Rough draft the Flowers

Pedro Ulloa

Mrs. Knapp

English 1 b

March 7, 2011

Everybody has cream. 

            “Cash rules everything around me, C.R.E.A.M., get the money, dollar dollar bill yall!” (Wu Tang Clan). This statement has been true for centuries. Working is the key to bettering your life and bettering your future. That is what makes America so wonderful! It is the promise that there will be work here for those who choose to make the trip and it will yield a bright future. Work hard to get a good job, make a decent living, and live in a decent place with a fridge stocked with groceries, this is a common form of the American dream. However this is hard to attain, and that is the struggle that we all find ourselves in. In the book The Flowers by Dagoberto Gilb, the main characters have a different perspective on the value of work and money.

            Sonny likes to steal to get what he feels he deserves or to reward himself. In the book when he steals the dirty magazines from the couple in apartment #2, he does not feel remorse, even when he is caught by his mother. “I hated having to talk about the nudie magazines I was still embarrassed and ashamed. And to my mom. Maybe this was worse even than the money” (Gilb 220). He feels embarrassed that he has to talk about his touchy subject with his mom but he is not remorseful towards Gina at all. Also Sonny steals the money from Cloyd’s desk! That is a lot of money for a fifteen your old to have! It is one thing that he had to think about it a few times but eventually he did take it. His motive was that his step dad was a jerk, and he could care less if he stole from him, plus the money would mean that he could eat out of the house, and maybe buy something for one of the many girls that he likes, one can understand why he did what he did. Also teens have tendencies to steal just to get away with it, “Preteens and teens know they're not supposed to steal, but might steal for the thrill of it or because their friends do. Some might believe they can get away with it. As they're given more control over their lives, some teens steal as a way of rebelling” (Kidshealth). I think that this is very true for Sonny. Because he feels more adult he feels like he has the right to own some money and sense Cloyd won’t pay him, he takes what he feels he deserves.

            Silvia is a character whose idea of money plays a huge role in the book. She is a mother of 2, Latina women, who still likes to live like she is young; going out all the time, drinking on weekdays, shopping all day, etc. When one is young one has the benefit of being able to enjoy life, but as a parent, ones life becomes all about their children. Being a parent comes with a lot of responsibilities, one of them being finding shelter for you and your children. This need is so real, with out a home it is very hard to raise a family. But providing shelter is no easy deed; that means a full time job, which means less time that one is able to spend with ones children. This need to provide shelter is what fuels her to stay with Cloyd Longpre. One can understand that as a mom with a growing boy, staying home is the best job a mother can have because of the importance it plays. A good parent always wants to be as involved as possible in their childs life.  By having a relationship with Cloyd she can provide a house (even though Sonny hates it), food, and since she is not working she can spend more time with her child, if she so chooses. It is clear that Silvia is not in love with him when she says, “ I want to leave. I mean leave. Leave, Me entiendes?” (Gilb 220). If it weren’t for the lifestyle and the benefits, I do not think that Sylvia would be staying with Cloyd.  

            Cloyd views money like a hawk. A very cheap man he is the owner of the complex and he is all about his money. He put Sonny to work right after they moved and got settled in. He gave Sonny a list of chores and said he was going to pay for it and never did, and that was not because he didn’t have the money to give to him its because he is just to cheap to give him the money even though he recognizes his hard work. He speaks about doing anything to save money as well, like hiring illegal immigrants to do work for him. He also values money straight forward. In the novel he recognizes how special Mr. Pinkston is by noting, “He payed me in cash… even when he moved in, all of it in cash” (glib 54). Cash is money in its best form, because it is automatically effective and in your hands at your will; versus a check or a credit card that are electronic or ineffective until you visit the bank, that is way Cloyd thought it was so impressive.

            Money is the motive for a lot of people that are living in a lot of situations. Not many things talk louder than money, it can persuade people to do things that other wise one would not consider. Nothing makes a statement like a cold stack of bills. It helps one get there life together, it can buy one more time, it can mean an end to starvation, it could mean a new turn for the better, money in itself brings hope! When you have money you feel like you matter and you feel like you can do things. Since money is such a key thing many people are influenced by it differently, and its power to change lives should not be underestimated.