Sandra Cisneros Caramelo: The Mexican American Border Life Story as a Knowledge Source for Understanding Local Histories and Identity

At present there is a growing consensus that todays increasingly globalized world requires that the traditional literary canon provide an opening to alternative literary works that do not reflect national identities directly linked to hegemonic power structures. When speaking of Mexican American literature we generally focus on works that emanate from the margins and whose voices provide the reader with a rich panorama of life experiences. The intention of the present discussion, then, is to analyze Sandra Cisneros narrative, Caramelo which I suggest can be understood as a life narrative that combines elements of autobiography, biography and fiction, as well as a focus on ethnic identity; thus, it can be considered as an alternative hybrid literary form. As a means of introducing the discussion of Caramelo, I first examine certain cultural theories that deal with the global cultural process and how it is closely related to the development of non-canonical literary forms such as Mexican American literature that provides access to knowledge concerning the cultural identities evident in local histories, and which in turn give voice to the subordinated cultural other. Finally, I present a critical analysis of Caramelo as a narrative that brings the reader into contact with the life stories of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. Through said analysis I propose that the autobiographical/biographical/fictional form evident in Caramelo functions as a vehicle through which Cisneros articulates her own sense of identity, the identity of those around her, and how this contributes to a sense of cultural definition. Furthermore, I argue that Caramelo, as a border life narrative, is more than a record of the I, it is also a record of the communal we and the local histories that stem from the impact of deterritorialization.