Final Flowers

Chris Bennett

Stacey Knapp

English 1B

March 7, 2011

Sociological Criticism

            In the novel “The Flowers” by Dagoberto Gilb there exists a great deal of controversy surrounding the life of Sonny, a Teenage Mexican American boy. It follows his life and how he is taken abruptly out of his familiar surroundings and moved in to his new step father Cloyd’s home. While at his new place he meets quite a few acquaintances with their own unique traits about them which impact Sonny in both positive and negative ways which begin to influence his later decisions.  Despite his young age he finds himself in many extreme situations and is just trying to live his life. Throughout the story it is clearly visible that the new lifestyle and environment around Sonny rubs off on him and begins his progression from a boy in to a man.

            Sonny was living with only his mother at the time he met Cloyd. He was already a bit of a young troublemaker and fancied breaking in to houses just out of curiosity. He insisted in the beginning that when he would that” I never took nothing, nothing much if I did, because I didn’t want to I was more watching how the people lived. (1)” From the start it’s already clearly visible that he doesn’t have much of a good role model and just runs around on the streets most of the time doing his own thing. Not too long after however he meets his soon to be step daddy only to be stripped right out of his familiar settings to a whole new place. Sonny and his mother Silvia moved in the apartment complex named “Los Flores” owned and operated by Cloyd himself. It was here when Sonny began to make some new friends which began to impact his life and decisions.

The setting of the story takes place in a rough neighborhood most likely in south central in southern California. Being raised in this kind of neighborhood does not make it any easier on Sonny as he has been subject to seeing violent and racist things like towards the end of the story when the riots began to take place. Sonny has already been raised in a somewhat poverty stricken environment but his new surroundings contain more diverse problems for him. One of which is racism, which appears quite frequently throughout the novel. Another topic after analyzing the story from the sociological perspective would be that of who is Sonny trying to fit in with? It seems that he plays his cards differently and changes his persona with each person he encounters so he feels some kind of acceptance like he just wants to belong somewhere. Maybe he could be tired of always having to see his mother with new boyfriends and wants to settle in somewhere even if it means he is not fond of everyone and everything around him. There are multiple ways to look at this situation but Sonny never lets on to any true feelings about his mothers relationships any more than talking about how he knows they wont last long

            Out of all the people that Sonny encounters throughout the story, there are some that gave him some positive reinforcement in growing up. One of the characters that is somewhat taken for granted for what she does is Mrs. Zuniga. She is a sweet Mexican woman who owns Alley Cats with her husband. On a daily basis Sonny grabs dinner and plays multiple bowling frames to pass his time. She almost assumes a motherly role for Sonny since she always enjoyed talking to him and having him there, considering his mom was never really there in his life to give him that nurturing early on. Sonny always enjoyed eating there as well because he said “I ordered a large fries and a burger- Mrs. Zuniga put a pile of jalapeños on it, which I loved, and instead of mayonnaise, she put in her homemade Chile.(55)” He was always able to get his Mexican food which made him happy. Its clear that Sonny is very mature for his age and understands that his mom does not have the nurturing qualities for her role.

Although the Odds are very stacked against him, in certain ways Cloyd had a very positive influence on Sonny in the novel due to the fact that he was teaching him responsibility so he could become a man. Sonny stated that “One of the jobs that Cloyd had made mine was to make sure the laundry room was cleaned up. (27)” I think that Cloyd giving him these tasks turned him in to a harder worker so he wouldn’t mind getting his hands dirty in anything he did. At another point between when Sonny is painting the Los Flores sign on the side of the building he runs in to Cloyd and meets his friend Wilt when Cloyd says to Sonny “You shake his hand like a man…..Give it a good grip! (89)” Cloyd, despite all of the pushing away of Sonny even from the start still tries to push him to become more of a man to prepare him for his future. On the other hand Cloyd is not a very good role model through his actions and words. He is a racist and it begins to show especially towards the end when everyone is watching TV during the riots and he and Bud are commentating on it. While watching they were yelling “Take your baton and hit that nigger, then fuckin’ kick ‘em after that (215).” Overall though it seems like Cloyd taught him to be a man of his word and step up to the plate when times call for it, just like he does in the situation with Nica who became a big part of his life.

