Breaking Through

The book Breaking Through is an autobiography written by Francisco Jimenez. In this story, the Jimenez, a family of migrant workers in California, had to face many difficulties. The protagonist and writer Panchito Jimenez had to work very hard to overcome all the barriers he and his family had. Some of the most important characters are Mama, Roberto and Panchito.
In the book Breaking Through,Panchito Jimenez showed his family and friends he was responsible, brave, respectful, and good student. For Panchito, his family was very important. He had to work really hard to support them. As a result of all the hard work, Panchito got sick. He had to stay home to rest and get better. “I kept thinking about school and work. I hated missing classes and falling behind. I was afraid to lose my jobeven though Trampita, Roberto and Mama had covered for me” (174). His family helped each other, but he knew he had to work to have a better life. Panchito was not only responsible, he was also brave. In consequences of some racial experiences, he was afraid to tell people he was Mexican. One of his classmates invited him to participate in Junior Scandals, an annual event sponsored by the juniorclass, and Panchito agreed to participate. When he was on the stage he started getting nervous. His brother Roberto raised his voice to give him courage. “Papa’s face flashed in my mind. I slowly released the microphone, took a deep breath, lilted my hat, and said ‘okay, I am ready’ “(155). All of his fears went away when he sang. He demonstrated how proud he was of his culture. Of all the greatqualities Francisco had, he also was a very respectful boy. His parents always taught him right from wrong. When Panchito was on junior high, he made a new friend that invited him to her house. She showed him her bedroom. “I felt uncomfortable being alone with her in the room. Papa and Mama would never allow this, I thought. It was disrespectful, especially to her parents” (56). Panchito knew it waswrong to be alone in the room with his friend, but he also did not want to be disrespectful with her. Kindly, Panchito said goodbye and told her he had to go. In spite of all the difficulties that Panchito had during his life, he never stopped being a good student. Panchito took advantage of every minute he had to study. “After his class, I decided to write down double digit multiplication tableson postcards and memorize them while I worked” (98). He used his time at work to learn more. He did the postcards, because he wanted to be as good as Mr. Coe. He fought against every obstacle to help his family and achieve his dreams. In this book, Francisco demonstrated he was able to break through every barrier with his responsible, brave, respectful and good student attitude.
Francisco’smother was a supportive wife, religious woman, generous mom, and positive person. The Jimenez family had really hard times. Panchito, Roberto, and their dad had to work exhaustively in the fields. They needed money to pay bills and support the family. Panchito knew that studying he could give better things to his family. Panchito talked to his dad about going to college. His did not say he could notgo, but he never said he could not go either. They started arguing, and Panchito felt really bad. His mom was always there when he felt sad. “I rested my head on the table and wept. Mama sat next to me and put her arm around my shoulders "(190). Mama always comforted her family. Joaquina Jimenez was also a religious woman. Every time she had a problem, she prayed. When Panchito's brother was reallysick, the doctors thought he was going to die, but she prayed for Torito to get better. “‘Remember when he was sick? The doctors thought he was going to die, but I never believed it. We prayed to the Santo Niño de Atocha for a whole year and...' 'He got well' I said"(177). She was very loyal to her beliefs. She felt better and stronger when she prayed. Another great quality mama had, was to be...