Howard Grimberg

Dr. Graham

ENGL 205H – Writing of the Self

18 November 2010

The role of language in Hunger of Memory

Within a family and in greater society, language is the primary means of communication.

Without language, society as a whole would not exist. Language allows for the exchange of ideas

and knowledge among people. In the United States, the quintessential example is the immigrant

family that speaks one language in public and another within the family. In Hunger of Memory

by Richard Rodriguez, the coexistence of languages plays a unique role in determining

Rodriguez’s identity. A major factor for Rodriguez is the replacement of Spanish with English as

his primary language. How does Rodriguez’s bilingualism alter his perception of both his family

and the American society at-large?

Rodriguez’s distaste for his bilingualism can be traced to the problem his immigrant

parents face. On one hand, his parents want to assimilate into American society; on the other,

they want to retain connected to their heritage. Richard is forced to choose between two

societies and two languages. Initially, Richard believed that “…in this world so big, I was

foreigner.”(17) The language barrier proved to be an obstacle for Rodriguez in his interaction

with the “Gringos”. During his youth, he speaks spoke Spanish and was “…cloistered by sounds,

timid and shy in public, too dependent on voices at home.”(17) Rodriguez draws a distinction

between so-called “public” and “private” worlds. His family and perhaps the immigrant

community are components of the “private” group, The only social group young children

identify with is their families and fosters an attachment to the family’s native tongue and
culture. However, his “…parents grew more publicly confident” (23), as he and the rest of the

family became more and more naturalized. When Rodriguez hears his parents subconsciously

switch from Spanish to English, he feels his “…throat twisted by unsounded grief”. (22) His

family is repressing their native culture and language in order to become more Americanized. An

indicator of his Americanization is the change from being called “Ricardo” to being called

“Richard” in the presence of both native language speakers and English speaking Americans.

The gradual disintegration of his native language within his family leads him further and further

from assimilation. He would rather stay within the immigrant community than interact with

“gringos”.

[ The moment Rodriguez enters school; his entire paradigm begins to shift. No longer

surrounded by his family, Rodriguez begins to adopt English as his primary language, giving

Rodriguez the sense that his family’s native language has no future even in the home. His

family’s insistence on using English in the home only further detaches him from his family’s

native tongue. The more he is exposed to English, the more he learns to like it. His family,

however, still retains their native language while Richard’s command of his family’s native

language begins to degenerate. Rodriguez believes that “…a diminished sense of private

individuality…makes possible the achievement of public individuality.”(26) To succeed in one

life, he must surrender the other. Language is the means by which Rodriguez detaches himself

from his “private” life. He dislikes the idea of bilingual schooling on the basis that it neglects

the benefits garnered from assimilation. Rodriguez’s love of English intensifies as begins to

understand nuances within people’s voices. (31) His understanding of intimacy changes as his

intimate moments become “…soft moments of sound.” (32). He finds comfort in the change

from noisy immigrant family to a quiet American family. In the end, Rodriguez realizes that
“…intimacy must pass.”(39). The only reason for retaining his native language begins to

disappear with age and, consequently, his view of himself as an immigrant.

In conclusion, Rodriguez’s view of himself is dramatically changed with the introduction

of another language. A second language grants him access to an entirely new world, a world that

later will weaken Rodriguez’s old memories of being an immigrant child. He comes to accept the

inevitability of assimilation and how he is powerless to stop it. When his family begins to speak

English at home, his entire “private” culture becomes subdued under the influence of the

“public” culture. The stark differences eventually disappear as Rodriguez accepts his fate. His

paradigm shifts to one of rejection of his old culture only to have it replaced by an entirely new

language and culture.