Immigrant Tragedy in "The Cariboo Café": An indepth look at Helena Maria Viramontes' short story, "The Cariboo Cafe"

Helena Maria Viramontes grew up in Los Angeles where relatives used to stay and live with her family when making the transition from Mexico to the United States. This is where she got her first taste of the lives of immigrants in this country within the urban barrios. Viramontes's writing reflects this theme along with expressing her political opinions on the treatments of immigrants, especially Chicanos and Latinos. In her short story "The Cariboo Caf&…

…the confusion in the refugee woman's state of mind. Reality has become unintelligible for her and the words of the story often seem the same. Overall, the story takes a political stand against the treatment of immigrants in the United States. It displays the tragedies brought about within the urban barrios and the dangers that exist there. The reader clearly sees a more violent and sad image than is usually portrayed of life in America.