How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay

In these chapters, The Importance of Family and Community Support takes center stage as the Guzmáns grow closer to one another and the residents of their Vermont town. Miguel’s parents, sister, and great-aunt come together to cheer him on during his little league tryouts, underscoring the ways they prioritize family love and support despite Mami and Papi’s divorce, which allows Miguel to feel more secure in their new family dynamic. During this scene, Miguel thinks that they are “just like a real family,” revealing his lingering concerns over the changes in his family’s structure (56). In this moment, he feels strengthened by “all the power of [Tía Lola’s] Dominican cooking” and “the magic of her love,” underscoring how much their relationship has deepened and progressed since the beginning of the novel.

Tía Lola’s support of her relatives consistently provides them with opportunities to grow. When Tía Lola accompanies Miguel and Juanita to New York and gets lost, Miguel steps up and thinks of a way to find her. By keeping his promise to his mother to look after Tía Lola, Miguel demonstrates his growing maturity. Tía Lola observes, “[Miguel] is a little man. Look how he saved the day yesterday” (82). Tía Lola also models conflict resolution during the trip to New York when she helps Miguel and Juanita reach a compromise. As a result, the children’s relationship improves, and they learn to appreciate each other’s interests. For example, the visit to the zoo helps Miguel see that he’s not too old to enjoy “kid stuff” (81).

Tía Lola’s struggle to learn English underscores the novel’s thematic interest in The Role of Language in Shaping Identity. In the novel’s early chapters, she expresses her strong preference for speaking only Spanish, but she feels motivated to learn English so that she can “be of more help to everyone” after Mami asks her to stay (60). Her decision to step outside of her comfort zone reinforces Tía Lola’s characterization as a selfless person who prioritizes her family’s happiness. Alvarez highlights the difficulty of learning to communicate in a new language, observing, “[Tía Lola’s] magic doesn’t seem to work in a second language” (64). Tía Lola’s battle against the language barrier infuses Alvarez’s narrative with both comedy and pathos. For example, her misunderstanding of idioms in Chapter 5 contributes to the novel’s humor and playfulness with language. However, Tía Lola falls and hurts herself when she thinks the yard is being invaded by stray cats and dogs after Miguel says, “It’s raining cats and dogs!” (69). Tía Lola feels confined by her struggles to speak English in this section, and her perseverance in acquiring more proficiency in the language highlights her determination to support her family.

Speaking Spanish brings all of Alvarez’s central characters closer to their family, culture, and identity. Miguel avoids speaking Spanish at the start of the novel, but he purposefully tells his mother the good news that Tía Lola has been found in Spanish because “he knows that will make her feel happy” (80). Miguel recognizes the Spanish language’s importance to his mother’s identity even though his connection to his Dominican heritage remains a work in progress. Additionally, the boy’s awareness that hearing the good news in Spanish may reduce Mami’s anger toward Papi illustrates his growing thoughtfulness and understanding of other people.

In this section, Alvarez connects her motif of food to the elements of magical realism in the story to underscore the novel’s key themes. After Tía Lola’s huevos rancheros make the grouchy Colonel Charlebois smile, Rudy marvels, “Magic, pure magic” (48). Tía Lola’s ability to reach Charlebois with her food foreshadows his change of heart later in the novel. For much of Chapter 4, Miguel thinks his great-aunt’s Dominican food magically strengthens him, and the timing of Mort’s good luck reinforces this theory. By the end of the chapter, Miguel gains a more nuanced understanding of magic that highlights one of the central messages of the novel—love is a kind of magic. He appreciates Tía Lola’s love and support, which she shows through cooking nutritionally and culturally rich food for him. At the same time, he acknowledges the importance of his own efforts rather than depending on luck: “[Y]ou’re going to make this team because you’ve practiced hard and you deserve to win!” (56). Miguel’s increasing self-efficacy allows him to view Tía Lola’s food as a sign of her love, which he grows to view as a powerful force—something that makes even things that seem impossible possible.

Throughout this section of the novel, Alvarez uses seasons and colors to depict changes in the characters’ lives as they begin to embrace The Process of Adapting to New Environments. In literature, spring often symbolizes rebirth and new beginnings. Likewise, Miguel’s relationship with Tía Lola improves in the spring, and she forges many new friendships with her neighbors after the isolation of winter. The author uses bright colors to further enrich the symbolism in Chapter 5: “All around them, the fields are the pale green haze of new growth. The sky above them is a rich blue” (45). This new vibrancy in their environment reflects Tía Lola’s joyful attitude toward making friends and allows Miguel to see potential in his new home that he couldn’t see previously.