In her personal reflection on-and critical reading of-Ed Rivera´s literary work, the author searches out an aspect of the fragmented Latino psyche. Because "Latino rage" expresses itself indirectly, it is overlooked not only by mainstream America, but also by Latinos themselves. The first part of her essay, "Egolessness," shows how Ed's humility¿which his friends saw as his defining trait¿masked anger. The second part of the essay, "The Saintly J baro and the Madwoman in the Boh o," demonstrates that the character of the madwoman in Ed´s novel Family Installments (1982) represents the repressed and angry aspect of Latino identity. "In Hiding," the final section of the essay, analyzes how the protagonist of Ed's novel rages against the passivity and humility, bred into him, by projecting them onto his father, whom he then angrily rejects. The essay holds up Ed Rivera´s life and work as a kind of mirror for Latinos. Like his novel¿s protagonist, Ed only partially expressed his rage, which tended to haunt his life and work, preventing him from fulfilling his brilliant promise as a writer.
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The City University of New York (provided by DOAJ)
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