Spanglish

Spanglish defines what it is to be an outsider by showing that anyone can feel like an outcast in many different situations. This definition challeneged my own cultural understanding of what it means to be an outsider because I had not realized that someone could feel like an outsider from their own family.


First, Flor was an outsider to the Clasky's. When she first arrived at her new job, she didn't know any English. There was a language barrier that never really seemed to bother her until her daughter, Cristina, came into the picture. Cristina could speak both Spanish and English fluently and she seemd to really take a liking to the Clasky's. I think that Flor felt like an outsider because she didn't know any English, and the Clasky's could communicate with her daughter while she couldn't understand. This is what made Flor want to learn English and feel like less of an outcast. Flor wanted to be able to communicate with her daughter better than anyone else in the world could.


The second thing I noticed was that Bernice felt like an outsider to her own mother. I had never thought about it being possible that a child could feel like an outcast from their own parents. Deborah was very persistant in wanting Bernice to lose weight. At the beginning of the movie, Bernice had baked some type of bread and wanted her mother to try it. Of course, Deborah tries it and then has the nerve to say "you could really do without this." Then, Deborah tries to do something nice for Bernice by buying her a ton of new clothes. At first, Bernice sees this as her mother making peace, and then realized that all of the new clothes were size 8, way too small for Bernice. Bernice is crushed by the fact that her own mother doesn't accept her for who she is. I believe that Bernice is also a little intimidated by Cristina, who Deborah takes shopping, takes her to get her hair done, and spends a lot of quality time with. Bernice only wants her own mother to treat her like she is treating Cristina.


Third, Flor feels like an outsider with Cristina. Flor has certain family values that she wants Cristina to keep. It seems as if Flor feels that Cristina is losing those values by spending too much time around the Clasky's, particularly Deborah, and is becoming too Americanized. When Flor wakes up one morning to find a note, that she cannot read, and her daughter nowhere to be found she finds this very upsetting. She feels like she is losing control and has no say in what is being done with her daughter. She wants Cristina to appreciate life for what it is and who she has been raised to be. She doesn't want her to become anything like Deborah.


Lastly, Deborah and John were both outsiders to each other. This definitely challeneged my own cultural understanding of what it means to be an outsider. To me, two people who are married should be closer than any other two people in the world. These two characters were so far apart, it amazed me how they even stayed together. Deborah had issues with John and her not being on the same page. She felt like an outsider because John would make huge decisions without consulting her first. He gave away 20 percent of the restaurant without even talking to her about it first. When she was angry with one of the children, he would tell them it was okay, that he "wasn't mad." John felt like an outsider to Deborah because he couldn't trust her. She was having an affair behind his back and once he found out, it really hurt him. She was always coming home late, and always up to something. This example of being an outsider really challenged my knowledge of what it exactly means to be an outsider.


This movie really portrays what it means to be an outsider. I learned some new things and also built on my previous knowledge of defining what it means to be an outcast. Anyone can be an outcast in any situation, whether it is a child from their parents, two parents, or a language barrier that divides two groups, anyone can feel like an outcast.