July 31st, 2021 
Think about the three main characters, Junior, Nilda and Rafa. Who are they as people? What motivates them? What explains the way they act towards each other? What are their own personal conflicts?
For Junior, who is the narrator, you need to think about why he has something of an angry attitude when talking about Nilda. He has a sharp tone towards her. Why is that? For Nilda, you need to think about why she is happy with Rafa and how as a young woman in this environment, she defines herself. And why is Rafa the way he is? What are his motivations for treating Nilda the way she does? What role does he play in the lives of his family and how does that help to define him?
The introduction to your analysis. Your introduction should focus on what the story is about, what takes place in the story (a quick summary) and, finally, your thesis. Your thesis should focus on what you are proving about these characters and how their personalities and actions lead to what takes place at the end of the story.
Body paragraphs need to focus on each of the three main characters. Provide a character analysis for each. Consider the questions asked above in number four. Further things to consider, what do they want? What are their conflicts? What is in their way? Be sure to use passages from the story to support your claims. Be sure when talking about Junior to explain the tone he uses when talking about Nilda.
What does this story show about what happens to someone like Junior versus someone like Nilda? How have things changed between them in the last scene and how are they still the same, especially for Junior and the way he feels about Nilda?
Things to be careful of. Even though the story is in past tense, you will be using present tense, as in Junior says, or Rafa runs. Dont quote whole conversations; just summarize what is said. When quoting a quotation use three quotation marks. “I don’t want to do that.” Rafa says in the story, “‘ I don’t want to do that.'”
Posted in 