Another important positive figure in Sonny’s life was Nica who lived just above him at the apartments. For quite some time they would never actually get to meet her but when he would see her he would get all worked up. Sonny said that “I saw that Nica’s door was open upstairs. I could hear my heart beating, and it wasn’t red, but blue. (57)” This quote shows that he was very fixated on her from the beginning and wanted to make a good impression on her. Nica is a positive driving force in his life because she would be on his mind all the time. At many points he would just be in the room he sleeps in listening if he could hear her voice. Sonny was very hesitant to react with her in the beginning but once he was with her he would open up. At one of their hangouts he got really excited about getting food with her and exclaimed “Hey, I’m hungry right now…..What if I buy us a pizza right now? Are you hungry? Because I’m hungry. (95)” He was always so happy with her he would find a way to prolong his visit.

Along with the positive influences he had a very great share of negative ones as well. A very large contributor to this was his neighbor Cindy. From the first impression she came off as a huge flirt to him and knew she could get his attention. From that point on things just got outright crazy for Sonny as she would coerce him to come inside her apartment because she was lonely. Most of the time she was high or drunk and when walking inside her apartment Sonny would notice “She’d been smoking mota again, the smell strong in her place.(85)” Along with that she always kept it very warm in there which had her dressing a lot more exposed. As more visits went on with her they began to have sex which would make Sonny nervous and have him running for the door after, fearing her husband Tino would be home soon. At one point Mr. Josep gave Sonny a funny tip about his situation with Cindy and said “I say bad,” he said “and I mean good. Good for you being a man. (122)” showing that another fairly underrated character in the book has an impact on Sonny.

The other source of a bad influence came in the form of Pinkston. Pink was an albino African American who made his money selling cars illegally across the street. He seemed to take a liking to Sonny and would always make conversation with him after sneaking up and scaring him. He was negative on Sonny because he started by taking him out for a drive one day and picking up some malt liquor for the two of them. Later on after he had gained some trust in Sonny, it seemed clear that Pink was going to use the Bel Air that he couldn’t hustle back on to the streets to try to make a deal with Sonny. Pink left the deal wide open but simply said to Sonny that “all I need is you to listen for me is all. Be some wide-open ears. I’m speaking of your stepdad…..I got a question, you got an answer. We be partnered up, see? You inside knowing what’s going on is all. (139)” From that point on Sonny was given the keys to the Bel Air which he couldn’t even drive and caught up in a Vague agreement with a mere acquaintance which couldn’t bring much good to him.

Through all of these positive and negative influences came a shift in personality and attitude in Sonny. Towards the beginning he was somewhat quiet but at the same time very proud and courageous. As the book progresses he becomes more aggressive and have more initiative after some things going on around the complex. One of the very first signs of his change was his encounter outside the liquor store where he accidentally knocked a bottle of booze from a homeless mans arms and defended himself like a man when the bum came at him. He may have stood up for himself but after he beat the guy down he stole his wallet which changed the story greatly. The next very big occasion was when he took the money from Cloyd that he had his eyes on for quite some time. The events after the stealing of the money seemed to be filled with much more rage from Sonny since he had been on edge hoping not to get caught. He did stand up one more time to the strange man in the car always tailing him who he referred to as “the sickie.” Sonny was finally fed up with this creep following him and the twins around, so one day when the three of them noticed the car he came up with the idea and said “I picked up a rock. It was a big one, baseball size and heavier. It was a good rock…..I stepped out on the street and threw the rock as hard as I could at his face. It cracked against the windshield. (168)” this showed that Sonny was finally done being harassed by various people and was not afraid any longer.

From the Sociological Perspective and the environment of living in the fractured area of southern California it seems like it toughened Sonny up a bit. His everyday encounters with everyone in the neighborhood had direct results in his actions. Sonny was living a rough life living in a worn out part of town and not having much money which had him resort to stealing just as many others would do in his very same situation. He became much more assertive after spending some time living in that area and it appeared he was able to prove himself to be a man and be the hero at the end saving Nica.

