In the short story "Never Marry a Mexican," the author, Sandra Cisneros, creates several important factors which affect how the narrator views marriage and life. Different key events and certain people impact her perspectives of marriage. Each of these events and people have specific contributions which help develop her character.
At the beginning of the story, the narrator distinguishes her opinion on marriage right away. Her thoughts on men and marriage are very direct and she subtly hints that she had been through an emotionally disturbing experience with a man prior to telling the story. To build up to this experience, she starts by giving depressing flashbacks from her childhood and young adult years. The relationship between her mother and father was never at all strong or romantic. This could be a key factor for her opinion on marriage and also could explain why she begins to make part of her living in the form of prostitution. She seems very insecure in how she handles herself and doesn't feel she belongs to anyone after her father dies. "After Daddy died, it was like we didn't matter. Like Ma was so busy feeling sorry for herself, I don't know."(238) She also feels sorry for herself and selling her body to men may give her a feeling a power which temporarily relieves her sad thoughts. .
The most important event that impacts her perspective on marriage is her relationship with an older man named Drew. Drew tells Clemencia exactly what she wants to hear and makes her feel good about herself. Shortly after she mentions him you find out he does not love her at all. After they sleep together he leaves before daybreak while she is still asleep. After she figures this out, the tone of the story changes and the sentence structure varies. When she describes Drew, it is usually in very short sentences with a negative tone. Direct and right to the point. The reason behind all of this jealousy and hostility is because of Drews recent marriage to another woman.
