In Abuela Invents the Zero by Judith Ortiz Cofer, a common theme of respect can be seen. If you treat people without respect, you will also lose respect for yourself. An example of how Constancia treats her grandmother with disrespect comes from the text. The text says, “So since she’s only four feet eleven inches tall, she walks around in my mother’s big coat looking ridiculous. I try to walk far behind in public so that no one will think we’re together.” (Cofer 4) This shows that Constancia was so embarrassed to be seen by her grandmother just because of a jacket she was wearing. Her elderly grandmother just came from a different country. The least Constancia could do would be to welcome her grandmother to the new country instead of hide from being seen by her in public. …show more content…
Another piece of evidence that supports the theme states, “She is walking as slow as Captain Cousteau exploring the bottom of the sea, looking around, taking her sweet time.” (Cofer 12). This shows that Constancia is not thinking about anyone but herself. She doesn’t even have the patience to let her grandmother to enjoy the new country and scenery. She was calling her slow, without putting into her head that her grandmother is elderly, and just like she says, “Captain Cousteau exploring the bottom of the sea…” maybe her grandmother is exploring the new country, and wants to explore all the places they go to. The last piece of evidence that supports the the main idea states, “I realize to my horror that my grandmother is lost. She can’t find her way back to the pew. I am so embarrassed…” (Cofer 14). This shows that Constancia was so embarrassed of her elderly grandmother, that she couldn’t even help her find her way around the new