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And the Earth Did Not Devour Them by Tomas Rivera

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...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him is not a story of one character, but rather of a people. Rivera, much like in the Actos of El Teatro Campesino, basically uses a stock character. Although each story seemingly gives more detail and specificity to the character, it can also be interpreted as doing the exact opposite. In telling of the life of one, Rivera in turn reveals the lives of many. Even though specific details of each of their lives were obviously different, the core issues still remained; Chicanos needed change and they needed it immediately. One of the most noticeable techniques Rivera uses within his novel is the constant changing of the point-of-view. The novel is centered on an unnamed male protagonist, however, throughout the story the point-of-view ranges from that of a mother praying for her son unwillingly fighting in Vietnam to that of an omniscient narrator, capable of entering anyone’s heads. This often times seemed to be very random and even abrupt. However, it was through the sporadic sprinklings of changes in point-of-views that Rivera was able to not only showcase cultural struggles of the time, but also call for social change as well as reveal the confusion and uncertainty of the people themselves. First and foremost, this novel is about Chicano people and the struggles they endured. While each small passage can be viewed as the progression of the unknown male protagonist, it also gives a multitude of other views as well. Middle-aged male
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