"When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago is an autobiography that shows how Negi goes through many changes based on the challenges she endures moving into new areas where society is different. Whether Negi lives in Santurce, Macun, or Brooklyn, Santiago uses themes like identity, coming of age, and family throughout his memoir to show his growth through his everyday problems. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Throughout his memoir, identity has always been something Negi has always questioned. She often tried to understand how and where she fit into her world, because it is always changing, undefined or uncertain. She struggles to find her identity when parts of herself don't make sense. When Negi is young, she begins to question her father, Papi, about what a soul is, concluding that her soul is a part of her and she even notices his soul walking beside her or looking at her. During her school experiences, Negi must constantly navigate a social order that she struggles to understand and also struggles to fit in because it differs from the social structure she is accustomed to. The need to code-switch becomes even more apparent when Negi moves to Brooklyn and must navigate the tighter social fabric of a public school made up of distinct ethnic groups, where she struggles to make friends and find comfort. security. In the epilogue, readers learn that Negi is continuing his education at Harvard, while at first Negi mourns the loss of his Puerto Rican identity. This juxtaposition of major success with a sense of cultural loss shows that even though Negi ultimately experiences outward success, the challenge of creating her identity is something she will have to struggle with as she attempts to restore her childhood desire to be a “jíbara” with her. American educational achievements as adults. Another theme expressed throughout the book was coming of age. “When I Was Puerto Rican” follows Negi from ages 4 to 14. Meanwhile, Negi is held and expected by her mother to grow and mature much faster than her younger siblings. As a result, Negi becomes very aware of how she is developing mentally and emotionally. His family members seem to care little about his emotional development and instead focus on Negi's physical development from child to woman. Although Negi is interested in his changing body, she considers Mami's constant abstentions from sitting with closed legs to be reductive and unnecessary given the very intense emotional maturity Negi is going through. His physical coming of age is more of a public process than an internal one. Negi's true coming of age occurs in several events: first, when she realizes that she is strong enough to escape Mami's physical abuse, then when she is accepted into the Performing Arts High School in Manhattan, which achieves his goal of getting out of Brooklyn. These events are moments in Negi's life where she gains freedom and independence for the first time in her life, and can decide the course of her future, set her own goals, and then achieve them. Finally, Esmeralda Santiago uses family as a theme to develop her story. Negi's family, both nuclear and extended, is large, ever-changing, and sometimes fiercely loyal. However, a family is not always perfectly defined, especially during the time when Negi lives with various members of.