Author, Sergio Troncoso in his short story, "Day of the Dead," illustrates the unequal treatment and views on
lower class Hispanic people in America. He supports his claims by writing about the death of Lupe, an
undocumented immigrant and uses the perspective of Michael Ochoa, a man part of a higher class family.
Troncoso's purpose is to bring awareness to the readers about the treatment of Hispanic people and teaches a little
bit about their culture while doing so. He adopts a serious tone for readers who do not know much about the
Hispanic experience. His short story is significant because it outlines the oppression of Hispanic people in America
and opens people's eyes to the world around them.
At the beginning of the story, Troncoso highlights the Hispanic experience by writing about the life of Lupe
Pérez. He wrote, "'What? ¡Ay Dios!' Lupe said weakly, still half-asleep, lying on a foam mattress in the living room
floor." This example shows the condition Lupe lived in and the problems she is faced with everyday. It shows what
little immigrants have and their struggles to survive. The things Lupe had to do for herself and her mother had lead
to her becoming weak and tired. The author is trying to give us an example of the difficulties immigrants go through
and the disadvantages they have in their lives. Lupe lived in poverty and had to put her life at risk because of their
low income, which is a similar situation to that of almost every other low class Hispanic.
In addition to Lupe's poverty, she struggles to live as an undocumented immigrant in the United States. She
must risk her life and cross the border to go to work, which eventually leads to her getting run over on the freeway.
Troncoso writes, "Her eyes were transfixed on the hole in the fence. She ran across the freeway. Her eyes were
dilated and shimmering in amber. She turned her head to find the truck in the distance again. Her eyes were wild.
She was dead." Lupe put herself through danger almost everyday to be able to afford only some of the necessities in
life. However, her luck eventually ran out which resulted in her death. She died when run over by a higher class man
while crossing the border to go to work, which gives us an idea of their desperate need for money. She leaves her
mother grieving and performing Hispanic traditions with the woman she worked for, Helen Rogers, beside her.
Troncoso shows us just one of the dangers immigrants face by illustrating how Lupe passed away and the
consequences faced after it. After Lupe's death, Troncoso gives us the perspective of Michael Ochoa. Michael Ochoa was accidentally
involved in the incident that resulted in Lupe passing away and was overwhelmed with guilt after realizing what he
had done. Troncoso states, "She would have said his life was at stake now. His accomplishments. His marriage. His
children. Why would he throw it all away because a poor Mexican woman had sprinted in front of his car on the
Border Freeway?" Michael thinks about his situation based on what his mother would do, which shows under what
perspectives he was raised to see. This example shows how lower class Hispanics are viewed by those of a higher
class. These views lead to unfair treatment because of the belief that they are inferior to higher class people.
According to Michael's mother, his life is more important than that of a "poor Mexican woman." This proves how
poor Hispanic people are almost dehumanized and are seen as unimportant. Clearly, Troncoso's short story shows us the struggles that Hispanic immigrants experience in America. He
acknowledges the poverty that most live in and the oppression they face almost every day. Many don't see the
reality of Hispanic immigrant life and don't know about the discrimination involved in it. We have thousands of illegal
immigrants in the U.S. who have worked as hard as they can to simply provide necessities for themselves or those
they love. Troncoso uses Lupe's story to represent the difficulties faced by almost all immigrants in the country and
their struggles to find acceptance.The short story shows that we need to realize what Hispanic people are actually
going though and do something to stop the discrimination of immigrants who work hard and risk their lives to
survive.