Overall, in the battle of influences in Sonny’s it is evident that the positive side prevails through his actions. Despite all of the racism going on he maintained his poise. It was a bumpy road all the way to the bus stop when the riots picked up. He was able to make it out of that scuffle with the cops and get through the wild mobs of people only in second gear in the Bel Air. He was able to get Nica out of her house where she had been unhappy for so long and gave her all of his savings. With that she would be able to afford the bus ride home back to Mexico and then some. All things set aside, Sonny progressed in to a responsible and brave man by the end of the story and was able improve the life of another. He only had one regret which he stated as being “I could have told her I loved her better (250)” only to end with his newfound love of speaking French

Work Cited

Gilb, Dagoberto. “The Flowers.” New York: Grove Press. 2008

Feminist "Girl"

Girl, written by Jamaica Kincaid has a very powerful message behind it in the way that many girls have been raised by example. The poem is written in the shape of a list of things to do and how to do them right. The story could be analyzed through Feminist Criticism, due to the fact that the list that it reads off as directions on how to do the roles they are culturally expected to do to be a woman. Also, the poem brings in the wrong way to do it as well which results in the narrator speaking to the girl stating that she needs to “prevent yourself from looking like the slut you are so bent on becoming(Kincaid 2)” by doing the things in the manner in which she is told. No woman would ever want to be portrayed as a slut that no man would ever love. This just makes the story have a greater meaning behind it which has the reader questioning if not performing these things really make the person a slut.

            While reading through the poem it has many tell tale signs that Jamaica was making sure that the message of how women are raised to grow up is like a great big list of things they need to do to find a man to keep. Although this poem was written in 1978 it still has a great deal of relevance to the present day. Many of the things that are listed in the poem still hold true to some of the things that women are somewhat held accountable to perform on a daily basis. The ones that have the most noticeable duties are those about house keeping such as “this is how you sweep a whole house (Kincaid 2)” or “This is how you set a table for dinner (Kincaid 2).” Even to this day there are many stay at home mothers who perform a majority of these tasks. The most important factor that the poem reverts to towards the beginning, middle, and end however is about not becoming a slut. A slut in the context of this story is being a woman that a man will not want to be with due to the fact that she doesn’t exercise all of these rules and regulations that the narrator is speaking of. Although this story has a few things still relevant to the current years there are a few things that are from the past. One example that for the most part is beyond its time is mentioned at the very beginning of the poem where it states “Wash the white clothes…and put them on the stone heap (Kincaid 2).” Today most people are not even aware what the stone heap is that the narrator is speaking of. The last line of the poem also seems to add a bit of humor. The narrator states “don’t swat down to play marbles- you are not a boy, you know (Kincaid 2).” because it sounds just like one of those things a mother would tell her daughter about being more ladylike. Overall the story has a good portrayal of something analyzed from the feminist perspective due to the manner in which the narrator is speaking to a girl to act

Rough Draft

Chris Bennett

Stacey Knapp

English 1B

March 7, 2011

            In the novel “The Flowers” by Dagoberto Gilb there exists a great deal of controversy surrounding the life of Sonny, a Teenage Mexican American boy. It follows his life and how he is taken abruptly out of his familiar surroundings and moved in to his new step father Cloyd’s home. While at his new place he meets quite a few acquaintances with their own unique traits about them which impact Sonny in both positive and negative ways which begin to influence his later decisions.  Despite his young age he finds himself in many extreme situations and is just trying to live his life. Throughout the story it is clearly visible that the new lifestyle and environment around Sonny rubs off on him and begins his progression from a boy in to a man.

            Sonny was living with only his mother at the time he met Cloyd. He was already a bit of a young troublemaker and fancied breaking in to houses just out of curiosity. He insisted in the beginning that when he would that” I never took nothing, nothing much if I did, because I didn’t want to I was more watching how the people lived.” (1) From the start it’s already clearly visible that he doesn’t have much of a good role model and just runs around on the streets most of the time doing his own thing. Not too long after however he meets his soon to be step daddy only to be stripped right out of his familiar settings to a whole new place. Sonny and his mother Silvia moved in the apartment complex named “Los Flores” owned and operated by Cloyd himself. It was here when Sonny began to make some new friends which began to impact his life and decisions.

            Out of all the people that sonny encounters there are some that gave him some positive reinforcement in growing up. One of the characters that is somewhat taken for granted for what she does is Mrs. Zuniga. She is a sweet Mexican woman who owns Alley Cats with her husband. On a daily basis Sonny grabs dinner and plays multiple bowling frames to pass his time. She almost assumes a motherly role for Sonny since she always enjoyed talking to him and having him there, considering his mom was never really there in his life to give him that nurturing early on. Sonny always enjoyed eating there as well because he said “I ordered a large fries and a burger- Mrs. Zuniga put a pile of jalapeños on it, which I loved, and instead of mayonnaise, she put in her homemade Chile.” (55) He was always able to get his Mexican food which made him happy.

