The contrast between Ricky and Juana
A Fabricated Mexican by Rick P. Rivera is a great book to read. He uses himself, Ricky, as the main character and does not necessarily introduce many other characters throughout the book. It represents a majority of Hispanic adolescence born and raised. Ricky shows that his trials and tribulations are not the “brick wall” in life and that he can surpass and overcome any situation as long as the dedication and perseverance are there. In a series of poignant vignettes, Ricky Coronado is on the search for identity; a search made more difficult by the specter of his father’s suicide and the pressures placed upon him by his strong-willed mother. Quiet, although mischievous, he reports on the antics of his close-knit and often eccentric family. In his journey of self-discovery that harkens to the pioneering work of Oscar Zeta Acosta’s Brown Buffalo adventures, Ricky comes to the realization that generations of hyphenated Americans have reached: the painful but rewarding creation of a new self that combines elements of both ethnic realities.
Across a Hundred mountains; Juana is an 11-year-old girl living in a small village in Mexico at the beginning of the book. Juana is a wonderful protagonist, kind and compassionate, determined, vulnerable, strong, resilient. Juana’s family suffers a tragedy that greatly affects Juana’s relationship with her mother. Juana’s father, Miguel, leaves to go to the United States to find work and money for the family. Juana and her mother struggle greatly in the absence of Miguel. After two years, Juana leaves Mexico to search for her father. Juana’s voice grows and matures from a little girl trying to be strong to an adult woman trying to make up for the past where she is faced with the struggle and the cruelty that occurs for the down-trodden trying to make a better life for themselves and their families.
The major contrast between these two protagonists is their genders; Ricky, as a man, experiences different challenges compared to Juana. How they suffer and survive in the US is totally based on their gender disparities. Ricky is on a journey of self-discovery and search of greener pastures in the United States for himself. His father’s suicide causes him to move from his background to be far away from his ethnicity. Juana, on the other hand, is forced to move to the US in search of greener pastures, not for self-benefit but a means to an end for her family. The death in Ricky’s case was totally out of his control, and he can be declared blameless in his father’s suicide while the death in Juana’s case is her fault, and she feels obligated to move in search of her father with the aim of clearing her conscience and trying right her wrongs.