the distance between us

oral exam

 Why does Reyna’s father leave for El Otro Lado and why does he send for his mother two years later? What dreams does he have for their family?

Natalio leaves because he wants to give his family a better life, specially build a house, he wants to have his dream house, a brick house not an adobe one, he send for Juana because he thinks is better if the two of them work and earn money for his dream house, so it can be finished quickly. The dreams he had were, to live in a beautiful brick house adn to have a good life. 

  Describe Reyna’s siblings, grandmother, and grandfather who the children will live with after their mother leaves. Describe the house and the room that Reyna must now call home.

Reyna siblings, Mago whose real name is Magloria, is the older sister of the 5 siblings, at the time her mother left it was just the 3 of them, Mago, Carlos and Reyna, Mago was 8 years old when her mother put her on the charge of being a little mother to her siblings, even thougth she was a child she was courageus, and careful, she was servicial to her siblings, taking care of them the whole time, always putting her siblings first. Carlos, he just agreed with everything his sisters say but he was also corageus, always fighting together. Grandmother, she was absolutely awful, she not only didn’t care of the children but also she didn’t gave them what they need, enough food, water, etc, the grandfather didn’t care, the room, they had to share it with their grandfather, the room smelled bad, beer, cigarette smoke and sweat, they slept next to the wall.

How does Élida’s presence impact Reyna?

Seeing that Elida’s mother hasn’t came back fo her, watching how elida behaves, the clearly favoritism that her grandmother has towards elida, maybe she sees elida as someone who behaves like that because she doesn’t has her mother around. 

How is Reyna’s name important? How is the story of Reyna’s birth critical to her identity?

Is important because her grandmother Evila, wanted her to be named Regina but Juana revealed and named her Reyna, is critical to her identity because it connects her to her roots, where she was born and raised, 

1.    How does hair come to represent the vast differences between Élida’s treatment and that of Reyna and Mago?