Although the Odds are very stacked against him, in certain ways Cloyd had a very positive influence on Sonny in the novel due to the fact that he was teaching him responsibility so he could become a man. Sonny stated that “One of the jobs that Cloyd had made mine was to make sure the laundry room was cleaned up.” (27) I think that Cloyd giving him these tasks turned him in to a harder worker so he wouldn’t mind getting his hands dirty in anything he did. At another point between when Sonny is painting the Los Flores sign on the side of the building he runs in to Cloyd and meets his friend Wilt when Cloyd says to Sonny “You shake his hand like a man…..Give it a good grip!” (89)

Another important positive figure in Sonny’s life was Nica who lived just above him at the apartments. For quite some time they would never actually get to meet her but when he would see her he would get all worked up. Sonny said that “I saw that Nica’s door was open upstairs. I could hear my heart beating, and it wasn’t red, but blue.” (57) This quote shows that he was very fixated on her from the beginning and wanted to make a good impression on her. Nica is a positive driving force in his life because she would be on his mind all the time. At many points he would just be in the room he sleeps in listening if he could hear her voice. Sonny was very hesitant to react with her in the beginning but once he was with her he would open up. At one of their hangouts he got really excited about getting food with her and exclaimed “Hey, I’m hungry right now…..What if I buy us a pizza right now? Are you hungry? Because I’m hungry.” (95)  He was always so happy with her he would find a way to prolong his visit.

Along with the positive influences he had a very great share of negative ones as well. A very large contributor to this was his neighbor Cindy. From the first impression she came off as a huge flirt to him and knew she could get his attention. From that point on things just got outright crazy for Sonny as she would coerce him to come inside her apartment because she was lonely. Most of the time she was high or drunk and when walking inside her apartment Sonny would notice “She’d been smoking mota again, the smell strong in her place.” (85) Along with that she always kept it very warm in there which had her dressing a lot more exposed. As more visits went on with her they began to have sex which would make Sonny nervous and have him running for the door after, fearing her husband Tino would be home soon. At one point Mr. Josep gave Sonny a funny tip about his situation with Cindy and said “I say bad,” he said “and I mean good. Good for you being a man.” (122) showing that another fairly underrated character in the book has an impact on Sonny.

The other source of a bad influence came in the form of Pinkston. Pink was an albino African American who made his money selling cars illegally across the street. He seemed to take a liking to Sonny and would always make conversation with him after sneaking up and scaring him. He was negative on Sonny because he started by taking him out for a drive one day and picking up some malt liquor for the two of them. Later on after he had gained some trust in Sonny, it seemed clear that Pink was going to use the Bel Air that he couldn’t hustle back on to the streets to try to make a deal with Sonny. Pink left the deal wide open but simply said to Sonny that “all I need is you to listen for me is all. Be some wide-open ears. I’m speaking of your stepdad…..I got a question, you got an answer. We be partnered up, see? You inside knowing what’s going on is all.” (139) From that point on Sonny was given the keys to the Bel Air which he couldn’t even drive and caught up in a Vague agreement with a mere acquaintance which couldn’t bring much good to him.

Through all of these positive and negative influences came a shift in personality and attitude in Sonny. Towards the beginning he was somewhat quiet but at the same time very proud and courageous. As the book progresses he becomes more aggressive and have more initiative after some things going on around the complex. One of the very first signs of his change was his encounter outside the liquor store where he accidentally knocked a bottle of booze from a homeless mans arms and defended himself like a man when the bum came at him. He may have stood up for himself but after he beat the guy down he stole his wallet which changed the story greatly. The next very big occasion was when he took the money from Cloyd that he had his eyes on for quite some time. The events after the stealing of the money seemed to be filled with much more rage from Sonny since he had been on edge hoping not to get caught. He did stand up one more time to the strange man in the car always tailing him who he referred to as “the sickie.” Sonny was finally fed up with this creep following him and the twins around, so one day when the three of them noticed the car he came up with the idea and said “I picked up a rock. It was a big one, baseball size and heavier. It was a good rock…..I stepped out on the street and threw the rock as hard as I could at his face. It cracked against the windshield.” (168) this showed that Sonny was finally done being harassed by various people and was not afraid any longer.

