43 pages • 1 hour read
Christina Diaz GonzalezInvisible
Fiction | Graphic Novel/Book | Middle Grade | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Racism and Stereotypes
Racism and stereotyping are common issues faced by children of immigrant families and the Latinx population of the United States in general. The students in Invisible each come from a unique background, have individual interests and personality traits, and differing views on themselves, each other, and the world. Yet despite all these differences, many people in the community—including the school staff—obtusely believe that all of the Spanish-speaking students must share identical cultural backgrounds. Thus, the titular concept of invisibility speaks to the ways in which such overgeneralizations harm the students’ own self-image and self-esteem, for when those who stereotype the students fail to see and appreciate them for who they truly are. At the beginning of the narrative, for example, the interviewer assumes that all of the students are Mexican without even taking the time to respectfully ask them about their individual backgrounds and heritage.
The kids seem irritated when issues such as this crop up, and this is especially true for Dayara, whose face turns red when Mrs. Grouser assumes her to be a “problem child” simply because she does not yet speak English. As the students get to know each other, it becomes clear that they all feel immense pressure to succeed, for their parents worked hard to bring them to America and now expect them to make full use of the opportunities that are supposedly available to them. It is also important to note that just as the students are affected by external prejudices, they also exhibit signs of stereotyping each other; for example, Nico calls George a “gringo” (43) for not knowing enough Spanish, and George assumes that Dayara is a bully. Additionally, George stereotypes the other four kids when he first meets them and assumes that he won’t have anything in common with them. Fortunately, through their shared desire to be kind to Celeste and Lisa, the group is able to work past their differences and use their newfound unity to effect positive change in the community around them.
Poverty
Poverty is a central motif in the story which serves to highlight the characters’ many difficulties even as it serves as a way to propel the plot forward, for as the children learn more about each other and about Celeste’s predicament, the recurring images of poverty provide the narrative with a vehicle for exploring the theme of Kindness Inspired by Adversity. Of the five protagonists, only Nico has not known poverty, although he does know what it’s like to miss people he cares about. The other four students have either known poverty in their lives or are still experiencing it, and along with this experience comes a sense of shame and humiliation that often prevents them from discussing it, even with each other. For example, George is both embarrassed and worried about the fact that his family recently had to move from a duplex into a small apartment, and when he lets slip that he lived in a car at one point, he quickly backtracks.
Similarly, both Sara and Dayara are in the midst of poverty and are doing their best with what they have. Miguel never mentions the details of his own story, but he does show strong and active empathy toward Lisa and her mother, wanting desperately to help them, which implies that he has been in a similar position himself. Because each of the children knows what it is like to lose their sense of stability or make do with very little, they become inspired to help Lisa and her mother.
Immigration
Immigration becomes a central motif in Invisible, and scenes and images depicting its many complexities provide background context for the story’s characters and illuminate the theme of Individual Identity and Group Solidarity. Each of the protagonists has a story of immigration, and each experience is unique. While being from immigrant families does not define every aspect of who the students are, it does influence both their worldview and how others see and treat them.
The only student out of the five who was born in the United States is George, but his parents are Puerto Rican and he knows some Spanish. George struggles to balance his American and Puerto Rican sides and at times appears ashamed to be of Latino descent, but after meeting his new friends, he realizes that he can be proud of who he is and be glad to be part of that group. Sara is a recent immigrant whose mother and brothers are still living in Mexico, and she and her father work as a team to manage their lives in the meantime. Dayara is Cuban, and because she and her parents recently moved to the United States, she is still learning English and feels intense frustration whenever she fails to progress as quickly as she would like. Like Sara, Nico awaits the arrival of the rest of his family, but his parents are in Venezuela while he stays with his aunt. He faces anxiety daily about his family’s safety and constantly wonders whether he will see them again soon. Lastly, Miguel is Dominican, and his parents put pressure on him to pursue baseball over art, as his father believes that it is a more certain way to obtain a scholarship. Each of the students is stereotyped by their elders, and both Mrs. Grouser and the interviewer are guilty of patronizing them for not knowing English as well as they expect them to.
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By Christina Diaz Gonzalez
