Journal 4 - Jake Goedde

In this chapter, Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut & Papaya Juice on Tuesdays, Cisneros introduces Rafaela, who is a beautiful women who lives on Mango Street with her husband. The important themes going on in this chapter are lonely and selfish. Rafaela's husband will not let her leave the house because he is scared that she will run away because of how beautiful she is. Cisneros states, "And then Rafaela, who is still young but getting old from leaning out the window so much, gets locked indoors because he husband is afraid Rafaela will run away since she is too beautiful to look at."(Cisneros pg. 70) This ties back into the theme selfish because her husband is allowed to go and do anything thing he wants like playing dominoes , while Rafaela is trapped in the house limited to the things she can do. It also ties into loneliness because if I were Rafaela and couldn't even leave the house and not have a social life I would be extremely lonely. She can't even go to the store to get coconut and papaya juice so she has the kids do it for her. It really describes the theme when Cisneros says, "On the corner there is music from the bar, and Rafaela wishes she could go there and dance before she gets old."(Cisneros pg. 79) This quote alone gives you an idea as if Rafaela has been able to do anything as long as she's been with her husband.

Growing up, many people in my life have influenced me to be the man I am today and to always be a nice, kind, happy human-being, but one person who probably doesn't know who I am, but I know exactly who he is, is the "peace guy" in my community. This man walks around our community everywhere and you see him everywhere, whether you're just walking or driving. He always has been a big influence because he is the kind of man to look up to, always smiling, full of energy, and very nice, throwing up peace signs to every single car and person he sees. I look up to this sort of behavior because it teaches me to always be nice and to always have a smile on my face. He truly is an influence on everyone who witness' him and you just know how much he enjoys life and how he goes about it. The "peace guy", is the perfect example of a great character who lifts your spirits up if you're having a bad day.