In Americo Paredes' novel "George Washington Gomez", the main character George Washington "Gualinto" Gomez is a young Mexican-American who grew up in Jonesville. -on-the-Grande, Texas. As the novel chronicles his journey to adulthood in early 1900s Texas, the historical context presents various trials and tribulations for Gualinto that shape his identity and perspective on life. Urged to become a “great man” by the idealism of his late father, Gualinto has difficulty following the noble path proposed to him. One character who does everything possible to make Gualinto realize this dream is his uncle Feliciano. Driven by Gumersindo's wish for Gualinto to become a great man, Feliciano enters the complicated world of politics and business with the intention of creating a financially stable atmosphere in which Gualinto would have the opportunity to realize this dream. Ironically, Feliciano ultimately disapproves of the man Gualinto becomes because Gualinto has no intention of helping his people and has a negative opinion of their resistance as a whole. However, without his financial support, his insistence on formal education, and his role as a father figure, Gualinto would not be the successful man he becomes by the end of the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay At a time when most Mexican-Americans were poor and working dead-end jobs, Feliciano was able to guarantee Gualinto's financial security. It was an important business for him as he "strived to earn as much money as possible by any means possible to make Gumersindo's dream come true, because he knew that dreams are more likely to come true if the we have money” (Paredes 155). Thus, Feliciano did not follow Lupe and the sediciosos to Mexico, but, mindful of his promises to Gumersindo, moved the family to Jonesville-on-the-Grande where he quickly transcended several socioeconomic ranks. He began as a bartender under the tutelage of Faustino Bello, but quickly entered the political arena, gathering votes for Judge Norris and the blues. Next, Feliciano successfully owns his own grocery store which produces the majority of his wealth. Although he is not wealthy at all, as the sole breadwinner, Feliciano is able to provide a home for his family with a "store-bought" front door and a swing that symbolizes their prosperity. Even after "La Chilla" hit Jonesville-on-the-Grande, Feliciano and his family were one of the few Mexican-American families able to weather the storm with minimal damage, due to Gumersindo had not used all the necessary means. family money in the bank. He does all of this in an effort to give Gualinto the ability to become a great man. Unlike other Mexican-American families, Gualinto does not need to work to support his family, although he chooses to do so for a short time during high school. As Gualinto grows up and sees his other friends drop out of school and start working, he continues to study and become a successful man. Others in history have not been so lucky. For example, Gualinto's sisters, Carmen and Maruca. As girls, Feliciano didn't care whether or not they finished school, and because they were women, he thought it was better for them to drop out anyway. Without Feliciano's support regarding their education, Carmen and Maruca eventually give up and become nothing more than someone's wife by the end of the novel. Ofthere we see that without Feliciano's hard work and financial success, Gualinto would not have had the time or ability to become a man of high esteem in the way that Gumersindo envisioned him. Feliciano's financial knowledge is another factor that gave Gualinto the opportunity to leverage the most important tool in becoming a great man: his education. Feliciano didn't know much about the parameters of becoming a great man, but he "earned as much money as he could, in jobs he enjoyed, but that sometimes made him doubt whether he was fit for purpose." good thing. All this for the education of his nephew” (Paredes 49). From elementary school, Gualinto had difficulty adjusting because Miss Cornelia constantly picked on him and embarrassed him in front of the whole class. Yet Gualinto persevered and even excelled, gaining recognition for things such as his ability to read fluently at such a young age. Next, Gualinto tackled middle school and prepared for high school. High school presented many challenges for Gualinto: Maria Elena Osuna was using him for her grades, La Chilla, and Maruca's pregnancy. Despite his declining academic performance, Gualinto also completed his studies. Unlike most of Gualinto's Mexican-American contemporaries, Gualinto managed not only to attend high school, but also college and law school. It was something of a privilege for Gualinto, because by the time he got to high school, he was one of five Mexicans left in the school system. Feliciano was the main, if not the only, reason Gualinto was able to achieve this. Without his ability to support his family and the college funds he had set aside long before the release of “La Chilla,” Gualinto would have long since abandoned his studies for financial reasons. Instead, Feliciano recognized the importance of education from the beginning of Gualinto's education and continually impressed upon him this. After ensuring that Gualinto was educated and financially sound, another contribution Feliciano made that allowed his nephew to become a great man was the father figure position he took in Gualinto's life. Feliciano never had a wife or children, so he invested in Gualinto as if he were his own son. However, Gualinto almost never appreciated what his uncle did for him. He was embarrassed that they weren't as wealthy as other families like the Osuna's and couldn't understand what Feliciano had gone through to get what they had. Despite Gualinto's attitude, Feliciano continued to be the father Gualinto will never know, including reminding Gualinto to never be ashamed of his Mexican roots. We see how Gualinto struggles to reconcile this with his position in the Anglo-Saxon world. On the one hand, he goes to a mixed school of Mexicans and whites and he tries to be friendly with them, but on the other hand, he still feels frustration towards the Rinchs like the rest of his people. This is evidenced by the scene in the banana plantation where Gualinto pretends that one of the trees is a rinche and says to him: “Why don't you kill me, huh? Because you shoot people in the back. Because you are killing unarmed men and little children. (68). Despite Gualinto's confusion, Feliciano did what he could to keep him down. Perhaps Feliciano's greatest act as a father figure in Gualinto's life was honoring Gumersindo's dying wish not to tell Gualinto how his father died. Keeping this promise was a huge responsibility for Feliciano that he didn't even agree with. This ultimately causes Gualinto to think negatively of his father, but "Gumersindo had given [Feliciano] a.