Arturo Islas & The Rain God
• 1938-1991
• Stanford University
• English Novelist
– Islas was the first Chicano in the
United States to earn a Ph.D. in
English. In 1976
• “The Rain God” – a desert tale is
based on one families struggle
living on the U.S. and Mexican
border.
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Ethnic identity
Sexuality
Religion
Infidelity
Mexican Immigration
Important Dates:
• What do we know about it?
• Reactions to Image
1911-1929Mexican Revolution
1944-1954“The decade of the wetback”
1989- IRCA
allowed amnesty for
immigrants already in the U.S.
1990- IMMACT – increase limit
of immigration
40% ^ visas
Today:
About 57% of the total illegal
immigrants in the US are from
Mexico, totaling about
6,840,000.
Living on the Border/Stereotypes
• The “Rain God” includes fixed critique of gender
and sexuality in a Mexican community.
• The entire Chicano culture is created through
many different characters who are living
examples of the day to day stereotypes of gender
and sexuality within a given culture.
Miguel Grande- police officer; reigning
patriarch of the Mexican Family “Macho”
(insecurity?)
 Lola- hard to deal with – independent
“sinverguenzas” (Shameless one); whore
Religion (& lack of) in The Rain God
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Angel family (Symbolic)
The entire book is set out to establish to the readers the “saint and sinners” of the Angel family.
There are different religious influences presented that affect the Angel family.
– Roman Catholic belief, Mama Chona. Her expectations of every family member is to become an
angel. Everyone should perfect and follow strict religious rules.
• like marriage in church or taking part in religious activities. So one could say the family name
Angel has also got a symbolic function.
• Sinners –
– Miguel Grande – affair with Lola
– Felix is homosexual (leads to his downfall in the end.) On the other hand, as another
example,
– Tia Cuca- not married but has a 7yr relationship
– Nina - who believes in spiritual contacts with the dead (not a Roman Catholic belief) of
Mama Chona.
• Maria, Seventh Day Adventist (belief in the bible verbatim) *important- might be the
cause of Miguel Chico not having any faith. Eventually Maria is sent away from the
family for taking Miguel to her services. She is soon taken back into the household
only if she does not speak of her religion.
•Lola also doesn’t have a faith or religion.
Judgement/Ethnic Identity
• Judgments of one another!
• There are many times that the members of the family try to
outcast others in their common society who are in actuality
just like them.
• Mama Chona vs. Maria (the nursemaid)
– Mama Chona did not approve of any of the Mexican women her
sons and daughters hired to care for her grandchildren…
• Miguel Grande vs. Miguel Chico
“The North American dream had worked for him. Only his
family reminded him of his roots.” (78)
“It was another lie to make the people he loved seem as
low as his father felt himself to be.” (97)
Death
• In death the struggle of living on the border again become prevalent.
– “Who wants to read about Mexican? We’re not glamorous enough. We
just live.” pg41
– Although Miguel did not approve of his brother actions there is still a
sense of masculinity he prides him with after he finds out he is dead.
“Goddammit, Felix, you’ve got a wife and four kids.”
• Miguel Chico – Near death experience is how he is introduced in the
book.
• The death of Miguel’s neighbor and friend, Leonardo shows already
the early scenes of death in the novel.
• Maria’s death – “Well the end of the world finally came for her”
– Expresses Miguel Chico disgusts for religion
Patriarchy in The Rain God by
Arturo Islas
Learning masculinity within a
Latino family
Important Relationships in the Rain
God Part 1
Miguel
Grande
Juanita
Miguel
Chico
Lola
Learning to “do” masculinity
- Miguel chico scolded as a child for playing
with Dolls
- Miguel Grande ignored son’s weaknesses
(severe illness) because of the emphasis
of importance on strength as macho
- Refusal of affection
Sexuality
• Gap in expectations for sons and
daughters
• Male dominance
• Sexualization of women serves to signify
heterosexualtiy and mark the boundary
between gender groups
Infidelilty
• Culture plays a large role in managing the
protection of their parent’s infidelity
• Many mediterranian cultures accepted
infidelity as a way of life, may have
eminated into latino culture of today
Latino Paternity
Microsystemparent/child
relations
Bronfenbrenner’s
ecological theory of
Fatherhoood