From Chapter 6 of The Californians
Magdalena is a young girl who lived in San Francisco, CA and was of Spanish descent. She was a studios and curios girl with dreams of her own.
You adore fires, and you'd love to see one close to. Put a waterproof on
and a black shawl over your head. Then if anybody notices you, they'll
think you're a muchacha from Spanish town. As I am a boy, I can protect
you beautifully (Atherton, 312). Helena, Magdalena's fiend is pressuring Magdalena to go to see a fire.
She dragged the unresisting Magdalena into the room, arrayed her in a
waterproof, and pinned a black shawl tightly about the small brown face.
'There!' she said triumphantly, 'you look like a poor little greaser,
for all the world (Atherton, 312-313). Apparently, Mexicans who lived in California around the 1890s where called greasers. I am assuming that Helena is an American since her dad's name is Jack Belmont.
Her Spanish dignity was aghast, but her newborn creative instinct stung
her spirit into a sudden overpowering desire for dramatic incident.
'Yes, I'll go,' she whispered, closer to excitement than Helena had
ever, save once, seen her. 'I'll go'...(Atherton, 313). Magdalena was an adventures girl. She wanted to explore, to live life.
'I want a hack,' she said peremptorily to the man in charge. 'And double quick, too'(Atherton, 313).
Helena obviously came from a family with money. She is demanding a ride and that is how people with money then would act.
'We're going to the fire, and I wish the hack to wait for us', said Helena, as he signified that all was ready. 'I'll pay you now. How much is it?' 'Ten dollars,' he replied unblushingly.
Helena paid the money like a blood, Magdalena horrified at the extravagance. Her own allowance was only five dollars a month (Atherton, 313). In this seen I can tell that Magdalena does not come from a high-class family like her friend Helena, but she is not poor either. Magdalena is a middle-class.
I really enjoyed reading this story on the adventures of Magdalena and her friend Helena. I did not know that Mexicans in San Francisco were called greasers around the 1890s. This is a racist term. It is too bad that all people cannot see each other as that, just people. For people to judge each other on character not on features or color of skin.
Atherton, Gertrude, The Californians, pgs. 311-320.
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this story of two young adventurous girls growing up in early San Francisco. I guess you can say that they went "slumming", that's how I would describe their adventure. They were obviously more refined than the world that they visited. They, as you mentioned, asked for a "hack" in a firm and confident manner, like people of means would, even after being arrested, the prescient sergeant could tell that they were not regulars from that part of town.I think you did a good job or relaying this interesting tale of two young girls on an adventure.
Hi Laura, I also wonder why people always have to have a label for others instead of people just being people. When I read the story I also thought that they were from different classes because she was surprised of how easily she handed the money to the man since it would take her two months to have the same amount. Good job on the analysis!
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