I Haven't Got Anywhere Else to Write This, and I Need to Copy and Paste It, So Here Goes

Life may never be looked back upon with complete and utter objectivity. There are too many things in the way: grief, guilt, general trifles, all of which seemed so senseless and trivial, now plague the haggard mind. With this idea in grasp, Richard Rodriguez fills his passage with a nostalgic tone, purposeful diction and a mysterious narrative structure.
Understandably, Rodriguez fills his passage with a nostalgic tone frequently used with any sort of family gathering in mind. The purpose of reminescence in his passage is to establish the trade-off between a family in itself and a family combined with the excess of wealth and, arguably, modern society. Mama Rodriguez in particular finds necesity in clinging to yet "Another Christmas" (Rodriguez, line 20) in which the spark of jubilant excitement lacks the luster of Rodriguez's youth. The idea that "...it was not quite...the Christmas one remembers having had once..." (Rodriguez, lines 33-35) furthers the initial wave of nostalgia. The almost remorseful tone of Rodriguez indicates his mother's sorrowful longing for the days when she told her children to expect riches.
Initially, Rodriguez's diction difinitively points to the sought-after wealth of his family and the ironic lack-luster existence it entails. From the ownership of "shiny mink jacket(s)" (Rodriguez, line 29), "expensive foreign cars" (Rodriguez, line 25) to the jobs of "business executives" and "lawyers" (Rodriguez, lines 2-3), it is easily comprehended that Rodriguez's mama's predictions hav come true. And yet, the happiness she wished for seems to have eluded her entire family and their style of living. The sadness expressed in his mother seems to be the effect of the realization of the hopelessness in her family's situation. Rodriguez specifially points to his new life as "paradise" (line 36), but one does not come to hte comclusion that he believes what he states.
Most interestingly, Rodriguez's intriguing narrative structure introduces a surprise: the depreciated father and his unexpectedly tenuous relations with his oldest son. Throughout the entire piece, all emphasis lies on the relationship between mama Rodriguez and her children, minimally mentioning his father. This lack of literary presence may cause one to wonder at Rodriguez's motives for even bothering to mention the man at all; his name makes only small appearances, when the grown daughters and sons shout at their "father"Rodriguez, line 28) or when mama Rodriguez askes Richard to bring "Daddy" (Rodriguez, line 39). As if papa Rodriguez lies amidst crumpled Christmas wrapping paper and worthless expensive trinkets, forgotten. This idea only grows more potent by the end of the passage, when Rodriguez realizes the absence of his father's involvement in the family, merely asking if his son is "going home now" (Rodriguez, line 46). The fascinating unimportance of his father furthers the idea of the less-than-perfect life the Rodriguez family gained. It is as if Rodriguez realizes the futility and emptiness of his family's circumstances.
With his nostalgic tone, purposeful diction and intriguing narrative structure, Rodriguez paints a portrait of his family life and the disillusionment it brings. The futility which engulfs the reader is but a reflection of Rodriguez's work of art, however, and one can only imagine the emotions which play in the midst of the author's mind.