behavior.

The imagery, actions and the behavior of the siblings illustrate the superficiality of the material success that they have achieved. The Rodriguez's children are all "very rich" and are blessed
with "lots of money." The fact that the Rodriguez's "two daughters are business executives" further exemplifies their affluence.
Not only are the daughters of the Rodriguez's family well educated, but also their "oldest son is a lawyer" portraying the material comfort that is weaved into the whole family. The Rodriguez children are all "well-off" due to the material success they have achieved with time. One of the Rodriguez daughters is wearing a "shiny mink jacket" exhibiting her wealth, as mink jackets are usually costly. The children also own "expensive foreign cars" and they have let them "idle sharply" while they are leaving illustrating that they are wasting money. The material success that the Rodriguez siblings have achieved has led them to develop bad family ties and values. During Christmas family union is one of the major aspects and is supposed to be a joyous occasion in a cozy lovely home, but here the room is described to be "uncomfortably warm" by the people in it. Their talk is also "listless" signifying that no one is really interested in the discussions that they are having and also not enjoying each other's company even though they meet very rarely. All the people in the room are also "falling asleep" and are "very tired" illustrating the cold, gloomy look that the family is having when its time to be lively and celebrate. Generally no one works on the day after
Christmas, but here in this family all of the siblings have to "get up early" the next day to get to work thus exemplifying their love towards money and their career rather than their family. Therefore one of them starts to leave "prompting others to leave." When all the Rodriguez siblings leave in a hurry, the youngest sister places a "kiss" on her mother and rushes "down the front steps." Usually during Christmas families spend a few days together, but here people are seen hurrying towards their cars without even taking time to say goodbye to their parents. One of the Rodriguez brothers just "drives away" without even thanking his parents. The mother has to wait for "another Christmas" to meet her children again. Accordingly it can be concluded that even though the siblings have achieved material success, they lack sustenance in family relationships.

Through the parents, the emptiness material success is very well explained. Like most mothers, the Rodriguez mother predicts numerous things that are later going to take place in her children's life. "Someday" the mother wishes and wants her children to be "very rich." The mother predicts that her children would achieve material success when they were young. As the mother has "predicted it all long ago", she doesn't feel "surprised that her children are well-off." Although the mother predicts many good things for her children, she expects them to serve her when they were blessed with what she desired for. The mother is also pictured as a self –centered woman who aspires that her children will have lots of money just because they can fulfill her wishes and "buy me (her) presents." The mother wishes for a "big fur coat," "soft food" and "blue wig" from her children when they have money. Most of the things that the mother wishes are only for her own use and are tangible. Hence the mother expects the children to take care of her when she is "a little old lady" and when they are all rich. The children treat their mother like an ornament .The children's material success has made their mother's dreams come true as seen "the floor around her is carpeted with red and green wrapping paper." The mother is basically worshipped like an idol and "her feet are wreathed with gifts." The siblings think that their mother would be very pleased with their material love that is expressed in the form of gifts. When the children are leaving, the mother is standing near the door and "calling good-bye" to everyone is general and not really interested in anyone particularly. Therefore, the shallowness of material success is depicted through the mother.

Richard Rodriguez is a silent observer of the whole scene and the behaviors of the people present there. The views of Richard Rodriguez also prove the hollowness of the material success of the Rodriguez's children. Rodriguez notices that "all of a sudden" his mother feels bad and appears "very small" when everyone is leaving. He senses that his mom "looks worried" and "she seems sad." His mother's sadness touches him intensely and leaves him with further questions of "How sad?" "Why?" He is trying to figure the out the reasons as to why his mother is sad. He also assumes that his mother is sad because everyone is leaving and "going home" right after Christmas is over. Richard also thinks that she is sad because it "can never be" like the "Christmas one remembers having had once." Prior to this particular Christmas, the family seems to have had great times of celebration and now it all remains as a memory to them. Rodriguez is "tempted to ask" his mother "if there is anything wrong" but he doesn't thus implying that he has concern towards her but simply doesn't want to show it off in front of his siblings. After thinking about this for a long time he finally concludes that these "questions of paradise" do need her answer. Richard also observes his father closely when he is standing "outside." It is then his mother asks Richard to hand "the jacket out" to his father to protect him from the coldness. Richard can also feel how thin his father has become since there is no one other than his mother to take care of him. The father is sad when everyone is about to leave, and he asks Richard if he is "going home" then. The father is also portrayed as a silent human being who rarely talks and asking Richard about his departure is "the only thing he has said to me [him] all evening." The mother is sad that the family can never meet again and they have to wait for a complete year to meet them all "another Christmas." Richard further adds that "she says that thing every year" revealing that it is a routine to her every Christmas. Hence with the detailed explanation of the views of the observer Richard Rodriguez the shallowness of material success is proved.

Even though the siblings were rich, as the mother had predicted them to be, the material success that they achieve has changed their beliefs concerning family bonds and ties. Thus with Richard Rodriguez's descriptions of his family at Christmas, the emptiness of material success and also the American Dream is made clear through descriptions of siblings, mother, and his views about his family and their behavior.