Chapter 7 — Privilegio: Summary and Key Themes

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

Chapter 7, “Privilegio,” is set in Irapuato, Mexico, in 2018, where Ana and her mother Gloria have lived for four years. They arrived after being dropped over the US–Mexico border rather than being flown back to El Salvador—a deportation mix-up that left them stranded in Mexico without papers. Gloria's cousin in Irapuato found her work as a maid for Nancy, a US-born English teacher, and the two have been living in a room in Nancy's home ever since.

Ana's Spanish has been changing. She has picked up Mexican vocabulary and is trying to “Mexicanize” her accent to blend in, having heard derogatory comments about outsiders taking jobs and bringing crime. Some Mexicans are kind, but not all, and Ana finds it easier to try on a new camouflage. Gloria keeps promising they will return to El Salvador once they save more money, but four years have passed and Ana wonders if they will ever go back.

Ana helps her mother with the housework. Nancy initially refused to pay Ana but agreed to give her an allowance for helping Gloria. Ana is not in school; Gloria teaches her with books Nancy brings home from the middle school where she teaches English. Ana spends all her time around adults and feels much older than her twelve years.

Through her work, Ana learns Nancy's habits and secrets intimately. Nancy likes her food scorching hot. She does not wipe her feet on the bath mat. She smokes cigarettes secretly while Roberto is at work and hides the carton in their wardrobe. Ana once caught Nancy kissing her Spanish teacher in the driveway, and Nancy gave Gloria a raise two days later. Nancy also keeps a hidden stack of cash beneath a floorboard.

Nancy tells Ana that she fought to keep Gloria and Ana in the home even though Roberto did not want a Salvadoreña maid. She explains the concept of privilege to Ana, asking if she knows what the word means. Ana nods, though she is not sure.

Ana reflects on her complicated feelings about Nancy. She wants to be like her—someone whose “not-of-hereness” evokes curiosity and kindness rather than suspicion. She also reflects on her mother, who is not the doting type. When Ana made her a Mother's Day card thanking her for sacrificing everything, Gloria reacted with confusion, asking if that is what she is supposed to do. She apologized later, saying she was tired.

Gloria gets sick suddenly—blood in a tissue one day, and then they are in a dark IMSS hospital. Nancy pays for one doctor visit but makes clear she cannot fund long-term treatment. The doctor says Gloria waited too long, that the illness is advanced, and asks whether the patrona will pay for chemo. Ana walks her mother down the hallway holding her oxygen tank, helps her onto a bus, and later curls next to her on their twin bed, listening to her labored breathing.

Ana considers taking Nancy's hidden money to pay for chemotherapy. But she decides against it, thinking that if Nancy discovered the theft, they would lose their home. Years later, Nancy catches Roberto with his mistress, throws her ring down the sink, and leaves Mexico overnight, abandoning the hidden money without even remembering it. Ana never knows this.

Key Events

Ana and Gloria have been in Irapuato for four years after being dropped over the border instead of returned to El Salvador
Ana's language shifts toward Mexican Spanish as she tries to blend in
Ana learns Nancy's secrets: her affair, her hidden cash, her secret smoking
Nancy explains the concept of privilege to Ana
Gloria becomes seriously ill and is diagnosed at an IMSS hospital with advanced illness
Nancy pays for one doctor visit but cannot fund long-term treatment
Ana considers stealing Nancy's hidden money for chemo but decides against it
Years later, Nancy discovers Roberto's affair and leaves Mexico abruptly, forgetting the money

Character Development

Ana: This chapter shows Ana's internal conflict between her desire to protect her mother and her fear of losing their precarious stability. She is observant, mature beyond her years, and deeply aware of the class dynamics around her. Her decision not to take the money reveals both her fear and her moral restraint.

Gloria: We see Gloria's exhaustion and quiet love. She is not demonstrative, but her sacrifices—giving up dancing, working as a maid, saving for a return that may never happen—speak to her devotion. Her illness introduces a new layer of vulnerability.

Nancy: Nancy is a complex figure—generous in some ways (paying for the doctor visit, giving Ana gifts) but also self-absorbed and oblivious to the power dynamics at play. Her abrupt departure reveals the fragility of her commitment to Ana and Gloria.

Roberto: Though mostly off-page, Roberto's initial opposition to hiring a Salvadoreña maid and his eventual affair shape the household's dynamics.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Privilege: The chapter's title and central concept. Nancy lectures Ana about Roberto's privilege while remaining blind to her own.

Camouflage and assimilation: Ana's attempt to Mexicanize her accent and blend in is a survival strategy, contrasted with Nancy's “not-of-hereness” that people smile at.

Hidden lives and secrets: Nancy's hidden money, secret smoking, and affair parallel the hidden lives of Ana and Gloria—undocumented, invisible, trying not to be noticed.

Mother-daughter sacrifice: Gloria's sacrifices for Ana and Ana's willingness to work and consider stealing for her mother create a cycle of devotion.

Illness and healthcare access: Gloria's advanced illness and the doctor's question about whether the patrona will pay highlight the brutal reality of healthcare for undocumented people.

Lost childhood: Ana watches rich kids play and feels “too old” for such freedom, having spent her childhood working.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens the novel's exploration of class, migration, and the bonds between mothers and daughters. It introduces a moral dilemma that tests Ana's character and reveals the limits of Nancy's generosity. The chapter also shows how privilege operates—Nancy's privilege allows her to leave Mexico on a whim, while Ana and Gloria remain trapped by their circumstances. The hidden money that Nancy forgets becomes a symbol of how the wealthy can abandon what they do not even notice they have, while the poor must calculate every risk.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Ana decide not to take Nancy's hidden money, and what does this decision reveal about her character?

Ana decides not to take the money because she fears that if Nancy discovers the theft, she and Gloria will lose their home and their only source of stability. The decision reveals Ana's pragmatism and her deep awareness of their precarious position. She understands that even a desperate act could destroy the fragile life they have built. It also shows her moral restraint—she is willing to consider theft for her mother's sake but ultimately cannot risk the consequences.

2. How does the chapter use the concept of “privilege” to contrast Nancy's position with Ana and Gloria's?

Nancy lectures Ana about Roberto's privilege while remaining blind to her own. Nancy's privilege is visible in her ability to leave Mexico overnight when her marriage fails, to forget about money she has hidden, and to be treated with curiosity and kindness rather than suspicion. Ana and Gloria, by contrast, must blend in, hide their status, and calculate every risk. The chapter shows that privilege is not just about wealth—it is about the freedom to make mistakes without consequences.

3. What does Ana's observation of Nancy's secrets reveal about the power dynamics in their relationship?

Ana knows Nancy's secrets—her affair, her hidden money, her secret smoking—but cannot use that knowledge because she is dependent on Nancy for housing and income. The secrets create an intimacy that is not reciprocal: Nancy confides in Ana as if she were an adult, but the power imbalance remains. Ana's knowledge gives her no real power, only a painful awareness of the gap between their lives.