Gabi, a Girl in Pieces

Various aspects of identity are explored throughout the story. Gabi is light skinned, which makes her frequently feel she needs to defend her Mexican identity when people say racist things around her. She is raised in a home where her mother looks down upon Americanized behavior. Gabi struggles with wanting to attend college across the state and feeling guilty over leaving her family. Coming to terms with her decision to attend college—a decision she makes because she’s excited to attend, not because she wants to identify more as a White person—is a significant point in Gabi’s growth into adulthood. Gabi is not abandoning her family and culture, but instead sees college as what comes next in life after the rite of passage that is completing high school. When Gabi tells her mother “that I was moving out and that I would love her support, but either way I had to go” (279), she’s confirming her intention to follow her own path, even if it’s temporarily uncomfortable.

In order to be fully comfortable with herself, Gabi must accept all the pieces of who she is as a unique individual. A significant component of Gabi’s development as a writer is her connection with fellow Latina writers.