Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2018

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-14

Chapters 15-17

Chapters 18-20

Chapters 21-22

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapters 13-14Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 13 Summary: “Finca Vega”

This section of chapters is titled “Day Two”

The following day, Marcus, Charlie, Melissa, and the three girls squeeze into Sergio’s small, old, lime-green two-door pickup truck for the long drive to Darma’s farm near Orocovis. Because of his size, Marcus is given the broken front seat, which slides precariously with each movement. Charlie snuggles next to Maria, enjoying the way she calls him “lindo” (Spanish for beautiful); he eventually falls asleep on her shoulder. Marcus takes photographs of the changing scenery, leaving the ocean and the town of Old San Juan for the misty green mountains of Orocovis. In his pocket, Marcus has a letter he found in his father’s room at Ermenio’s house; it refers to a restaurant for sale in Orocovis. Sergio says they might be able to visit it later, fueling Marcus’s hope of tracking down his father. There is a wooden sign on the gate to Darma’s farm: “FINCA VEGA PIEDRA SIN AQUA NO AGUZA EN LA FRAGUA” (140), which Maria translates for them: “Vega farm […] Stone without water doesn’t sharpen in the forge” (140). Sergio explains that the saying means “from nothing, nothing can come” (140). Marcus helps Sergio with the gate, stepping in mud and narrowly avoiding horse manure. At the farm, Charlie refuses to get out of the truck until Marcus points out the horse in the stable. Charlie smiles at the horse and fearlessly approaches her. Marcus nervously tells him to stay back, but before he can intervene, Charlie strokes the horse’s muzzle, and the horse gently nudges him back. Charlie beams. Darma comes into the stable and tells Charlie that the horse is called Magic and responds only to “sharp,” honest people. Darma and Charlie instantly connect, interacting as if they have always known each other.

Chapter 14 Summary: “Getting Good Darma”

Marcus finds Darma intimidating, but Charlie is besotted with her and wants to help when she leaves to attend to a sick cow. Melissa feels guilty when Darma gently scolds her for not visiting sooner. She loves and respects Darma, who teaches agriculture and nurtures this incredible farm that grows Puerto Rican fruits and vegetables, such as rambutan. This is something Melissa always dreamed of doing. Darma knows she must euthanize the cow, so she sends Charlie, Marcus, and Melissa off with Sergio to tour the farm. Marcus takes photographs of the colorful fruits, and Melissa becomes emotional when she thinks about her unrealized dreams of starting a farm with Marcus’s father. They hear a loud gunshot, and Darma reappears. The only explanation she offers for the gunshot is that “Sometimes the necessary thing isn’t always the easiest” (156). A thunderstorm rolls in, making the journey back to Ermenio’s house too dangerous, so they stay at Darma’s for the night. She tells everyone to stay inside, but Marcus sneaks out with the phone later that night. He climbs a haystack to get reception. With lightning flashing around him, he sends another message to his father, telling him they are now at Tía Darma’s farm. Back in bed, Marcus thinks about his father, wondering what he did to upset Darma and “get kicked out of this farm in the clouds” (159). Marcus is frustrated and doesn’t understand why Sergio, Darma, and Ermenio all seem to have a problem with his father.

Chapters 13-14 Analysis

Melissa, Marcus, and Charlie are used to living in a small house with leaks and constant needs for repairs, but the boys are shocked at the thought of riding in Sergio’s truck or using an outside shower. Their living conditions are not necessarily worse than those they accept in Springfield, but it takes time for Marcus to embrace cultural differences and learn to relax. He feels that Puerto Rico is “like a completely different planet” (139). He sees how happy his mother and the German twins are, and he realizes that Charlie is adapting better than Marcus. Photography eventually leads Marcus to appreciate the beauty of the mountains and the countryside and to relax.

The longing for his father remains intense in these chapters. Marcus notices small comments that the twins make about their father’s involvement in their lives, such as, “Papa wants so many pictures” (141), and he notices that they talk often about their parents. He realizes that, unlike his own small family, “they do a lot of stuff together” (135). In contrast, he has an absent father and a mother who is forced to work too much to provide for their family. While he is at Darma’s farm. Marcus recalls a zoo trip with his mother and his father when Melissa was pregnant with Charlie: “I remember feeling safe” (148). This recollection highlights the lack of safety and security that he routinely feels, revealing the negative impact of his father’s leaving on Marcus’s well-being.

The sign above Darma’s farm gate, which Sergio explains means “from nothing, nothing can come,” relates to having native seeds, soil, and local knowledge. These cultural products must be cultivated and passed down through generations, and without them, nothing can grow. The sign also summarizes Marcus and Charlie’s relationship with their father. He gives them nothing emotionally, financially, or physically; therefore, nothing can grow or be carried forward from that relationship. Darma embodies this philosophy in a no-nonsense way, working hard and unsentimentally to keep Puerto Rican agriculture alive.