The movie Spanglish shows many examples of conflicts. The movie displayed conflict in romantic relationships, in parenting decisions, healthy lifestyle, and the one I elected to focus on, cultural conflict. Deborah Clasky, a wife and mother of two children, hires a poor Mexican housekeeper, Flor Moreno. When the two families move in together for the summer into a Malibu beach house the conflict of colliding cultures and values begin.
Flor, who was abandoned by her husband, needed one last opportunity for change in order to give her daughter a better life and future. Flor, who does not speak any English, decides to emigrate from Mexico to the United States. In order to raise Cristina properly she needed as much of a security of her own culture as possible so she rolled through Texas, just 34% Hispanic, to Los Angeles, 48% Hispanic. Flor felt she was right back at home in Los Angeles. For six years Flor and Cristina did not Venture outside their new community. That was until she was hired as a housekeeper by Deborah Clasky.
Deborah Clasky a former business woman, and now a stay at home mother often displayed negative behavior that was unsettling to both families. Deborah was obsessed with beauty and physical fitness. Deborah was constantly pushing for her overweight daughter, Bernice, to lose weight. She would tell Bernice she really could do without the sandwich she was eating. She went as far as purchasing a new wardrobe for Bernice that was a size too small. Telling Bernice that she knows she can lose the weight and she would fit into the clothes in no time.
After the two families move in together in the Malibu beach house, Cristina becomes exposed to the American way of life. Deborah decides to take her on a day outing without asking Flor for permission. She left a note, written in English for Flor. The note stated that she was stealing her daughter for the day. Cristina returned with
References: Sole, K. (2011). Making connections: Understanding Interpersonal Communication. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. https://content.ashford.edu