When I Was Puerto Rican Literary Elements

Memoir

Puerto Rico and Brooklyn, New York in the 1950s and early 1960s

Esmeralda, the author, first-person point of view

The tone and mood of the novel is poignant, vivid, and inspiring

Esmeralda is the protagonist

The major conflict is an internal one and is caused by Esmeralda’s desire to feel loved and accepted by her parents

The novel reaches its climax when Esmeralda moves to America

At the beginning of the novel, Ramona talks about a woman whom she names “puta.” This scene foreshadows the latter troubles which will appear between Ramona and Pablo as a result of Pablo's infidelities.

When Ramona takes all the children outside to stand in the rain, she claims the first May rain is supposed to bring good luck and wants everyone to get wet. In comparison with the tense environment described up until this point, this scene is lighthearted and filled with happiness.

One of the biggest paradoxes that Esmeralda grapples with is how Ramona can keep forgiving Pablo after all the pain and suffering he's caused her.

A parallel can be drawn between Esmeralda and her cousin, Jenny. Even though they come from the same community, they live completely different lives. Jenny is an only child whose family lives in relative financial security. Esmeralda on the other hand has numerous siblings and is responsible for helping out at home. Her family also struggles frequently with financial instability.

"Their pain bounced off the walls and crawled under my skin" is an example of personification. In this sentence, pain is being personified as Santiago describes how it "bounced" and "crawled" language used to demonstrate how real and present pain feels in that moment.