Call Me Maria

“I am ready to surface, una flor en la primavera.”

The motivation and drive that María demonstrates throughout the novel are reflected in this opening statement, as is her ability to speak two languages: “una flor en la primavera” is Spanish for “a flower in the spring.” This is also an important characterization of her as an adolescent on the verge of forming and solidifying her identity. The image of a flower blossoming through concrete is echoed at later moments in the novel and illustrates the challenges that her environment presents to her attempts to grow and develop.

“He has always felt out of step with the island Puerto Ricans, although he has been here so many years and married an island girl, an island girl who wants to stay on the Island.”

Papi’s disconnection from the island of Puerto Rico is the cause of much of María’s family conflict. His separation from Mami is simultaneously difficult for María and also creates the opportunity for her to get a better education in the United States. María observes this tension over the course of the text; this serves as foreshadowing for her own conflict about which version of the Island she feels more connected to.

“Mami and María Alegre hug-dance to it with María Alegre laying her head on Mami’s middle and holding her tight.”

In an early scene from María’s childhood, she dances with Mami to try to make Mami happier. This is an introduction to María’s multiple selves: When she is María Alegre, she is joyful and tries to make others feel positive as well. When she is María Triste, she is more closed off and less likely to dance or joke around.

“The day came when I was no longer a child. By then I knew that la tristeza, Papi’s sadness, had become a part of our family.”

What María terms “la tristeza” is a deep depression that impacts Papi, and thus their family, intensely. Papi ends up moving to New York to feel more connected to his home and childhood. Divorce is a common topic in young adult novels, and through María’s perspective, Ortíz Cofer explores the impact of parental separation on an adolescent.

“I will grow strong, with or without the sun.”

In New York, María fiercely feels her sadness that she cannot experience the weather of Puerto Rico. Her determination to succeed and be “strong” has to be separate from her environment, making her different from both of her parents. Several key moments in the novel later happen in the rain or snow, illustrating María’s development as a strong person.

“Week by week Papi is becoming more a part of this building, this street, this life. He is connecting to the people in ways that do not include me. He seems to be shedding his Island like an old skin and becoming Barrioman in blue.”

Clothes are a key characterization tool in the novel, and María describes people’s outfits to reflect her observations about who they are. Papi’s work uniform becomes his identity: He is “Barrioman in blue” and is not a part of the “Island” anymore. María’s interpretation of Papi mirrors her interpretation of her own outfits as she begins working to find her own style and identity.

“I would like to make you a tree house in a library. Whenever you felt the hunger for a story or a poem, you could climb down and take your pick.”

In a letter to María, Mami describes this wish to make María “a tree house in a library.” This tender description reveals the ways that Mami knows María and Mami’s desire for María to have a happy, educated life. Since they are separated, this is also an important way for Mami to let María know that they are still connected by ideas and words.

“I know words in two languages. I will not give up either one.”

In many ways, Ortíz Cofer uses this novel to shine a light on the benefits and strengths of multilingual young people. María’s insistence that she will keep both of her languages is what allows her to describe her world in more interesting ways, thus accelerating her development as a poet. By revealing María’s thoughts and feelings about language learning, Ortíz Cofer draws attention to both the difficulty of learning English and the positive ways that bilingualism shapes María’s life.

“My father, the barrio pied piper / sings of an island / that exists / only in their dreams.”

The contrast between Puerto Ricans on the Island and in New York is a core thematic element of the novel. Papi, who has lived in both but prefers New York, is able to create an enchanting vision through his songs. Yet for María, these songs feel like they are fake or illusory, describing a place of “dreams” rather than reality.

“Whoopee, my best friend and my hero / fears nothing and no one. My friend Whoopee / fears nothing in the world except mirrors in her path.”

Whoopee’s insecurity is an important mirror for María’s own feelings about her hair, her appearance, and her clothing. While María is able to understand Whoopee’s feelings, she does not directly address her own lack of confidence, which changes over the course of the novel.

“Doña Segura’s threads connect me to my Island, the colors enter my sueños reminding me to dream in Spanish so I never forget where I came from.”

As an immigrant to the United States, María often emphasizes the idea of remembering the place she comes from. The gift of the embroidered pillowcase allows her to “dream” of Puerto Rico and remain connected. The figurative use of the threads to represent this connection is echoed in a later scene in which María wears clothing to show her connection to her closest family and friends.

“I will tell Ricky that he has to tell Uma that he does not love her and release her from his papi-lindo spell.”

