My Father Goes to Court by Carlos Bulosan

Exploring the text

1. How did the narrator describe his family in the story?

- The narrator described his family as happy and healthy. The kids learn how to
appreciate what is given to them. Though they were poor and often get hungry; the
children are strong, healthy and full of mischief, laughter and loves to cherish each
other’s company.

2. Compare and contrast the status of the children of the two families in the story.
- The children from the poor family are very mischievous and often laugh and they also
play outside under the sun. Even though they have not much to eat, still they are healthy
and strong. On the other hand, the rich man’s children doesn’t go outside and are thin and
pale even though they eat plenty of food.

3. What were the conflicts raised in the story?

- The conflicts were presented when the rich man filed a complaint against the poor
family. The rich man allegedly accused the poor family from stealing their spirit of
wealth and food. Literally speaking, the accusation as illogical but the poor family with
the father still arrived at the court.

4. Do you think that the narrator’s father really committed a crime in the story? Why?
- No, the father did not commit a crime. First of all, in real life is that there is no such law
stated that stealing a “spirit” of wealth or food is a crime. Also, the accusation of the rich
man is absurd or illogical to exist or to be real. Plus, why would the court accept this kind
of allegation in the first place?. (I’m just stating my exaggerating comments against a
narrative story and relating it to realityJ.)

5. How did the narrator’s father pay the crime in which his family was accused to?
- With the reasons presented by the rich man, the father wittingly asked the narrator for
his straw hat and a fistful of silver coins to his wife. Then, the father made a sound by
shaking the straw hat with the coins in it. When he was done, he asked the complainant if
he heard the spirit of money that the father just made. When the rich man said yes, then
the father said that he was already paid.

Reflective writing

Make a further research regarding the author’s background. Explain the relationship of
the story’s theme in the real life of the author.
- The theme of the story is about the status in life and how it can affect the personality of
oneself. The author’s family faced poverty and financial struggles due to American
colonization and was exploited by wealthy and political elites. With the difficult situation
he experienced and his status, he reflected from those times well and made it as the ink of
his pen upon writing himself on who he will be; then he became a successful novelist and
had written inspirational stories.