Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in My Beloved World, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Optimism, Determination, and Adversity
Family and Friendship
Education and Learning
Puerto Rican Identity and Culture
Morality, Justice, and Giving Back
Summary
Analysis
Sonia says that if she tries to emotionally understand how she and Nelson turned out so different, her thoughts turn to nightmares. Instead, she turns to reason and wonders why, when Nelson was set up for success, she succeeded instead. She suggests that part of it was “machismo,” which she didn’t experience. However, Nelson also made it clear that he lacked Sonia’s determination. Sonia says her determination comes from her desire to serve others and to be the best person she can be—and she learned by example. Abuelita was her best example and her protector throughout her childhood. Eventually, Sonia realized that her good fortune was a blessing she couldn’t squander—she had to give back.
For Sonia, it’s not enough to simply work hard, be competitive, and succeed. Her work and her success has always been motivated by her desire to better herself so she can help others. While she doesn’t say whether this motivated Nelson at all—it’s possible to argue that by the time he cleaned up and had children, it might have—but for Sonia, it’s been a constant presence throughout her life. She believes she owes it to the family who helped her get where she is today.
Themes
Sonia says that to her as a child, lawyers and judges were superheroes. They help people—and more than that, they help on a grand scale, unlike teachers or doctors who help individuals. Part of her understanding grew out of seeing the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and the southern judges who defied mobs. In 1968, Sonia sees her first lawyer: Robert F. Kennedy, who stops to campaign in the Bronx. When he’s killed soon after, it impresses upon young Sonia that being a lawyer is noble and necessary. She came to believe even more in this in Princeton, working with student groups and at the psychiatric hospital. She realized then that her community extends far beyond the Bronx. She always feels obligated to serve.
Even though Sonia also dedicates herself to making small changes (such as allowing children to call their parents employed in her chambers), Sonia nevertheless understands the importance of the bigger changes that shaped the US, such as the Civil Rights Movement. It takes both these smaller, individual actions and large scale legislation and court rulings to make the world a better place. And Sonia also begins to understand that if she really wants to give back, she needs to understand that her community is much larger than just her family and friends.
Themes
