George Washington Gómez: A Mexicotexan Novel

There is a significant time jump between Parts IV and V, with many details of the intermittent period left out of the novel. How does skipping these years in Guálinto’s young adulthood alter the reader’s experience of his return to Jonesville?

The character of Don Santos de la Vega, known as “El Negro” at the beginning of the story, carries an especially unique experience, as he was born an illegitimate child to a creole father and a Black mother in Mexico. How does his struggle on the border differ from that of his former comrades Lupe and Feliciano? How is it similar?

From a young age and through his adulthood, Guálinto is plagued by dreams at night. What do these dreams reveal about his attitude towards his own choices? What do they reveal about his attitudes towards the people around him?

Near the end of Part 4, Feliciano finally reveals the secret of Gumersindo’s death to Guálinto, but he leaves out his own part in the sediciosos until Juan Rubio reveals it. Why does Feliciano choose to omit these details? How does Juan Rubio’s admission change Guálinto’s attitude towards his identity crisis and his uncle Lupe’s death?

Throughout the novel, Carmen is shown to be as intelligent as Guálinto while carrying a kindness he is never able to achieve. Even still, she remains in the background, often sacrificing her own advancement for the good of the family. Why does Carmen feel inclined to make these sacrifices? Are there better choices available to her, and how might making those choices alter the destiny of the Gómezes?

Discuss the minor character of Mercedes in Part 4, Chapter 9. What virtues and/or ideals does she symbolize that so intensely draw Guálinto to her? What does her embrace of him after his victory with Chucho signify in his character in that moment?

In Part 4, Chapter 12, it is revealed that Feliciano has believed he was a father of an illegitimate daughter for years and failed to be in her life, labeling him a hypocrite for attempting to push the duties of fatherhood on Buddy Goodnam. How does this alter the narrative of the accomplishments Feliciano lists back in Part 3, Chapter 11 when he remembered his mother’s death and the legacy of poverty within his family?

By Part 5, Carmen has become the new gravitational center of the family and forgiven María and Feliciano for their failures as parental figures. Meanwhile, Maruca is hinted to have married well but is hardly seen by any of them—so much so that Feliciano intends to keep her out of his will. In what ways do Feliciano and María deserve each daughter’s final judgment? Discuss some of the reasons Carmen and Maruca have for making such judgments.

At the end of the novel, Feliciano announces his intentions to leave half of his estate to Juan Rubio, the younger Tejano he once saved from Lupe in his sedicioso days. He refers to Juan Rubio as having been “like a son” to him for some time. What does this sentiment say about the evolution of Feliciano’s relationship with Guálinto? Outside of his work on the farm, what other reasons might Feliciano have for seeing the young man in such a light?