Call Me Maria

In this section of the novel, María becomes more involved in the network of her neighborhood, getting to know the other people who live in her building. Her two closest friends, Whoopee and Uma, both provide vital sources of information for María as she sharpens her understanding of her neighbors. María documents many details about both of her friends, capturing precise examples of their behavior, language, knowledge, and appearance. This kind of description serves as a backdrop for María’s continuing development as a poet; with each new experience, she chooses what to record and how to record it and learns new intricacies of language.

One of the most dynamic scenes in the novel takes place in this section, as María stands up for her friend by yelling at Ricky Moreno. María’s narration of this encounter portrays her own heightened emotional state as she chooses to intervene in the situation and correct Ricky’s behavior. Although she is nervous, she also wants to protect her friend Uma, whom Ricky has hurt. María’s strong stance in this scene shows her increasing comfort with English. She uses her “best assertive voice” and delivers declarative sentences (55), like she learned in English class. However, despite her attempts to utilize her newfound eloquence and facility with the language, Ricky belittles her actions and subverts all of María’s intentions by turning on his charm, singing one of her favorite songs, and cornering her against the wall. Since Call Me María doesn’t focus on María’s love interests or crushes at any other point, this interaction appears out of character for María, perhaps because she is still a little younger than Uma. The scene serves to emphasize the relative inexperience of María’s adolescent perspective, and this dynamic is further implied in how thoroughly she is overwhelmed by Ricky’s behavior. In contrast with the responsible and community-oriented image of masculinity that Papi represents, Ricky’s aggressive and presumptuous behavior hints at a whole different dynamic that is best summed up by his building-wide reputation as a papi-lindo: one who can get any girl he wants. However, because the majority of the novel is focused on María’s own personal growth, this moment marks the only real hint of the sudden and emotionally intense encounters that can occur between male and female adolescents. Ultimately, it goes nowhere, and María continues on her own personal journey of inner growth and cultural integration.

Despite the progress that María makes to fit in with her new environment, one aspect of her adjustment to New York that particularly upsets her is her growing understanding of the ways in which race and racism affect the quality of her life and that of her friends, especially when it comes to appearance. María is acutely aware of the racism that often underscores her interactions with white people such as Señora Stuckey, and she also makes observations about Whoopee and Uma that reveal her quickly sharpening analysis of how racism shapes people’s lives. In her poem titled “Picture of Whoopee,” María concludes with a hypothetical musing about Whoopee’s appearance, stating that if her friend could only go to a “place where her brown skin, / wild black hair, and small solid body / were like those of goddesses and queens… / she would be immortalized” (40). In this piece, María’s love for her friend is captured alongside her clear awareness that in the United States, Whoopee’s appearance does not match the dominant beauty standard. The differences that arise from interactions between cultures is further emphasized in the character of Uma. She is unlike most other people María has met and serves as another important part of María’s learning process. The two friends often discuss the differences between their cultures, working to find “something in common” (45). As a member of a marginalized group in the US, María’s curiosity and empathy toward other people of color in her life is shaped by her own experiences.