Dead End

In the story "Dead End" there are major similarities to the story of "La Llorona". "La Llorona" is a sad story about a girl who was the most beautiful girl in the world but thought she was to good for anyone. The girls name was Maria and Maria with time grew in beauty and pride. There were many boys in her village but in her eyes they couldn't compete. She wanted to marry the most handsome guy in the world and would not go for anything less. As fate would have it one day a man rode into Maria's village, he was a ranchero who was handsome and could play the guitar as well as sing. Maria knew he was what she had been looking for. The ranchero saw Maria and felt the same but maria continued with her usual actions and ignored everything he threw at her. As time passed Maria had received what she wanted and both her and the ranchero were married. For awhile things were splendid, they had two children, but after two years time the ranchero went back to the wildlife he lived before. Months at a time the ranchero would go out of town and would come back just to see his children and not pay mind to wife. Maria began to feel angry and harsh feeling towards her children because her husband would focus more on them then her. One evening Maria took a walk with her children and on her walk she saw the ranchero in a carriage with a lady sitting behind him. When they stopped he didn't say a single word to Maria and she became furious. In her anger she grabbed her two children and threw them into the river and by the time she realized what she had done there was no chance in saving them. The next morning a traveler found a beautiful women lying dead by the river, the women was Maria. From that day on people have claimed to hear a women crying asking "Where are my children?". This story is also used in the "Dead End". They are related in that both man characters have the same name and how Maria in "La Llorona" thought she was to good for people and in "Dead End" everyone assumed Maria was to good for people but she didn't feel that way. It was some what of a reversal situation.

In "Dead End" by Rudolfo Anaya we follow the story of a young girl in the twelfth grade by the name of Maria. The setting takes place in school and around her neighborhood and home. Maria is a very studious and well kept girl who seems to associate with people far from her personal idiosyncrasies. Her friends Ana and Sandra as well as others were in a gang and seemed to think on the lines of party all the time. "Maria secretly wished to be like those girls" and she wanted to be with one guy who had caught her eye. His name was Frankie Galvan and she thought he was handsome. Frankie stood in front of her locker and Maria noticed that he had his eye on her for some time. Their conversation was short and to the point but made Maria feel amazing. Days would pass where her friends would come by her house to see if she could come out and hang, but her duties lied with her family and education. She was a sister to a younger brother and sister.

Maria's sister was one to want Maria around because she needed that women figure in her life due to the loss of their mother two years prior and the lack of a father figure seeing as their father was rarely home. "Maria knew her sister still hadn't accepted their mother's death, Sometimes she had nightmares at night, and Maria had to sleep with her to calm her fears".While their mother was on her deathbed Maria remembered how her mother singled out how important it was to take care of her education. Maria made a promise to her mother that she would do her best and get a good education. This promise is extremely important because it follows her throughout all she does. Frankie and Maria being the main characters of the story are being focused on with their personal conflicts. Maria and Frankie both seem to have person versus self conflict to deal with. Both have been through serious tragedies with Maria's mother passing and Frankie's girlfriend dying in a car accident.

When Frankie and Maria finally decide to hang out she is faced with a decision. Frankie pushed himself on her and tried to give to her his joint. She never tried it before and was curious but the story of La Llorona combined with the promise she made to her mother made Maria stay away from what was presented to her. Maria started to see a different side of Frankie and felt that he was lonely even with all of his friends and attention he had gotten, so she began to feel empathy. That same night Frankie kissed her before she left the car and mentioned calling her later and with a world of thought Maria pondered on how school wasn't everything. I feel however her love and promise to her mother is much stronger than anything to come her way. Maria had also said that Frankie was going down to a dead end. Her final choice was not stated but I feel she stuck with what her mother said and continued to achieve an education. The Hispanic legend of "La Llorona" has a lot of influence on the "Dead End" story in many ways. Both stories have many of the same main points and both include the same name for the protagonist. In both stories the women were not looking for a man in their lives but one seemed to find its way in. They both found the man handsome and

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© David Quick 2011