Blog #2

“I Would Remember” by Carlos Bulosan is a short story with the main theme of death. The protagonist talks about the five deaths that they have seen and remembered. The first of their mother, who had died from giving birth to the narrators brothers. Second death was that of the family carabao who the narrator’s father killed. Next was a man who the main character met on a ship while migrating to the U.S, he was robbed and stabbed. Then was the death of Crispin, a friend the narrator made while traveling. This time period they were both struggling and very poor which had resulted in Crispin dying of hunger. The last death was that of Leroy, one of the many farm workers who the narrator lived in a bunkhouse with. With no explanation, some men came in and dragged Leroy out of the house, cut his genitals, took out his eye, stabbed his chest, sliced up his tongue, cut through his stomach so his entrails plopped out, and was lynched. Although this story was short, it had a lot of content and characters. After the first death that the narrator experienced, they were questioning a lot about death and why it had to happen, “I could not understand why my mother had to die. I could not understand why my brother had to live. I was fearful of the motives of the living and the meaning of their presence on the earth.” However, at the end of the story they grew an acceptance to death and learned to just remember the person. I cannot help but notice while reading the deaths began somewhat simpler and more natural beginning with the mother who died giving birth, that then grew more cruel and horrid ending with the violent lynching of Leroy. It came across to me that the very cruel deaths were in or on the way to America which I feel may have a significance. In the story the narrator migrated to America which I assume was because they had the belief that they would make a better life for themselves in America. Then the reality hit them, with those deaths. One killed for greed, the second from poverty, and the last we as readers do not know but do know it was extremely vicious and grotesque. In a way these deaths represent what many immigrants experienced in America. The last line of the story states, “And I knew that all my life I would remember Leroy and all the things he taught me about living.” I believe this means the narrator has grown and accepted death for what it is as well as they will keep going no matter what because that is all they can do.