How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay

In How Tía Lola Came to (Visit) Stay, a work of realistic children’s fiction, Alvarez explores common childhood experiences such as parents’ divorce, moving to a new place, bullying, and the difficulty of making friends through a culturally specific lens. Through the character of Tía Lola, Alvarez adds an element of ambiguity and magical realism to the story. The character believes in Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion that combines elements of Yoruba spirituality and Roman Catholicism. As part of her religious practice, Tía Lola performs rituals to banish bad spirits, welcome benevolent spirits, and bring her loved ones luck. Alvarez’s narrative neither confirms nor denies that Tía Lola possesses supernatural powers—anything that might be the result of magic in the story can also be explained by natural circumstances—but Tía Lola’s religious beliefs play an important role in her development and her relationships with the other characters. In Chapter 2, Mami describes her as “a doctor who works with magic instead of medicine” (15), foreshadowing the ways that Tía Lola helps the Guzmán family and townspeople heal.

The novel’s central relationship, the bond between Tía Lola and Miguel, centers The Importance of Family and Community Support. When Alvarez first introduces Miguel, he struggles with his parents’ divorce: “He doesn’t really understand why his parents can’t stay married even if they don’t get along” (3). Alvarez narrates the story from a third-person limited point of view, focusing on Miguel’s thoughts and feelings, allowing her to examine topics like divorce from a child’s perspective, making the story more relatable and accessible to her young audience. Making Miguel the viewpoint character also helps the reader understand why he is reluctant to accept Tía Lola at first even though his mother and sister are thrilled by her presence. When Miguel wonders, “Why not ask Papi to come up and stay with them instead?” (3). Miguel’s longing for his father contextualizes his initial reticence toward Tía Lola’s visit within the broader transition his family is experiencing. Miguel’s arc sees him moving from a place of resistance to change to one of embracing change—a trajectory reflected in the close and loving bond that develops between the two central characters.

The Guzmáns’ move to Vermont sets the stage for the novel’s thematic engagement with The Process of Adapting to New Environments. In this section, Miguel struggles with the transition from New York City to Vermont because he misses his father, the way his family used to be, and the city’s diversity: “Back in New York, lots of other kids looked like him [...] But here in Vermont, his black hair and brown skin stand out” (5). Miguel faces isolation and bullying because of his ethnicity when he first moves to Vermont, but the surprise birthday party thrown by his family and friends provides evidence that he and his family are adapting. Sam, Dean, and Rudy’s attendance at the celebration demonstrates the Guzmáns’ ability to make new friends and create happy memories in their new home.

Tía Lola’s ability to bring positive change in the lives of those around her drives the plot forward and allows Alvarez’s novel to celebrate The Importance of Family and Community Support. Tía Lola moves to the US to assist her niece, and her lively presence restores joy to Mami and Juanita after the sorrow of the divorce: “She puts on her castanets and clacks around the room, stomping her feet as if she is throwing a tantrum. Their mother and Juanita join in, acting goofy. ‘Isn’t she fun?’ his mother keeps asking Miguel” (16). Mami’s dancing and laughter signal a dramatic change from her tearful loneliness in the novel’s opening scenes. Alvarez provides another important example of family support is Papi’s continued involvement in his children’s lives: “Miguel drops his book bag and runs into his father’s arms [...] He hugs his father and then holds on a little longer while his moist eyes dry up” (40). Miguel’s strong emotions in this passage show how much he loves his father and how much it means to him to see Papi on his birthday despite all the recent changes in their family dynamic.

Alvarez uses bright colors to represent joy while white represents sadness. The old farmhouse that the Guzmáns move into has “peeling white paint” that gives the structure a dreary and forbidding appearance (3). The drab exterior of the characters’ new home reflects the difficult circumstances that led to their move. Adding to the setting’s symbolism, the family moves to Vermont during a snowy winter—a season that represents isolation in the novel. Alvarez’s choice to relocate the Guzmáns in December emphasizes their sense of loneliness. Alvarez’s use of stark white to depict the Vermont setting contrasts with Tía Lola’s appearance and enhances the impact of her arrival. Her wardrobe “looks like a midsummer flower garden” (16). This simile combines Alvarez’s season and color symbolism to emphasize the joy that the exuberant woman brings to her relatives’ lives.

Food serves as a motif for the importance of community in the lives of the characters. For example, Rudy, one of the novel’s most important supporting characters and the first friend the Guzmáns make in Vermont, generously gives the newcomers many free meals in exchange for Spanish lessons. He calls this discount the “Welcome Wagon Special” (4), further highlighting the link between food and support. In Chapter 3, Miguel’s surprise party reinforces the theme when members of his family and community come together to make his 10th birthday special. The baseball-shaped cake that Tía Lola bakes for her great-nephew offers another example of food as a motif of support and hints at the importance of baseball later in the novel.

Miguel’s evolving relationship with Spanish points to the story’s third major theme: The Role of Language in Shaping Identity. At the start of the story, Alvarez describes Miguel’s relationship to his Dominican heritage as disconnected. He feels like an outsider in Vermont because he is the only Latino student in his class, and he doesn’t like to speak Spanish because he worries that this will further undermine his efforts to fit in with his white peers. Miguel’s relationship with language begins to change after he speaks Spanish to locate Tía Lola in the airport, giving the woman her “first welcome to this country” (13). Likewise, in Chapter 2, he uses language to welcome Tía Lola and soothe her homesickness by writing “¡Bienvenida, Tía Lola!” in the snow (25). These experiences help Miguel see speaking Spanish as a way to forge connections with people he loves rather than something that isolates him from others. Writing in the snow also helps Miguel feel connected to his father, who loves to create art that makes people happy, and evidences the ways in which Miguel’s attempts to connect with others increase his growing empathy and thoughtfulness.

During Miguel’s birthday celebration, Alvarez continues to use Spanish as a tool of connection between Miguel’s Dominican culture and his new life in Vermont. Sam and Dean are afraid of Tía Lola the first time they see her, but they bond with her when she teaches them how to sing “Happy Birthday” in Spanish. Sharing part of his heritage with his friends helps Miguel embrace his identity: “Miguel is ten years old today and already feeling ten times prouder of being who he is” (42). As the story continues, Miguel’s relationship with language evolves along with his connection to his Dominican identity.