Breaking Through

Strawberries were the predominant crop that Mexican laborers harvested in the

late 1940s and, as such, the fruit is woven throughout the narrative of Breaking Through. Picking strawberries is how the Jiménez family survives. What is the overall symbolic role of strawberries throughout the book? Consider these points as you reflect on the text.

• How are strawberries an important symbol and/or motif in Breaking Through?
• How do strawberries relate to the theme of Solidarity of Family and Community? Does picking strawberries bring the Jiménez family closer?
• How do strawberries relate to the theme of Rage Fueled by Injustice? What injustices do strawberries represent, relating to cyclical poverty and sharecropping/immigration in Breaking Through?
• What is the final moment when strawberries appear in the text? How does it compare to the opening chapters of the book, when it is established that the Jiménez family must pick strawberries to survive in the US?

Teaching Suggestion: Before having students respond to this question, it may be helpful to review the definitions of symbol and motif in the context of literary analysis. For further context, it might also be useful to discuss with students the article “Motif vs.