Socio-economic StatusSocio-economic status plays an important role in both the book and the movie. Socio-economic status is a part of everyone's life, from the president of the United States to a middle class citizen in Europe to those of a small community in Brazil. Throughout When I was Puerto Rican: The Film, the audience notices the separation between classes and the condescension that accompanies being a part of a low-income family. Even in Macun, the small, undeveloped town in which the Santiagos live, there is a distinct separation between classes. In a scene in the movie, Negi is shunned by her classmates who have nicer clothes, better homes, and functional families because their parents make more money (39). [18] When a child, no matter their location, moves and has to attend a new school, they are viewed in a different light than they were in their previous location; this is typically because of their appearance or demeanor, which tends to reflect the socio-economic class of the family. Negi is laughed and jeered at for having clothes, shoes, and a hairstyle that are not expensive: "What a jibara... What a jibara... What a jibara..." (39). [18]
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When Negi goes to a new school in El Mangle, she begins to truly witness the condescension of being on the bottom of the socio-economic status ladder, and after that, her experiences grow even more frequent. Esmeralda's socio-economic status, although it may change according to her location, follows her as she goes from place to place, just as the presence of socio-economic status applies person in the world, no matter who they are and where they go. Socio-economic status is not an idea that applies to strictly Puerto Rico. The scenes described above are only several of the scenes in When I was Puerto Rican: The Film that illustrate the role socio-economic status plays in life around the world.
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