Mendoza 1
Tarun Mendoza
Mrs. Chavez
English 1A
14 December 2012
Caramelo Essay
In the novel Caramelo, by Sandra Cisneros, Cisneros utilizes the symbols of the caramelo
rebozo, destiny, truth and lies, and fights to represent family and its members’ relationships and
traditions. Cisneros uses each symbol to tie itself to multiple people and/or events allowing it to
describe a theme that is eclectic of the novel at hand, Caramelo. The caramelo rebozo is one of
the most important symbols of the novel. It not only ties itself to the theme of security, safety,
and leadership, but also to the other symbols presented.
The caramelo rebozo is most likely the most important and overarching symbol because
it is one that ties family relationships and family traditions. The caramelo rebozo is an object that
has been passed down a few generations, which shows that it is an object that is very sentimental
and instrumental to the family. The passing down of the caramelo rebozo is a traditional form
that gave the girl her womanhood. For example, when the grandmother disapproves of Celaya
getting a rebozo, the Awful Grandmother gives her reason, which shows that the rebozo is
something that represents the coming of age of a girl, the advancement to womanhood, tradition,
and security (39). Whenever the rebozo is handed down, the girl receiving it is passing through
adolescence. For example, Celaya was about the age of fifteen when she received the rebozo,
which is the age a Hispanic girl becomes a woman (Quinceniera). When Celaya uses the rebozo
to cover herself, she secluded herself from the rest of the world, which allows her to feel secure
and safe. The rebozo at the time also allows her to receive the strength and courage she needed to
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feel that security. This rebozo not only affected Celaya but also affected the rest of the family.
Generally, the female with the rebozo has power and respect. For example, Soledad mainly
wears the caramelo rebozo, and she is the main adult figure. This shows that if there is an older
female with a rebozo, she will most likely have the power because she has the respect, maturity,
and womanhood.
Second, destiny is a broad idea in the novel that touches upon most ideas and characters.
Cisneros constantly mentions the house on Destiny Street, or the Awful Grandmother’s house.
This is the house that changes many in the family. For example, one year, when Rafa is left at the
Awful Grandmother’s house (house on Destiny Street), Rafa goes to military school, and he
becomes a “new” person. He is able to speak Spanish more fluently and he is more responsible
and mature. Another person that was changed by the house on Destiny Street is Soledad.
Soledad is a very meek, shy, ignorant, and submissive character. She always tries to follow what
her elders say, and she always tries to show respect. However, she does not know much about
love and marriage. After her marriage, she begins to change into a “new” person. After a while,
Soledad is no longer who she was before but someone completely different. The person she
became is the Awful Grandmother. This transformation showed a change in her relationship with
the rest of the family. She went from the follower to the leader. The events she experiences in the
house on Destiny helped influence the relationships of the family members by shaping its
members. It works similar to the rebozo. Both influence how the family acts based on past
experiences and family ties.
Third, truth and lies are a big part of the novel. The novel opens with “Tell me a story,
even if it’s a lie” (xvii). The fact that something is a lie does not matter, but what really matters is
the quality of the story or the lesson learned. For example, the whole novel is primarily based
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upon what Celaya believed happened, which is truth to her. However, what she believed
happened may not actually have happened. This shows a conflict between truths and lies. Even
though there might be a conflict between truths and lies, Celaya learned about her past, herself,
and her family members.
An example of “lies” being told in the novel is in chapter 86; everyone is telling their
version of the stories that happened in the novel. However, they all are not compatible to one
another. Each has its own twist or additive in it. The stories are intertwined and changed into
something new by different people. This manipulation and manufacturing of different ideas
shows that the truth can be altered or even twisted by memory. This affects the family
relationships because when there are differing beliefs, they cannot come to a common opinion.
This is similar to the caramelo rebozo. This idea about truths and lies can shape the family’s
structure and ancestry based upon memory, possibly false memory, and the caramelo rebozo
shapes family’s structure and ancestry through tradition. Both shape family structure and
ancestry but in different ways, and because they have different ways of influencing they may not
always match to a common point. Despite this possible incompatibility, they both provide similar
tasks in the family, with respect to structure and ancestry.
Finally, fights between the family members can cause great effect on the family and its
ties. One example of this is the scene with the mole (54-57). Celaya dislikes mole and openly
admits it. However, the Awful Grandmother does not approve of her throwing away the food, so
she goes on a long speech of how during the revolution they were lucky to get a little bit of dog
meat. This is one of the first major arguments that happens. During this situation the Awful
Grandmother shows her power. This is similar to the caramelo rebozo in that the Awful
Grandmother still displays her authority because she wears the caramelo rebozo. Another
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example of this idea of conflict contributing to the formation of family ties and bonds is when
the Awful Grandmother tells Zoila that Innocencio is cheating on her. This sparks one of the
biggest, if not the biggest, conflict in the novel. This causes an explosive effect on the family.
The bonds of trust are broken and life is not the same. During this time, the Awful Grandmother
is still wearing the caramelo rebozo, giving her the power and respect. By manipulating the
family, the Awful Grandmother was able to make the family her puppets to follow and listen to
her every word. This control causes a bad change in the family ties and relationships by
destroying the trust factor. The final conflict is the conflict between the values of the United
States and Mexico. This conflict arises when the family visits the Awful Grandmother because
the Awful Grandmother, who represents Mexico’s values, tries to change the children, who
represent the United States’ values. When she tries to teach the children, she is met with great
resistance, especially by Celaya. This causes the family to have different opinions and leads to
more chaos. The caramelo rebozo relates to this conflict because the rebozo and the Awful
Grandmother represent Mexico, Mexico’s values, and Mexico’s traditions, and the children
represent the United States and its values and traditions. This shows how the rebozo was
something that always combatted the children, especially Celaya. Celaya always wanted one, but
her ignorance and immaturity caused her to not have it.
The novel Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros utilizes the caramelo rebozo, destiny, truth and
lies, and fights to create family relationships, family traditions, and conflict. All of which tie
back to the idea of the caramelo rebozo. The caramelo rebozo is a significant symbol that
represents power, respect, womanhood, security and maturity. Not only does each symbol
contribute to the caramelo rebozo but also to a theme.
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Works Cited
Cisneros, Sandra. Caramelo. Vintage Books, 2002.