Always Running by Luis J Rodríguez

Going Where I'm Coming From

A multicultural anthology

By: Ansh Singh

Early Life:

Character Review of Rano -

            US citizens were not yet ready to accept immigrants into their land. When Rano's family crossed the border, they had a lot of problems to deal with. The family was stuck in the US due to a controversy between parents. Rano's father would rather die in Los Angeles than go back to Mexico, but Rano's mother disagreed. The parents weren't the only ones who had problems to deal with, Rano had to deal with staying alive.

        Rano was the older brother of Luis Rodriguez and he was often bullied. The bullying Rano went through was very violent, in some cases almost killing him. On page 49 it states, "Another time a neighbor's kid smashed a metal bucket over Rano's head, slicing the skin over his skull and creating a horrifying scene with blood everywhere."

        Rano would often get jumped and beaten by the white kids from his school. He would get picked on for knowing little English. No matter how many times Rano's mother tried, her words would never get across because of the language barrier between them. Rano would never achieve justice.

        Because of this Rano would take his rage out on his younger brother, quickly becoming violent and unpredictable. One time Rano threw Luis off the roof of their building. Another time, Rano put a rope around Luis' neck and choked him nearly to death. He was the type of kid to show no emotion, it was very clear that Rano was hurting on the inside.

        All of this suffering prompted Rano to make a change in his life. And miraculously, he took an entire 180. Rano begins to start fitting in. He becomes an athlete and starts doing great in school and music. Luis describes Rano as "the Mexican exception," since Rano starts to fit into a white American high school.

        Because of this sudden change, Rano no longer needed to use Luis to vent his anger. Rano no longer had a reason to talk to Luis. As they age, they slowly start to grow apart from each other and eventually stop being close.

        This was a pretty sad story, in my opinion. Rano goes through so much pain and suffering. But eventually, he pulls through and manages to start fitting in and stop the bullying. We see Rano in his lowest low and his highest high. 

    He is an interesting character in Always Running and he has a strong influence on Luis. Rano teaches Luis many things like music and boxing, but he also negatively influences Luis by beating him to vent anger.