Graduation Year
2026
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Primary Major
Literary and Intercultural Studies
Thesis Advisor
Dan May, MA
Abstract
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez and Infinite Country by Patricia Engel are two novels that highlight the Latino search for identity and belonging in the United States. The characters in these books navigate adolescence and adulthood in the face of displacement, each illustrating how history, culture, and society interfere with the search for one’s self. They also highlight the multicultural experience of being shaped by different spaces that at times contradict one another. Furthermore, these books, written by women and with women at the center, bring forth a voice that often gets left out in male-dominated societies and historical accounts. Lastly, these projects show how literature offers a way to learn about oneself and others in a way that differs from regular history, allowing us to see the personal effects of our individual and collective past.