The short story "Naranjas" describes the life and goals of a family
of itinerant farm workers who immigrated to California from Mexico in search
of a better life for their children, if not themselves. Both parents
worked in the orange groves, the father in the
fields picking oranges, and the mother in the packing plant. The narrator
is their only son. After describing the family's situation and his
feelings towards his parents, the son recounts a tragic turning point in
their lives and its far-reaching consequences.
The story is entitled Naranjas because the pyramids of oranges
in the supermarket remind the narrator of his father and the life he led
as a child when his parents worked in the orange groves. The naranjas serve
as the unifying device of the story.
|
