Hunger of memory

The value of education is demonstrated in Rodriguez pursuit where he excelled in primary and secondary education leading him to win a scholarship. The book is also successful in explaining the importance of family in Rodriguez life even as he regrets how his academic pursuits have separated him from having a good relationship with his family (Rodriguez, 2010). A detailed analysis of Hunger of memory is essential to identify central issues in the book as a way of understanding the underlying message in the book. Discussion Family Rodriguez dedicates his writings to his parents. The intention is to honor them. To a large extent, the experiences of Rodriguez are defined by the experiences that he goes through in his family. The question of closeness to his family is one that Rodriguez addresses in multiple locations even as he realizes that distance has redefined how he relates to his family (Rodriguez, 2010).

In determining that he leaves a conventional social life, Rodriguez makes numerous comparisons with his family as he consistently looks for new ways to connect. The role of the family in his life is also evident due to the concern and the care that they continually offer him. In contrast, Rodriguez argues that his life is significantly different from his family. Due to his practice of reading, Rodriguez eventually becomes a writer as he collects thoughts and mimics the feeling of other prominent personalities. In effect, education prepares Rodriguez to be a writer. As a matter of fact, he achieves great success by graduating from Stanford and receiving offers to teach in prestigious universities. He also expresses his anxiety about the academic world explaining that her mother’s guilt that had been fueled by his reading culture (Rodriguez, 2010).

To a large extent, Rodriguez identifies as an ambitious person who has a negative perception of the life of scholar professors. Rodriguez considered to be an essential part of an individual's personality. Since he does not identify as an American Mexican, in the strongest form, he feels that people who focus on race cannot honestly see the identity of an individual. One of the instances of visual perception is when he is a professor, and a group of minority students asks him to teach in a class of ethnic literature (Rodriguez, 2010). Rodriguez laments that he was selected purely because of his race and not his knowledge of the subject matter. Rodriguez also argues that a focus on race has an effect of overshadowing the importance of class differences thereby having a negative impact on the experiences that people go through.

This is a sufficient demonstration of the role of religion in his upbringing (Rodriguez, 2010). The connection that Rodriguez has to the church is on the decline as he stops attending confessional sessions and begins to consult his friends when he feels that he requires advice. Rodriguez continues to integrate his Catholic views with intellectual readings on theology thereby becoming a free thinker. Effectively, Rodriguez juxtaposes the Catholic religion against the ideal free choice where he views his religious perceptions. In the book, he portrays himself as an individual who chooses what he wants to believe in. Rodriguez highlights the unique elements of education as he addresses the loneliness that scholars face. In spite of his achievements, he is insecure as he wonders whether anyone else will ever read his dissertation even as he ponders whether the cost of acquiring an education is equivalent to the isolation that he has faced.