Research Paper On Julia Alvarez

Billy Kilgore
Mrs. Kima Brown
Research paper
20 December 2016
Julia Alvarez
Julia Alvarez is a female writer that was born in the United States, but lived her childhood in the Dominican Republic. She later moved back to the United States and this blend of culture is shown through her writings. Alvarez uses her cultural experiences to create her characters and the conflict based on Dominican beliefs, practices, and culture.
Julia Alvarez uses her Dominican values and experiences to shape the arduous conflicts of the characters in her stories that she writes. The Critical Survey of Long Fiction says, ”Julia Alvarez was born Julia Altagracia Maria Teresa Alvarez in New York City in 1950, the second of four daughters, but her family returned to

Many of Julia Alvarez’s childhood memories of her family 's culture and fun times come out in stories that she writes. ”Miguel has to admit there is one totally fun thing about Tia Lola. She tells great stories. None of Tia Lola’s stories sound exactly true, but Miguel doesn’t care.”(17) Story-telling was an important part of her growing up, which inspired Alvarez to become a writer. “As the boys stand in the mudroom talking, Tia Lola walks by in her spiked heels and white turban, holding up a plate of smoking embers. She has already cleansed the basement and is on her way upstairs. She wants to cast out any bad spirits and magical ciguapas from the island.”(20) Many Dominicans have beliefs in a lot of different spirits and magical things in their culture. ”Tia Lola has prepared a special pizza with lots of cheese and black beans and salchichon, a tasty sausage that she has brought back from the island.”(24) Many people with a Dominican background have many memories of exotic foods that have been praised nationally. ”Some nights after supper, Tia lola gives Juanita and mami dance lessons. They move across the living room, stomping their feet and snapping their fingers, or shaking maracas and swaying their hips to the music of Fernandito Villalona and Juan Luis Guerra and Rafael Solano.”(28) The Dominican culture i very festive with many dances and parties with many types of