5. Looking Inside From The Out

The film Spanglish gives us an inside look of the life of an outsiders entering a foreigner land. Embarking on a new soil to improve life for her and her daughter; Flor takes the leap to crossing not only physical boundaries, but also emotional ones, as well. Flor, a strong and rooted woman from Mexico wants what best for her child. Yet she is face with a cultural line when they moved to a very fast pace area of L.A. Flor finds that there are many similarities and several differences between her ethnic background and parental values compared to life in America. Although, it would appear that there are many differences when it comes to the culture of Mexico compared to life in L.A. But, when one digs deep, we can see that an outsider doesn’t have to been from a different country… sometimes an individual can be an outsider in his or her own home.

Flor finds that it does not take being from a different country to fill like an outsider. Throughout the movie there is a contrast of how Deborah thinks everyone should be like. Deborah is lost in the American image and her cultural ideals of perfect persons; and in turn she is sacrificing the luster of her family to fill a selfish narcissistic need. For example, Deborah had brought clothes home for her daughter, but the articles were two sizes to small. When her daughter asked her mother (Deborah) why she would get her clothes too little, Deborah had said, “…your going to lose the weight…I just know it.” Deborah assumption of excellences only leaves her felling like an outsider from the rest of the family. While Flor focus on her background roots finding herself being comfortable with her heritage and beliefs. Flor is bound and lives by simplicity of human natures desire; baring children, loving food, having curves, and yearning truelove, for a woman from her culture it is all about being a woman

Flor is faced fighting her daughter about becoming to Americanized. She finds herself being more like the father, John, of the American home than the mother, Deborah. For John and Flor the children are number one in their books. They both agree that it's better to be an odd rather than to conform to what the others think one should be. To conform would be leaving identity and culture behind. Flor is challenged with her daughter wants; having her daughter conform to the American life would mean that her daughter is turning on her mother and their heritage. Alike John and Flor are challenged by the fact that their children are being faced with the ideals of conformity. Even though John has not moved a cross the country line; he and his children are subjected to emotional boundaries in Deborah’s vice.

It is understandable for Flor to see Christina getting lost into ideals of their new life because she is a child. Christina recognizes that her mother cultural beliefs are beautiful and true to the nature of their heritage. And with those strengths Christina has learned to live with the American life style, yet stay close to what it means to be her mother’s daughter. The overall theme of this movie is to stay strong to culture and beliefs; for it is the very means of who we are. In the film we learned that there are no real boundaries that define us as outsiders. John had ask Flor, “if you had the choice, would you chose to be on the inside or the outside if it meant giving up your beliefs… what would you chose?” She had said that she rather be on the outside.