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Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
The Individual Nature of Faith
Personal faith is a central theme of the story. Xiomara believes that faith can't be forced, and her mother believes that Xiomara must abide by the rigid rules of Catholicism despite Xiomara's personal feelings and doubts. Mami interprets the Bible very literally and believes that women must put a love of God above all else. Her faith is reinforced when she has children, whom she believes are a reward from God for her faithfulness. Her personality and life experiences are different from Xiomara’s, so it is understandable that they might have different viewpoints on God and religion. As Xiomara pulls back, refusing to take communion and questioning Father Sean during confirmation class, Mami desperately tries to force Xiomara back to her view of spirituality. Ironically, the more Mami pushes and threatens Xiomara, the more her daughter moves further away from the beliefs Mami holds dear.
For Xiomara, her poetry gives her a sense of spirituality as she believes writing and talking about what it means to be human is more fulfilling and uplifting for her than attending Mass and listening to sermons like Mami. Both women achieve satisfaction from their own personal expressions of spirituality, but Mami has a difficult time understanding that her way is not the only way. Mami’s own life experience, the disappointments she encountered, and the comfort she finds in her religion imply that she does have Xiomara’s best interests at heart. However, her methods for trying to bring her daughter to her faith are abusive and deny Xiomara of coming to it of her own volition or, more importantly, finding her own path. It’s only when Father Sean intervenes and supports Xiomara’s personal journey through poetry toward a faith that fits her that Mami backs off and lets her daughter experience God and spirituality in a way that is meaningful for her.
Identity Through Expression
Communication is an important part of being human, and the theme of achieving power through expression is woven throughout the novel. For Xiomara, her poetry is a way of putting her feelings into words and making sense of things that are confusing, challenging, and even wonderful. From questioning her faith to dealing with her mother to navigating first love, Xiomara uses poetry to express herself and figure out her own feelings and beliefs. Her poetry is also a medium for healing as she deals with being sexually harassed and with Mami’s abuse. Later in the novel, Xiomara understands words to strengthen relationships and developing community. When she opens up and talks with Father Sean about her doubts, he supports her curiosity and advocates for her to Mami. Later, it is Father Sean who mediates between Xiomara and her parents, demonstrating how communication can repair and strengthen even the most fraught and dysfunctional relationships.
Xiomara also creates her own community through her friendships with Aman, Isabelle, and the other members of the poetry club by communicating with them not only through her poetry but about her poetry. Finally, Xiomara understands that she can use her poetry to relate with strangers and feel a sense of connection as fellow humans. Equally, she uses her poetry to connect with and understand herself. Her expression through poetry gives her the strength and confidence to go to poetry club instead of confirmation class, to read at poetry slams, and to find that she’s found a place where she belongs. Ultimately her expression through poetry enables Xiomara to create and be faithful to an authentic identity for herself rather than being forced to fit herself into a model Mami insists on that doesn’t ever feel true to her.
The Destructiveness of Misogyny
Xiomara receives misogynistic messages from her mother, the men in her neighborhood, and the boys at school, and these messages distort her sense of self. Xiomara stands out because she is a tall girl, and her height makes her a target for unwanted attention. Because she is also developing breasts and hips, much of that attention from the males at her school and neighborhood is sexualized. Girls at her school regard her with suspicion because of her voluptuous figure and call her a “ho.” These verbal attacks make Xiomara feel small, and she often wishes to be invisible.
Ironically, to combat these attacks, Xiomara employs traditionally masculine tactics and rallies against male attackers with her fists or her angry words. Despite seeming nonplussed by the verbal insults, onslaughts, and innuendos, Xiomara repeatedly laments she has had to get used to defending herself rather than enjoying her body. She does not like the uninvited attention it draws.
In her relationship with Aman, however, Xiomara breaks out of the cycle of feeling perpetually sexually objectified. After Aman respectfully interacts with her, Xiomara agrees to their first meeting in the smoke park, and, for the first time, she admires her body while she gets ready for their date. Xiomara feels powerful and beautiful and enjoys feeling desired not just as a body but as a person. Her confidence empowers her to set limits on what she and Aman do physically and to protect her body from experiences she doesn’t want to have.
Though Xiomara makes strides in her sense of self-worth despite the oppression of misogyny, Mami perpetually upholds gender constructs that serve to control and undermine women. Mami suggests that Xiomara should be able to control the effect her body has on men and boys. Mami often labels Xiomara as a cuero anytime she does something Mami does not like. Thus, Mami uses gender-denigrating tactics to gain control over Xiomara
