"A Celebration of Grandfathers" is a memoir account by Rudolfo Anaya, honoring the lessons he learned from his own grandfather. Anaya, demonstrating his knowledge of writing style, illustrates a grandfather who is simplistic, wise, and understanding. We read of life's morals through his grandfather's statements, devoid of all but the truth. Through dialogue and point of view, we use Anaya's literary brilliance to guide us on the memories of his grandfather.
His grandfather may have been a farmer, but Anaya demonstrates his exceptional ability as a writer by giving us a vivid image of both himself and his grandfather on a cart. "Then I, too, became a king as I rode next to the old man who smelled of earth and sweat and other deep aromas from the orchards and the fields"(458). Anaya writes of the connection that his grandfather has to the earth. Dialogue plays a key role in Anaya's writing, as he is able to alter our perception with words alone. Moreover, Anaya has the ability to change the entire pace of the story as seen by his grandfather saying, "know where you stand"(458). The shortened statement lacks all extraneous words and is directly to the point. Indeed, Anaya could entertain readers just through dialogue alone.
Equally important to the awe-inspiring dialogue of this work is Anaya's point of view that is presented in this story. The caliber of his view is amazing. "If we don't take the time to watch and feel the years of our transformation, then a part of our humanity will be lost"(458). Analyzing his grandfather's death, Anaya removes his thoughts from his emotions and is able to provide insight to his own mental state. "These are the things I remember, these fleeting images-(461). His nostalgic tone and wish give us an insight of how Anaya reacted to his loss and how he uses hindsight to benefit us with the added knowledge.
"A Celebration of Grandfathers" outlines the morals, benefits, and complete joy that life brings.