Overall, in the battle of influences in Sonny’s it is evident that the positive side prevails through his actions. Despite all of the racism going on he maintained his poise. It was a bumpy road all the way to the bus stop when the riots picked up. He was able to make it out of that scuffle with the cops and get through the wild mobs of people only in second gear in the Bel Air. He was able to get Nica out of her house where she had been unhappy for so long and gave her all of his savings. With that she would be able to afford the bus ride home back to Mexico and then some. All things set aside, Sonny progressed in to a responsible and brave man by the end of the story and was able improve the life of another. He only had one regret which he stated as being “I could have told her I loved her better” (250) only to end with his newfound love of speaking French

Work Cited

Gilb, Dagoberto. “The Flowers.” New York: Grove Press. 2008

Idea Paper

For my paper I really wanted to focus it on the progression of Sonny, and through using Sociological Criticism analyze what forces are changing him in to the man he becomes at the ending of the novel. There are so many occasions in the book that bring out a new side in Sonny allowing him to grow. Front the start of the novel it becomes evident that Sonny is somewhat of a lone wolf and likes to do his own thing. He doesn’t have a violent personality but he is adventurous and has no problem with taking a risk, as he likes to sneak in to random homes when no one is home and hang out. As the story progresses his familiar life to change drastically as he moves out of his old home.

The beginning the novel introduces Cloyd, Sonny’s soon to be step dad who he has no interest in getting to know. Not too long after meeting Cloyd, Sonny and his mother Silvia move in to the apartment complex that his new step dad owns. This first big change in his life has him detached from everything in his new surrounding that he hates to be at the house. As the story develops more he encounters so many new acquaintances which shape who he becomes later on in both a positive and negative nature. The most prominent people in the novel are the characters of Nica: the girl he dreams about living just a few doors away from him, Cindy: a substance abusing young woman seducing Sonny when she can, Pink: the albino afro American who is always selling some kind of car across the street, Mrs. Zuniga: the wife and chef at Alley Cats the local bowling alley and diner, and lastly Cloyd: his step father who he wants nothing to do with.

I feel like each of these characters all impacted his life and his personality in positive and negative ways. The one that I came to realize after reading through the story was that for the lack of nurturing from his mother Silvia, he receives from Mrs. Zuniga who feeds him and talks to him almost everyday. Some negative impacts on Sonny I think is the influence of Cindy and Pink who have him smoking, drinking, having sex, driving without a license, and trying to dig up dirt on his step dad for some kind of a preemptive strike. One source which I think Sonny doesn’t realize is Cloyd because he is teaching him to take responsibility in his own actions and learn how to be a man. But at the same time Cloyd is quite a racist and when he drinks his whiskey which is almost all the time he gets very aggressive which affects Sonny negatively when exposed to it. I think Nica is the supporting force that keeps him going and she is something for him to look forward to everyday as he always passes by her apartment listening and trying to hear her voice.

In my essay I will analyze Sonny's surroundings along with everyone that has these negative and positive attitude effects on him through use of quotes and passages from the novel

Seeing Green

In this weeks reading I noticed a few different traits in Sonny. His attitude was starting to change a bit and it seemed like instead of letting people bother him he was being smart with them back. One major part was he started doing his studying of his French textbook from the twins. Almost each page mentioned how he wanted to say something in French to get a reaction out of others, or to see if they would laugh. The root of his change I believe would have to be his theft of the money from the cabinet in Cloyd’s office. Once he had taken it and it was already too late to go back it set him in this mood where he was always on his toes and thinking about the consequences looming over his head which in turn had an impact on his attitude on those around him. One of the first encounters that stood out to me was when Bud was pulling up in to his parking spot and Sonny was on his way upstairs. This scene was right before Sonny took the envelope but it had been on his mind. Bud as usual tries to push Sonny’s buttons and says to him “Your dad around? (156)” which usually angers Sonny on the inside but this time he had a response of “Not in years,” I said. “Maybe he’s with your mama. (156)” This comment had Bud all flustered and he kept telling Sonny to tell him what he said. As time progressed after Sonny stole the money he treated another normal situation differently. This time was when on any normal day walking home with the twins, that creepy guy who follows them is back, but this time Sonny had an idea. He picked up a rock which he described as “baseball size and heavier. It was a good rock. (167)” Without the twins noticing that he had a rock in his hands he approached the curb which had the guy pull over towards him to get closer giving him his window of opportunity. From that point he said “I stepped out on the street and threw the rock as hard as I could at his face. It cracked against the windshield. (168)” These actions that were taken in this chapter surprised me just because up until this point Sonny would just let things slide and have a sort of “screw it” mentality. There was one last quote that I wish I could remember the page on but Sonny had mentioned at one point before making a decision about how rich he was feeling which determined his actions.

