Chapter 3

Chapter 3 opens with the Márez family waking up and preparing to go to Mass. Antonio, still in his bed, listens to the familiar and comforting sounds of Sunday morning. This comfort is somewhat overshadowed by his knowledge of the events of the previous evening. He is worried about his father’s soul as well as Lupito’s and the other men who were on the bridge.

As the family is preparing to go to church Antonio wonders how his mother and father, who are so very different ever got together and married. His mother is a very devout Catholic while his father makes fun of priests and calls them women.” His mother will not break her fast until after she receives the Holy Communion while his father and Ultima, however drink coffee. Antonio muses that they are the only people he knows who will eat before receiving the Eucharist.

The family walks together to the church, where the men and women segregate themselves and do not mingle together. At the church Antonio goes around to the back, where the older boys play around, wrestle, curse and spit. We are introduced to the children with whom he will soon be attending school; Ernie, Horse, Bones, Samuel, The Vitamin Kid, Abel, Florence, and Lloyd. Even though Tony has never before spoken to these boys, he knows a lot about them from observing them at Mass.

The boys finally notice Antonio. Horse beckons Tony to him and Tony knows that Horse wants to wrestle him. Tony does not want to wrestle with Horse, since he is so much bigger than Antonio. But Antonio‘s father said “a man of the llano does not run from a fight.” Antonio ends up flipping Horse and thereby earning the respect of Horse and the other boys. The chapter ends with Antonio become one of the gang.

Discussion questions:
1. Is it significant that Antonio chooses this day to join the other boys?
2. Why do you think the men and women don't mingle before Mass?