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As the centuries pass, people seem to have more courage to express themselves in unique and innovative ways through their own medium of representation. In modern poetry specifically, we see writers who are bending the rules of traditional form, presentation, and subject matter. A new era in our civilization calls for new poets who are not frightened to be different. Gary Soto, a Mexican-American, has the courage to express the struggle his people have had in the southwest through his mystical writing. His rich culture and literary skills paint a detailed account of his life, hopes, and dreams.
In the poem The Tale of Sunlight, Soto utilizes dramatic monologue, form, word choice, simile, personification, imagery, magical realism, and theme to bring to life a dramatic situation in this culturally-minded piece. The dramatic situation in this piece is very extraordinary. It is told through the voice of Manuel Zaragoza and is a dramatic monologue addressed to his nephew. Through Manuel's storytelling we learn that in his cantina he discovered a triangle of light that did not come from any other light source. As it moved around his cantina, whatever he placed in its path, the light would disintegrate the object. This unfortunately included his finger, now a pink stump.
In scanning the form of the poem, we can tell that it is free verse, and it is not separated into stanzas. The lines in the poem are short, the most words in one line being six. These elements add a dream-like feel to the poem. There are many action verbs, especially relative to the size of the poem, that really show us what happened during the situation. Stretched, flared, pulled, glowed, knocked, peeked, poured, watched, sizzled, and stood are just a few. It really helps because we can see the action.
Soto also uses simile to bring the scene to life. The lines A triangle of sunlight; Was stretched out; On the floor; Like a rug; Like a tired cat really let us know how the spot appears, and Soto personifies the light stretching as well. The normal sunlight around the one brilliant light is described as appearing soiled Like the bed sheet; Of a borracho (drunk). The triangle of light later on is described as hanging on the wall Like a portrait; Like a calendar. The way he uses two similes back to back twice in the poem adds to the dream-like feel of the poem. He uses more personification as the light crosses the floor and hangs on the wall.
The ants, who receive his dismembered finger as a gift, are personified when they know Manuel for what he gave. Soto's uses concrete imagery throughout his poem as well. The light itself, the borracho, the ants, the children peeking, the workers knocking, and Manuel himself as he shuffles the cards, pours a beer, taps the light with a broom, spits on the light, and ultimately gets his finger snapped off With a dry sneeze. Soto's main element in the piece, however, is his use of magical realism. His writing reminds me of another Hispanic writer Gabriel Marquez who utilized magical realism in his novels and short stories.
Magical realism is when imaginary scenes and fantastic events are depicted in a very real and matter-of-fact tone. This is primarily used by Latin-American writers. Soto through Manuel's very sincere account of an almost impossible occurrence captures this style. Keeping magical realism in mind, I think that the theme is one of hope and optimism through hard times. Although Manuel is missing one finger, he tells the story with awe and respect. We might not be able to decide if this event really happened or Manuel is making it up for his younger nephew.
That is not as important as the hopefulness that Manuel/ Soto feels in even the bleakest of times. Soto's use of figurative language, form, and magical realism bring his poem, what seems like a simple child-like poem at first glance, to be a representation of an important factor of his culture: Hope. I feel that the struggle of his race and culture has seasoned Soto as not just a wonderful Chicano writer, but a talented writer on a larger scale.
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