Geraldo No last Name As civilizations transformed from barbaric societies into each individually modernized nations, social hierarchy proved to be inevitable. In the short story, “Geraldo No Last Name” by Sandra Cisneros, a fellow named Geraldo was killed in a fatal hit-and-run tragedy (though he could have been saved if the surgeon had no neglected him), however, his background was a mystery, and no one knew his last name or his existence except for a girl he encountered at a dance, Marin.
Marin knew little about Geraldo and yet, she was his only acquaintance at the hospital as the severely injured Geraldo waits for the surgeon. Geraldo was inferred as a possible illegal immigrant, hard-working at first, but since he went to a dance; he must have strayed from that path and had driven himself to the darker side. In the
...short story, Geraldo was portrayed as an immigrant, arguably illegal. Many Mexicans choose to cross our borders daily and many have suffered for their choices.
When a tragedy befalls them regardless of how responsible we as Americans desire to be we are prevented from doing just that. When Miran was in the hospital following Geraldo being hit by a car she was questioned “That’s what she said again and again. Once to the hospital people and twice to the police. No address. No Name. ” The Mexicans as part of their illegal status could trust no one with their real identity. This provided the readers with information of his position in the social hierarchy, the middle-class immigrants.
He was described as, “just another brazer who didn’t speak English. Just another wetback,” by Marin, as her inner conscience
battles with each other, fighting for the answer why she is here as Geraldo is just another guy she danced with at a dance. She does not even know his last name, and yet she is at the emergency room with him after witnessing the hit-and-run accident that he was involved in. Geraldo may be an immigrant, but there is a reason why he came to the United States, whatever reason that might be, it had vanished along with the existence of Geraldo.
The final paragraph states “His name was Geraldo. And his home in another country. The ones he left behind are far away,” Cisneros sums up the severity of the consequences that the illegal immigrants face. In choosing to be in the United States illegally he will forego a proper burial and his family in Mexico will never know of his demise “The ones he left behind are far away, will wonder, shrug, remember”. This statement also makes you realize that the families in Mexico have experienced this probably more than one time.
- Business Law essays
- Contract essays
- Consumer Protection essays
- Property essays
- Ownership essays
- Agreement essays
- Common Law essays
- Contract Law essays
- Justice essays
- Security essays
- Tort Law essays
- United States Constitution essays
- Crime essays
- Lawsuit essays
- Treaty essays
- Family Law essays
- Marijuana Legalization essays
- Constitution essays
- War on Drugs essays
- Court essays
- Jury essays
- Police essays
- Protection essays
- Community Policing essays
- Criminal Law essays
- Judge essays
- Lawyer essays
- Employment Law essays
- Copyright Infringement essays
- Injustice essays
- Intellectual Property essays
- Breach Of Contract essays
- Jurisprudence essays
- Social Injustice essays
- Juvenile Justice essays
- Internet Privacy essays
- Cyber Security essays
- Bill Of Rights essays
- Civil Liberties essays
- First Amendment To The United States Constitution essays
- Fourth Amendment To The United States Constitution essays
- Second amendment essays
- Animal Cruelty essays
- Law Enforcement essays
- Juvenile Justice System essays
- Surveillance essays
- Forensic Science essays
- Crime Prevention essays
- Criminal Justice essays
- Criminology essays