Hispanic American:
Sandra Cisneros
"One Holy Night"
"Woman Hollering Creek"
Asian American
Jewish American
Native American
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Characters
Ixchel is a naive thirteen year old girl who is taken advantage of by a man who deliberately lies about his life to lure her in. She overlooks all the bad signs in order to live out her ideal of a real love.
Chaq, or Boy Baby, is a thirty-seven year old man who lures young girls in and lies about himself, takes advantage of them, and kills them. He feels that lying is a form of power and control over the girls.
Vocabulary
panadería: bread store
dar a luz: to have a baby (not a literal translation)
demonio: demon (used in reference to Boy Baby)
sinvergüenza: without shame
Summary
This short story begins with the narrator, a thirteen year old girl who calls herself Ixchel, meeting a man named Chaq, or "Boy Baby." She is happy because he is so mature, and she believes that she is in love with him. He tells her amazing stories about himself while she listens in awe. Eventually, Boy Baby makes Ixchel pregnant and he disappears. Ixchel becomes instantly adult, and her guardian, Abuelita, goes crazy with shame, grief, and blame. Later, Ixchel and Abuelita discover that Boy Baby had been lying all the time about his life; he is a murderer who victimizes young girls. The whole story is a flashback, and it ends at the present time when Ixchel is about to leave for a new life in Mexico.
General Critique
The story is set in a small, poor town in Texas. Cisneros uses indirect descriptions to make the story more dramatic. For instance, when the family finds out Boy Baby is a murderer, the story does not say directly, "Boy Baby is a murderer." Clues are placed in the story to let the reader figure out what is happening. The story was definitely not a happy one, and the way it was written at the end made it seem a little bit disjointed or cryptic, especially when the indirect comparisons were more sketchy than normal. The reader has to really work to deduce what is happening.
Style/Literary Technique
This story is written in a flashback format in first person, through Ixchel's eyes. Cisneros uses indirect descriptions to make the reader contemplate what is happening. Foreshadowing is also used in the story, such as when Boy Baby talks about his guns and about how he wants his baby to bring back his heritage. She uses Spanish words along with English words to spice up the story.
Symbols
1. The pushcart in the story symbolizes Ixchel's disregard of her family.
2. Boy Baby's guns signify the bad qualities of people in general. It also signifies Ixchel's childlike, unthinking actions.
Themes
1. The loss of innocence, which is portrayed by Ixchel's experience, is one of the themes of the story.
2. The power of truth and lying is a theme conveyed by Boy Baby
3. The appeal of mystery and the unknown is also conveyed by Boy Baby.
4. Things are not always what they seem. This theme runs through all of Cisneros' stories. Ixchel learns this the hard way and pays the consequences for being blind to the truth.
5. The archetype of the victimized woman (Ixchel, in this case) is another theme that comes through clearly in all of Cisneros' stories.
Thought Questions
1. Has anyone ever been so important to you that you ignore his or her bad qualities?
2. Why do you think Ixchel became so attached to Boy Baby?
3. Do you think Ixchel was happy to have a baby?
4. Why does Boy Baby feel the need to lie?
5. Why do you think Boy Baby does not kill Ixchel, even though he killed so many other girls?
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