CHICORIA
Adapted in Spanish by José Griego y Maestas
Retold in English by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Setting: A big ranch in California. The men of the story wear hats, vests, and pants. The women wear dresses and tie their hair. The houses are made of wood with straw, and some have brick chimneys.
Characters: New Mexicans, Chicoria, the master and the servant.
Plot:
Exposition: New Mexicans worked in many big ranches in California. One day, the owners asked them about the poets of their nation. So the Mexicans promised to bring one next season.
Rising Action: The Mexicans bring a poet as they promised, they bring Chicoria. Chicoria is confident that he is going to sit at the table with the master, but then the servant tells him that it will not be possible. They both make a $ 20 bet.
Climax: When they go to eat, the master sends Chicoria to a chair attached to the wall, which annoys Chicoria a lot.
Falling Action: Chicoria begins to talk with the master, and in that he tells him a metaphor related to that they were not letting him eat at the table too, which was too rude because he was the guest.
Resolution: The master understands his metaphor, apologizes and invites him to eat with them. That's when they talk, eat and Chicoria wins the bet.
Conflict: In this story the internal conflict, man vs self, is seen when Chicoria believes that because he is a guest they will let him sit at the table and eat with them, and since he is so confident, when he realizes that he was wrong, he is disappointed and angry. Man vs. man, it is when the Master invites Chicoria and does not let him sit at his table but in a "corner" and Chicoria gets angry because he clearly was the guest and deserved to be treated courteously. Man vs. society is seen in the story when the servant and Chicoria make a bet to see who is right, but also when the master excludes him and treats him badly for being of a lower class than his. This is a current situation, people treat badly and exclude others just because they are "inferior" socially and economically. The man vs. nature is seen in history when Chicoria makes a comparison between goats and the situation of inequality they were experiencing. There is no man vs. supernatural in this story.
Theme: ‘’To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don’t isolate.’’ // ‘’Great satisfaction comes from sharing with others.’’
Voice: 3rd person omniscient.
Mood: Interested, peaceful and serene.
Tone: Informal, serious, and a little unclear because of some words and names.
Ending Changed
In the end, the master doesn't let Chicoria sit next to him. After a few days, the master is invited to a high-ranking person, but he treats him badly. He puts him to eat outside the house and to pick up and wash his dishes. The master was very angry but he didn’t complain. When he arrived at his house, he saw Chicoria and remembered how he treated him that day, so the master felt terrible, he had behaved the same as his superior.
He then called Chicoria and invited him to eat, this time at the table while they chatted and laughed. That time, the master learned that giving was better than receiving, and that by sharing he was happier.
Questionnaire
Where did the New Mexicans work?
What poet did the New Mexicans bring?
What metaphor did Chicoria tell to the master?
Describe how you think Chicoria was both emotionally and physically.
What was the bet of the servant and Chicoria about?
