What does Antojo mean?
Antojo means a craving or strong desire, usually for a specific food.
What was Yolanda craving?
She was craving guavas.
Where did Yolanda take the owner’s son and his friends?
She took them to a guava grove.
As Yolanda and Jose start to leave the guava grove, what happens to the car?
The car gets a flat tire.
What was her reaction when the men surrounded her?
She panicked, felt afraid, and pretended not to speak Spanish.
Why was she scared of the men?
Because she feared they would harm her, influenced by stereotypes and being an outsider.
What was the flashback in the story?
Yolanda remembered eating guavas during her childhood in the Dominican Republic.
Why did she leave the US?
To reconnect with her Dominican roots and find a sense of belonging.
Who is the main character of Antojos?
Yolanda
What happens when Yolanda tries to find guavas?
She gets help from local boys but faces problems like a flat tire and fear of strangers.
Why do you think Yolanda felt so afraid of the two men, even though they ended up being kind?
Because she let fear and distance from her culture cloud her judgment.
How does Yolanda’s craving for guavas connect to her feelings about her identity and her past?
The craving symbolizes her desire to reconnect with her Dominican roots and childhood.
In what ways does Yolanda act like a foreigner in her own homeland?
She struggles with Spanish, feels fear toward locals, and doesn’t fully understand the culture.
What message do you think Julia Alvarez is sending by showing that Yolanda’s fear was unnecessary?
That fear often comes from misunderstanding, and connection requires trust.
How does the setting (countryside vs. city) affect Yolanda’s experience in the story?
The countryside feels wild and unfamiliar, making her realize how disconnected she is from her roots.
What does the guava symbolize for Yolanda?
It symbolizes her lost connection to her heritage and childhood.
How does Yolanda’s behavior show the effects of living in two cultures?
She is caught between two worlds—Dominican and American—and struggles to fully belong to either.
Why does Yolanda pretend not to speak Spanish when the men approach her?
Because she is afraid and thinks pretending to be foreign might protect her.
How is fear a barrier between Yolanda and the local people?
It stops her from trusting them and seeing them as kind and helpful.
What lesson does Yolanda learn by the end of the story?
That her fears were unnecessary and that kindness can be found when she lets go of prejudice.
How might Yolanda’s experience picking guavas relate to the idea of searching for personal identity?
Gathering guavas represents her attempt to gather pieces of her lost Dominican identity.
What role does memory play in Yolanda’s journey in the story?
Her memories motivate her craving and her search for a deeper connection to her homeland.
How does Alvarez use the setting to highlight Yolanda’s internal struggle?
The wild, unpredictable countryside mirrors Yolanda’s own confusion and fear.
Why do you think Yolanda’s relatives discouraged her from going out alone?
They worried about her safety and knew she might not understand local risks.
What does Yolanda’s story suggest about how people view danger in unfamiliar places?
It shows that unfamiliarity can create fear, even when the danger isn’t real.