Holidays Are Unitive Forces

Holidays unite people of different cultures in the novel, as American holidays are celebrated by the Mexican characters, and Mexican holidays are celebrated by some of the American characters. In fact, Grandma, an American, says that she tends to prefer Mexican holidays to American ones once she learns about them. Holidays are a primary force around which cultures are based. They unite people of individual families and individual cultures. In this novel, they unite people of different cultures as well. They become apt metaphors for what unites and divides people.

The holidays of the Day of the Dead and Halloween both unite and divide the characters. Halloween divides the characters because the Cruz family does not know why people are knocking on their door. They are afraid that it is immigration officials, and they respond with extreme fear. Because the Cruzes do not...