Little Brother

I think that Pink is going to have quite a lot to do with the end of the story due to what he just did for sonny towards the end of the reading section. Once sonny actually gets driving that car I think its going to finally get him what he wishes, a way for him to get out of Los Flores preferably with Nica. Back to Pink, it seems like he is beginning to really show interest in Sonny and wants him to get in to some fishy business. I was suspicious of Pink from the start when he would have all kinds of new cars on the block to sell. Also it seems a little odd that he would always try to sell out these new cars to the African Americans. The last encounter Sonny had with him was very strange, and he seemed like he wanted to know something really big about Cloyd. I know Sonny knows about the hidden money stash and that could play a big role in what pink is interested but it’s hard to think of what else. Most of the residents have been talking about the blacks moving in to their neighborhood and are just appalled at the thought. I have a feeling pink might play a part in the movement since it seems he has ties with them. Pink doesn’t seem like a normal run of the mill white guy either. He just doesn’t talk like Cloyd or Bud and when he spoke to Sonny about breaking a deal with him he said “We just be working this out.” He said. “I just need you to be working with me, little brother. You see. (138)” His tone and slang have really thrown me off when I imagine his appearance. The last thing he said to Sonny that really caught my eye and had me guessing at what he could mean was “all I need is you to listen for me is all. Be some wide-open ears. I’m speaking of your stepdad…What I want is that. I got a question, you got an answer. (139)” Something about him just doesn’t seem right and I feel like he might have a negative impact on Cloyd’s business at Los Flores by bringing in more of the blacks in to their neighborhood.

Character Description

Sonny's mother Sylvia has a few characteristics that appear quite often whenever Sonny has an encounter with her. She is described as a very pretty Hispanic woman who is always wearing a new dress of some kind and all dolled up like she was going out. It seems like as a mother she is not very responsible and acts as if she is trying to live her life as still a single woman without a child and not being very involved in Sonny's life. Sonny comes home late constantly and is out doing his own thing and it seems like it doesn't matter a whole lot to her. She is not very close with Sonny and its obvious by how their conversations are very limited in substance and duration with only a few words exchanged between the two at any time. Another point that comes up in the second section of reading is when she is making the salsita for Cloyd, leaving him the impression she made it from scratch and telling Sonny not to say a word about it to him. She does not appear extremely happy with their living conditions at Los Flores as well and seems to become very bored not having to work.

"I was out," I told her, surprised that she talked. i was feeling too much mota, and way strange. I wanted to go to that room where I slept. "I wish I were too," she said (Gilb 72)."

-          This shows how Sylvia becomes very bored of just being around the home all day since Cloyd insists she does not work

"There was a beer bottle next to her. That was crazy. My mom didn’t drink beer, I think especially because it was fattening (Gilb 72)."

-          This quote shoes how it was weird to see something that could make her fat by her considering she cares so much about her figure

"It seemed to me she was wearing another new dress, and she was smelling washed and bath-oiled and lotioned and misted, and the high heels were glossier and redder than her lipstick (Gilb 76)."

-          This quote shows how Sylvia would always try to look her best and go all out with her makeup, scent, and clothing.

"He doesn’t even know I buy este chile at the grocery store," she told me. "He thinks I make it. He even tells everybody I do (Gilb 76)."

-          This quote shows how Sylvia is trying to keep Cloyd impressed and make him happier by keeping the thought in his head that she is the one making the food.

"She reached into her purse and handed me a five. "Maybe just go get your self dinner tonight (Gilb 80)."

-          This quote reveals how much about Sonny life and routine she really knows, which can’t be much considering he usually gets dinner himself every night at the bowling alley diner.

“Yeah, she is one pretty Mexican gal,” he said. “I am one lucky man, all right (Gilb 89).”

-          From Cloyd’s perspective, he also believes she is a very pretty woman by her appearance and what she is capable of.