In a turning point in the novel, María chooses to stand up for her friend and ask Ricky to “release her.” Yet the encounter does not progress as María expects, and she finds herself taken aback by Ricky’s unexpectedly aggressive and charming behavior: yet another confusing experience that María must navigate on her way to becoming an adult in her new environment.

“Mami, I think you are learning to live without us.”

The conflict of the novel is characterized as primarily emotional: María is struggling with being separated from one parent and living in a new place. The longer María is away, the more she redefines her relationships. This statement is important because it reveals a shift in María’s perspective: She is able to directly state to Mami that they are living “without” each other.

“This is what I leave on the glass countertop, above the Timex watches, all telling the wrong time: half a roll of mints (the green one on top broken in three places and a little bit dusty), several strands of course black hair I have carefully shaped into a question mark, and a ticket stub from the movie American Beauty, which I really didn’t like that much.”

In this scene, Ortíz Cofer portrays a common racist and xenophobic encounter that immigrant teenagers might have. María’s poetic response to the store manager is to display an arrangement of items, including a question mark made out of her hair. The reference to the film American Beauty, which critiques suburban US culture, also connects to María’s question.

“María, you are a poet.”

When María’s English teacher makes this assertion, it drives forward her desire to be fully herself as a poet. Mr. Golden is one of the few adults in María’s life who directly support her dreams; in fact, he is the only person in New York to consistently support her until Abuela visits. Mr. Golden’s ability to see and value María’s poetry is what helps her gain the confidence to share her poems more widely.

“It is the old battle between Island Puerto Rico and mainland Puerto Rico. It is what finally drove my parents apart.”

In this revealing moment, Ortíz Cofer makes it clear that María is not yet mature enough to understand the full scope of why two people might choose to be separated. While Papi and Mami may have partly separated due to climate and choice of where to live, there are undoubtably other reasons for their eventual divorce. Since María is focused on her own transition to “mainland Puerto Rico,” she attributes Mami and Papi’s separation to the same thing.

“I know who you are and who you may be if you choose.”

This quote, which Abuela translates from Spanish, is a gift of words that she gives to María. Abuela’s expression of knowing María is an important moment that allows María to develop into someone with a strong sense of self. After receiving these words, María wears her own unique outfit to school and is more confident than in previous moments.

“It is Abuela’s way of letting us know who she really is, and what she thinks is important.”

By observing Abuela’s journal writing as a way of expressing herself, María reveals her understanding of what words can be used for. She is able to let people “know who she really is” using her own writing to claim a sense of identity. Ortíz Cofer’s choice to include the translations of Abuela’s journal creates an important intergenerational model for María’s development as a young person.

“And maybe someone in my future, someone who needs to know if her world is too small to write about will hold my book in her hands and read my poemas elementales, and say yes, I can be a poet too.”

Ortíz Cofer shows that María’s development as a young person and as a writer is intended to be read as an example for other potential poets. The characterizations of María throughout the novel help to build specific examples of what a young person needs to do to become a poet: record their thoughts and feelings, listen carefully, take in details and ideas from school, ask for feedback, and read and analyze other peoples’ words.

“But I want my luchas to be the ones I choose.”

In one of the only moments where María really analyzes the people around her, she reflects on what makes her similar and different from the women in her neighborhood. She recognizes that she will have many struggles throughout her life, yet she wants to be able to “choose” what fights she engages in, rather than having them forced upon her.

“I feel like I am in a play. I feel the eyes of the barrio women behind me.”

Mami’s arrival is marked by a heavy sense of judgment by the other people in María’s neighborhood. Her feeling of being “in a play” reveals her more mature ability to separate from a tense social situation and remain above it, thinking instead about the roles and dynamics involved. Her sense of detached observation highlights the ways in which she has grown, for in past scenes of this nature (e.g., in school), María has felt overwhelmed when trying to endure the tension in moments of this kind.

“He expects to be loved unconditionally by everyone—at least by all the women. It has always been this way with him.”

Part of María’s transition over the course of the novel is to be able to see her father more clearly without resentment or anger. Her analysis of the way he is with women and his need to be “loved unconditionally” reflects her more nuanced perspective.

“Listening to her plans makes me feel as if a small black bird called el pájaro triste has just awakened inside my chest. It wants to be set free, to come out through my eyes as tears, through my mouth as angry words…But I keep la tristeza inside me.”

While this narration happens as the novel moves toward a resolution, María does not find a way to resolve her feelings toward Mami. The simile of the bird in her chest implies that this sadness might have always been inside of María but hadn’t been “awakened” yet. María’s ability to avoid saying the “angry words” that want to come out foreshadows her decision to remain in New York rather than insisting on being with her mother at the end of the novel.