Analysis Of Abuela Invent The Zero

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The most important factor in why people choose to do something is the outcome of what he or she is doing. When someone does something they usually think ahead because they want to know if what they are doing is going to react in a negative or in a positive manner. Some people choose to do something because of how it will make them feel instead of how it will effect them and their life. But, even though some people choose to do something based on how it will make them feel inside, most people do things because they want something out of it, even if it is not always good. In the short-story “Abuela Invents the Zero” by Judith Ortiz-Cofer, Constancia decided to be rude and ignore her grandmother because she knew that if she didn’t, she…show more content…
That quote shows that Constancia made her grandmother feel terrible, like she was nothing, but Constancia knew deep down that being rude to her grandma would hurt Constancia in the long-run. Based on “Abuela Invents the Zero”, “Then I lead her down the aisle so that everybody can see me with my bizarre grandmother” (Ortiz-Cofer para 12). Constancia was embarrassed to be seen with her grandmother. She was scared that all of her friends would see her with her Abuela and they would think she is “not cool”. So, Constancia believes that being rude and staying away from her grandmother is going to solve the problem, but inside she knows that this is just going to make everything a whole lot worse. Constancia knows what she is doing to her grandma and how she is being selfish, but she doesn’t stop herself because she knows if she did then she would lose her friends. Based on what Connie states when she was angry with her Abuela, “I ignore her when she gets up with a hundred other people to go take communion. I’m actually praying hard now—that this will all be…show more content…
All of the girls were thinking that if they purchased their mom the most extraordinary gift, they would earn their mom’s self-respect. According to Little Women, “‘I'm the oldest’, began Meg, but Jo cut in with a decided, "’I'm the man of the family now Papa is away, and I shall provide the slippers, for he told me to take special care of Mother while he was gone’" (Alcott para 5). That shows that the girls were fighting over who was going to get their mother the slippers because in the end they wanted to earn her self-respect. They all love their mom and they want to do something that shows they care, but they do not want one another giving better gifts to her because that would mean they would have to share her fondness. As Jo states, “Let Marmee think we are getting things for ourselves, and then surprise her” (Alcott para 15). The girls really admire their mother and they want her to have the best Christmas ever. By competing to find the best gift for their mother, they forgot the true meaning of why they were getting their mother a gift in the first place. Marmee is not going to want to choose who’s present was the best, so the kids aren’t going to get anything out of this. Marmee soon came to the house shortly after this and asked the kids to give up their breakfast for a poor family. Louisa May Alcott states, “That was
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  • Abuela Invents The Zero Analysis

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    others. Connie, from "Abuela Invents the Zero" by Judith Ortiz-Cofer, decided to put her feelings in front of Abuela's when she chose not to help when Abuela could not find her way back to the pew in the church. When Connie noticed that Abuela was lost, she decided not to help her because, "I just know that on Monday my friends, and my enemies, in the barrio will have a lot of senile -grandmother jokes to tell" (Ortiz-Cofer para 14). Connie put her feelings before Abuela because she did not want

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