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Plot Analysis

While reading, Now We Will Be Happy, I chose four out of the nine short stories to summarize and analyze. Although the short stories portray themes of symbolism, memory, and migration, the meanings behind the stories are so much more than that. Guatier gives the Afro-Puerto Rican community a voice, a way that they can be represented in America. The Afro-Puerto Rican community has faced struggles with discrimination as a whole, they are treated as unequal and “unAmerican” because of their accent and race. These stories are a “Call to Action” for the reader so that this community can be heard and seen. Each of the characters in the short story are some how connected, they are neighbors, in-laws, friends, and immediate family members. Although their stories are different, they interconnect with one another by the experiences that they’ve gone through; hardship, betrayal, and rejection.

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There is a lot of ignorance when it comes to the history of the Latinx community. In grade schools, their history isn’t being taught and they aren’t represented in text books. Most Americans don’t know who Afro-Puerto Ricans are and that their ancestors were African slaves who were sent to Puerto Rico. 

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A “call to action” to fight against the racism of the Latinx community in the U.S. 

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“Ahora Seremos Felices” translated in English to “Now We Will Be Happy” by Rafael Hernández

Based off the short story, “Now We Will Be Happy,” when Yauba introduces Hispanic music to Rosa.

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Discussion Questions:

Why are these short stories important in understand Puerto Rican’s struggles when migrating to the U.S.?

Why do you think the symbolism that the characters use is important in understanding their culture and identity?

What’s your favorite short story and why?

Can you connect with any of the characters and do you have memories of your own that connects you with your own history and culture?

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Comparison to Daughters of the Stone

In the short story collection of Now We Will Be Happy, the course themes of migration, symbolism, and memory are evident in the novel, Daughters of the Stone. In book four of the novel, Elena migrates with her family to the U.S. to seek a better life for her children. She faces discrimination for being Hispanic when she works as a nurse’s aide at Pleasant Valley Home. She is treated unfairly and is given the worst jobs and her co-workers make fun of her accent and pretend to not understand her. She has to work hard so that her children will have a better life than hers. This relates to Now We Will Be Happy short story collection because the characters experience discrimination when working in the U.S. because of their Hispanic race and background. They work hard and put up with the mistreatment so they can one day own their own restaurant and family owned grocery store.

In Daughters of the Stone, symbolism is shown through the black stone of how it’s been passed down from mother to daughter through generation to generation. The stone has magical powers that give them healing and a way to connect with their ancestors. The black stone symbolizes the Afro-Puerto Rican identity and culture of Elena and her daughter, Carisa and her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother and so on. This relates to Now We Will Be Happy short story collection because the characters use symbolism of food, prayer candles, and music as a way to connect to their loved ones and find a sense of belonging. Also, some of the characters want to pass on their belongings and traditions to the following generation.

Memory is also present in Daughters of the Stone, when the symbolic black stone gives both Elena and her daughter, Carisa dreams of a Lady, who brings hope and healing to them. Later, the Lady in their dreams, encourages Elena to tell her daughter stories of their past ancestors. These stories were passed down from Abuela Mati to Elena so that she could share them with her daughter. This instills belonging to their family because of their connection to the past, while living in a new territory in New York City. Later, these stories that have been passed down to Carisa, instills a hunger inside of her to want to travel to Africa to see where the stories of her ancestors and the stone began.This relates to the short story collection of Now We Will Be Happy because the characters use memory as a way to share their own stories with others and reminisce on the past to connect with their family members and Hispanic culture.  

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Memory (Course Theme)

Memory through storytelling and reminiscing on the past is another course theme that characters, like Lea, Rosa, Yauba, and the unnamed college student do to remember their culture and their identity as Puerto Ricans. Lea shares stories of the Catholic prayer candles powers and how they have brought healing and hope to those that believe in them. Yauba shares stories to Rosa of the culture of their Afro-Puerto Rican background, such as slavery and the different types of music and dance that there is in Puerto Rico. Rosa reminisces on her own memories of her parents speaking the Spanish language to each other when she was young. Rosa is frustrated that she doesn’t know the language and her own husband treats her differently because of it. The unnamed college student reminisces of the past when her grandmother was always there for her and taught her about who she was as an Afro-Puerto Rican and would use cultural Hispanic remedies to help heal her sicknesses.

