The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico (21 page)
Read The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico Online
Authors: Sarah McCoy
Tags: #Fiction, #Literary, #Coming of Age
7. Much of Puerto Rican and other Latino fiction focuses on themes of migration to New York, Chicago, Miami, or other Latin-populated cities. How is this story different? How is it similar? Discuss what you’ve learned about the island culture that you didn’t know before reading the book. How is this culture different from the Puerto Rican immigrants in the United States?
8. At the beginning of
chapter 3
, Papi discusses Puerto Rico’s possible statehood. Do you believe Puerto Rico should be a part of the United States? If so, why and what benefits does statehood offer? If not, why and what detriments come with it? Would it affect Puerto Rico’s identity in a good or bad way?
9. A magical worldview is a common characteristic of the Latino culture. While McCoy’s storytelling is more realistic, how and where do you see elements of magic in the characters’ lives?
10. What is the role of myth and story in Puerto Rican culture? How does it influence both individuals and the community?
11. Verdita believes in God, but her understanding of Him and how the supernatural interacts with the mortal is perplexing. The magical tales of the church mingle with the ones told within her family, the ones of Puerto Rico’s heritage and history, and those of America. Many of the overlapping concepts contradict one another. For example, in the novel: Is there a king of the ocean or a God in heaven; would one make seashell wishes or prayers at the altar; is there a Santa Claus or Three Kings? In what other areas does Verdita struggle to find truth? Can you reconcile these conflicting truths?
12. The Greeks described love as a three-pronged fork. One prong is the fundamental emotion of compassion:
philia, storge
, and
agape
(cherishing, belonging, and self-sacrificing). The Greeks contended that upon coming of age and the budding of sexuality love branches into two additional prongs:
eros
and
epithumia
(romance and desire). How does McCoy portray philia, storge, and agape in the novel? How does she portray eros and epithumia?
13. Gender roles are addressed in the novel’s text and subtext. What are the Puerto Rican gender roles in the home? What are they in public? How do these compare with the projected American gender roles?
14. Patriarchy is a traditional characteristic of many Latino families. How do you see the Santiago family following in that tradition? How do you see them diverging from it? How does Verdita view femininity (represented by Mamá, Delia, Mamá Juanita, Titi Lola, the
puta
in San Juan) and masculinity (represented by Papi, Omar, Blake, Naranja)?
15. How is sexuality portrayed throughout the novel? Are women encouraged to embrace their sexuality or shun it? Discuss the conversation between Verdita and Mamá. How does Verdita deal with her sexuality and the sexuality of those around her? How does religion influence this?
16. Duality of culture is a major theme in McCoy’s novel. How does American culture impact the traditional Puerto Rican society? How does it affect the language, the foods, the religion, the traditional gender roles of men and women, and so on?
17. In the end, after Verdita evaluates both the good and bad of life in America, why do you think she still chooses to leave her homeland? What brings her to this decision? What do you think Verdita will find when she lands in the United States—will her expectations be met? Will she be disappointed?
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2009 by Sarah McCoy
Discussion Guide copyright © 2009 by Shaye Areheart Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Shaye Areheart Books, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
Shaye Areheart Books with colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McCoy, Sarah, 1980–
The time it snowed in Puerto Rico / Sarah McCoy.—1st ed.
1. Teenage girls—Fiction. 2. Adolescence—Fiction.
3. Puerto Rico—Fiction.
I. Title.
PS3613.C38573T56 2009
813′.6—dc22 2008051513
eISBN: 978-0-307-46008-0
v3.0
Table of Contents
Chapter 4 - A Taste of America
Chapter 5 - A Taste of Puerto Rico
Chapter 7 - An Explanation: Eve
Chapter 8 - An Explanation: Puta
Chapter 11 - The World Within, the World Beyond
Chapter 12 - Adam, Eve, and the Fruit
