56 pages • 1 hour read
The Madonnas of Echo Park
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Chapter 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 5 Summary: “Yo Soy el Army”
Chapter 5 is narrated through the voice of Manny Jr., the brother of Efren Mendoza. A retired gangster, Manny Jr. is adapting to civilian life, and to the changes of his gentrified neighborhood. For example, he has begrudgingly adjusted to his son Juan’s favorite lunch spot: a coffee shop called Membo’s, which is owned by a white man and used to be a Vietnamese restaurant, which was owned by the family of Juan’s former girlfriend, Tran. Manny recalls that his son went through a phase of dating Asian women. He notes that Ofelia, his deceased wife, would love that Juan recently married a Mexican-American girl, Angie. Ofelia would not love that her son has joined the army, and Manny feels conflicted throughout his Membo’s lunch with Juan, knowing this conversation is his last chance to talk him down before he leaves for training.
Manny describes Ofelia as smart and fierce, with “a PhD in insulting your ass” (93). A Chicano Studies graduate dedicated to “La Raza,” Ofelia was strongly averse to Juan’s relationship with Tran, claiming that Asian women only want to date white men. Ofelia attempted to steer Juan toward a relationship with a local Mexican-American teller at her bank named Plus, gain access to 8,650+ more expert-written Study Guides. Including features:
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