Poverty and Predjudice The Hammon and The Beans

Many times in literature the most useful device of a writer is the symbol. Symbols are used to add deeper meaning to everyday objects. An author may use symbolism to expand the meaning of his or her writing. In the short story "The Hammon and the Beans" Americo Parides masterfully illustrates the art of symbolism through his poverty stricken character Chonita and the different aspects of her life. Chonita and her Mexican people have come …

…one who is grieved over the loss of Chonita. He recognizes that even in death Chonita's cry for freedom still rings clear. "I thought of Chonita in Heaven, and I saw her in her torn and dirty dress, with a pair of bright wings attached, flying around and around like a butterfly shouting, 'Give me the Hammon and the Beans.'" (p. 361) This illustrates that the war on poverty and victimization can never be surrendered.