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Symbolism (Course Theme)

Symbolism is another course theme, where characters, like Lydia and her sister-in-law, Lea, Papi and his wife, Nelida, Yauba, and the unnamed college student and her abuela use food, candles, and the next generation as symbolism for their identity and culture. For Lydia and her sister-in-law, Lydia believes in Catholic prayer candles that will help bring healing, peace, and hope to their families as long as they remain lit in their homes. Papi and his wife Nelida use their son and grandson, who are both named Esteban as symbolism of hope of carrying the family name and to keep the family business running for the next generations to come. Yauba shares with Rosa how plantains, Spanish music and language are a symbolism for the culture and identity of who they are as Afro-Puerto Ricans. The unnamed college student and her abuela use their family recipe of flan as symbolism of their connection to each other as grandma and granddaughter, Catholic remedies for healing, and who they are as Afro-Puerto Ricans.

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Migration ( Course Theme)

In the short story collection of Now We Will Be Happy, Migration is a course theme. Characters like, Miguel and his wife, Lydia and their two sons, Papi and his wife, Nelida and their son, Esteban, and Yauba migrate to the U.S. or to another state to seek a better life. All the characters are of Puerto Rican background and they face challenges living in the U.S., like discrimination for their Hispanic background and language and are treated unfairly. They have to work hard to go after their dreams, like owning a family store, restaurant, or other means of income to gain a better life for their families. They struggle with belonging in these new territories, which leads to marital and family conflict.

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Summary of “A Wish, Like A Candle, Burns”

This short story is about Miguel and his wife Lydia who have to move to New Haven with their two sons, Miguelito and Enrique for a better life. They had to leave their daughter, Shirl because she has special needs and they would bring her to them once they were settled and had steady money coming in. The family lives with Lea, Miguel’s sister and Lydia gets a job working at Lea’s stationary store. It was a Spanish and English speaking store and she sold items, like sazon and guava paste. Young women who came from Mass would come to purchase prayer candles from Lea’s store. Lea would tell stories to the customers, “Lea told transformative stories, seducing listeners with tales of people who walked with a limp one day and could run and jump within a week after burning the candles. She told of a woman’s husband who had left her more than twenty years ago. After burning the candles, he returned to beg her forgiveness”. After two months, the family moved into their own apartment and Miguel and Lydia barely saw him because he worked so much. Lea’s stories helped her to overcome her loneliness. Lydia decides to purchase candles for her own prayers, like candles lit for inner peace, to keep Miguel from cheating, and to help Shirl become normal. Lydia’s sons let it slip that their father has been cheating on her. Then, Lydia stops lighting the candles because she stops believing in their powers.

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Summary of “Only Son”

The setting is in Puerto Rico, where a married couple named Nelida and Papi just had their 6th child named Esteban. The 5 children before had all died young from being sick. Esteban was the last hope for Papi to “leave his mark on the world.” Papi’s hopes were to teach his son the family business and that he will make him a proud father. Once his son became older, he moved his family to the states and began running a family store. Esteban wasn’t happy with the move and was tired of being reminded that he was the only son and all about the sacrifices his parents have made for him. Esteban gets his girlfriend, Renay pregnant and they have a son also named Esteban. Having the baby meant more expectations from his parents to stay in the family store business and pass it down to his own son. Esteban decides to join the military and his parents aren’t happy with his decision. Finally, the parents decide that they need to let their son go see the world because he isn’t happy where he’s currently at. Esteban promises to return home eventually.

