In nine pages Rivera's treatment of his subject matter is discussed in terms of his racial rather than cultural depiction of Puerto Ricans and his use of humor. There are no other sources listed.
Name of Research Paper File: LM1_TLCRivra.rtf
Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
his otherwise painful subject matter. There is however, another side of his work that exerts itself just as defiantly: dealing with racial and cultural conflict between human beings.
Utilizing characterization as a means by which to portray human conflict is particularly associated with Riveras attempts at establishing a symmetrical ambiance throughout his work. The fact that Rivera
is completely able to represent his characters in such a fashion as to give the reader a sense of connectedness speaks volumes regarding the authors inherent talent for portraying how
Santos in particular and Puerto Ricans in general are addressed racially rather than culturally. The social, political, economical and religious activities experienced in
everyday life represent the very essence of what it means to be a human being. These representations illustrate how and why a person acts the way he or she
does, how one attributes moods, feelings and emotions, the way in which one interacts with another, as well as what governs overall cultural behavior. It may be true that
at the very core of each person exists a common thread of kinship with regard to the inner workings of cultural reality, but there are grand manmade variances that separate
one from the next when it comes to overall acceptance. While people may share various cultural traits - are not blacks, Hispanics and Asians all considered people of color?
- there are still both subtle and extreme perceived differences that set one apart from another and ultimately cause cultural strife. However, as Rivera clearly illustrates, there exist fundamentally
basic characteristics that dictate how people interact with members of other cultures in ways that are significantly more racial in nature. The experiences Santos goes through in his quest to