The Laughter of My Father by José Antonio Villarreal
"The Laughter of My Father" by José Antonio Villarreal is a reflective narrative that explores themes of childhood fear, family dynamics, and the intersection of the mundane and the mysterious. The story is narrated by Richard, who recounts a significant moment from his boyhood involving his father, Juan Manuel, and a peculiar Chilean man known as "el Brujo." Initially intimidated by el Brujo, who embodies a blend of eccentricity and mystique, Richard grapples with his religious upbringing and the implications of labeling someone as devilish.
As the narrative unfolds, Richard and his father embark on a day of work that reveals deeper insights into their lives, including the harsh realities of poverty and the unexpected humor found in their interactions. The father-son relationship is central to the story, marked by moments of both tension and laughter as they navigate their roles within the family and the broader community. Ultimately, "The Laughter of My Father" paints a vivid picture of cultural identity, familial bonds, and the complexities of human nature, encouraging readers to reflect on the nuances of relationships and the significance of shared experiences.
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The Laughter of My Father by José Antonio Villarreal
First published: 1992
Type of plot: Domestic realism
Time of work: The Great Depression of the 1930's
Locale: Santa Clara, California
Principal Characters:
Richard , the narrator, a Mexican AmericanJuan Manuel , his father, a MexicanCaliban , a reclusive Chilean known as el Brujo (the warlock)
The Story
Richard, the narrator, recalls something that happened during his boyhood, adding comments that come from an adult's perspective. His story is about what he learned one Sunday about his father and about a mysterious man from Chile. Initially, Richard was so afraid of this mysterious Chilean that when the man approached him and his friends, he and his buddies would run off in all directions.
Worried that this man, who was known as "el Brujo," might be the devil, he mentioned this fear to his parents one Saturday evening, after the man had frightened him and his friends. His parents only laughed, however. Richard was offended because his mother had told him about the devil and his cunning. Being devout Roman Catholics, all three knew the theological implications of Richard's charge. In trying to convince his parents that the Chilean was the devil, Richard used the religious teachings that his mother had given him as a basis for his reasoning. These led him to wonder aloud if God can control the devil. The heretical implications of this remark prompted his mother, and Richard himself, to stop the argument.
After the mother changed the subject by pointing out that the Chilean was, after all, rather odd, Richard's father, Juan Manuel, revealed that he knew more about him; he had even visited the strange man's house. El Brujo used cosmetics, such as pomades and perfumed lotions, and lived in a cluttered house with incense burning in every room. When the mother asked Juan Manuel why he never told her that he knew el Brujo, he replied with a look and a voice conveying the message of her "transgression," and asked her when he ever told her everything that he does. Never, she replied.
The next day, Richard discovered that the family's Sunday routine was to vary somewhat. On most Sundays, his hard-working father bathed, dressed, and went into town to the pool hall, hoping to find a Mexican with whom to discuss what he most loved: his native country. Although he was a desperately poor laborer, Richard's father received La Opinión by post. On that Sunday, however, Richard saw that his father was in his work clothes and wondered whether he and his father would do agricultural piecework. Ever mysterious, his father simply told him to eat and get ready.
Richard also remembers another mysterious job that he went on with his father—one involving what his father called an alembic, or, in plain English, a still. On that particular Sunday, their work involved searching for the leaves and fruit of cactus for the family to eat. Richard and his father looked for the food along the dry riverbed of Guadalupe Creek, where they found a man who had just died of hunger. Juan Manuel shut the dead man's eyes and guessed that he was an Okie who had arrived the night before. Richard went to the nearest house to call the sheriff.
Later, Juan Manuel searched among the smooth stones of the riverbed for a particular type of stone: "Oblong, but not flat. A bit thick, but not round." He and Richard found three, which he smoothed with sandpaper before they left. Richard wondered what all the business with the stones was about but said nothing, knowing that he would soon find out. They then went to el Brujo's house, where Richard's father told the Chilean that the three rocks were the most powerful "stone magnets" that he found after scouring miles of riverbeds and beaches. Impressed, el Brujo was eager to buy the magic stones. While his father and el Brujo haggled over a price, Richard noticed that el Brujo's house was cluttered with expensive furniture and grim religious artwork, including tapestries covering the windows. The house was pungent with incense, exactly as Juan Manuel had described it.
After Richard and Juan Manuel left, Richard became angry with his father for cheating el Brujo, but his father only laughed. With his usual self-confidence, Juan Manuel told Richard that the high price he charged for the stones was an honest trade. The seven and a half dollars he received would buy two sacks of flour, a sack of much-needed beans, some apple pie and ice cream, two gallons of gasoline, and a trip for Juan Manuel and his wife to the cinema. Not only did the family profit, so did el Brujo, who bought the stones in order to attract women. Having faith in the "attracting" stones, the lonely el Brujo would gain the confidence he needed to attract a woman. Juan Manuel argued that the stones would perform as advertised. Richard did not think el Brujo would attract a woman because he was so strange; however, Juan Manuel replied that women were also strange. That, Richard observes, is the mystery of el Brujo. The father and son laughed together.