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Summary of “How To Make Flan”

This is another short story from the collection of Now We Will Be Happy. The setting begins in West Philadelphia where this unnamed college student lives who finds any excuse not to visit her divorced parents in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, who lives with her grandma, calls her to let her know that her “abuela” isn’t doing well and is in the hospital and has asked for her. Her grandmother has requested that she bring her homemade flan, which is against the doctors and her fathers wishes. Her grandmother reminds her that she used to make her flan whenever she was sick growing up. Her grandmother refuses to eat any of the hospital food. Her father begins to be jealous of her because of her grandmother favors her over him. The woman goes to her grandmother’s house to get her grandmother’s comb for the hospital. She comes across her grandmother’s Catholic remedies that she now believed as a woman in college to be something to make fun of. Once at the hospital, she describes college life in Philadelphia to her grandmother. The woman has a memory of her grandmother when she was younger who described who she was because of her being half black and half Puerto Rican background. Her grandmother told her when she was young, that, “Don’t you know who you are?” She laced her fingers through mine. “You are my granddaughter, my nieta. You are everybody’s daughter. You are the conquistador, the Indian, and the slave, struggling to be one. You are three kings bringing gifts. You are a fortress. You are chains and shackles. You are the ocean.  And the sand beneath the  waves. You are the pride of the sea. You are the breeze that blows from the shore. You are my granddaughter, my nieta. You are me, nena. You are me.” The woman has other memories of when her grandmother would make her flan growing up whenever she had strep throat because her grandmother believed that the flan would help the soreness and wouldn’t hurt to swallow it. The woman has these memories while she makes the flan for her grandmother who is sick.  

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Summary of “Now We Will Be Happy”

There are multiple short stories in the story collection called, Now We Will Be Happy. This particular story is set in NYC with characters who are from Puerto Rico. The woman is named Rosa, who is cheating on her abusive husband with a man named Yauba. Yauba works as a hotel cook feeding the “privileged,” where the women there won’t give him the time of day. He faces discrimination at his job for his Puerto Rican background and language. He is accused of sexual harassment in the work place with no evidence and his boss hasn’t increased his salary since his promotion. He dreams of returning to PR and owning his own restaurant. He talks to Rosa about slavery and their ancestors through the symbolism of food. These plantains came over from Africa on the same boats as the slaves.” “What slaves?” she asks, wondering how Yauba and everyone else knew so much more than she. “The slaves that brought the plantains, yams, okra, and gandules. The Tainos had yuca, corn, lerén, yautia, guava, soursop. Our food is criolla , just like the people, a mix of all three cultures. Just like us.” While Yauba continues his story telling, Rosa reminisces on her own memories of her parents speaking the Spanish language to each other when she was young. Rosa is frustrated that she doesn’t know the language and her own husband treats her differently because of it. Yauba introduces Rosa to Spanish musicians, like Rafael Hernández and his song, ‘Ahora Seremos Felices,’ which translates to ‘Now we will be happy’. Yauba shows Rosa how to dance, while singing the Spanish words of the song and she begins to be upset that her parents and her husband kept so many of these “secrets” of her Spanish heritage away from her. Yauba unveils all the “secrets” of everything she’s wanted to know about the language and culture of being Puerto Rican.

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Bio

Amina Guatier was born in Brooklyn, New York and has Puerto Rican and African American heritage. Her short story collection, Now We Will Be Happy was awarded the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Fiction, the Florida Authors and Publishers Association President's Book Award, the international Latino Book Award, a National Silver Medal IPPY Award, and a USA Best Book Award. Guatier states in an interview that, “Now We Will Be Happy follows the lives of Afro-Puerto Ricans, US mainland–born Puerto Ricans, and displaced native Puerto Ricans who live their lives liminally, on the edge, yet who struggle to move into the center. It depicts characters who have been silenced and rendered invisible and who occupy the space between being natives and immigrants”. Not only does Guatier represent the lives of Afro-Puerto Ricans, but she also uses her own life experiences as inspiration for her short story collection.