50 pages • 1 hour read
Sonia ManzanoThe Revolution of Evelyn Serrano
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2012A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Chapters 25-29Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 25 Summary: “Revelation”
Evelyn and her grandmother collect clothes donations for the Young Lords’ initiative, reflecting on the activism’s significance. Despite her mother’s detachment, she allows Evelyn to go to the church alone for the first time. At the church, they distribute clothes, and Evelyn discovers her mother’s unexpected donation. Later, her mother joins them at a movie screening organized by the Young Lords. The film’s themes of resistance and solidarity deeply resonate with Evelyn, who contemplates the intricacies of conflict and reconciliation across different cultures. At one point, Evelyn encounters a man who was paralyzed after being shot in a gang-related incident; the friend helping him is the same man who once shot him. Overwhelmed by her thoughts, Evelyn retreats home, pondering on the realization of a broader struggle for freedom.
Chapter 26 Summary: “Mami”
Evelyn wakes up late and finds her mother missing, so she rushes to the church. There, she encounters Wilfredo and the Young Lords with some suspicious individuals. A tense moment passes as the individuals make a donation, revealing a stolen TV from the Serrano family’s bodega. Seeing this, Evelyn vindicates Wilfredo, and her mother apologizes for accusing him. They decide to keep the TV and continue helping with the clothes drive downstairs. While sorting clothes, Evelyn, her mother, and her grandmother share light-hearted moments and laughter, enjoying each other‘s company.
Chapter 27 Summary: “Happy Holidays”
Evelyn‘s family gathers for a modest Christmas celebration despite financial strain. Her grandmother surprises the family with live music. On New Year’s Eve, Puerto Rican folkloric singers entertain the community at the church, discussing pre-Americanization holiday traditions. Evelyn’s mother surprises everyone at church by requesting a song about hot pasteles, and she brings in frozen ones for everyone to enjoy.
Chapter 28 Summary: “Hot Snow”
Angel is diagnosed with tuberculosis, and this news initially alarms his family, but Angel responds positively, finding comfort in his father’s newfound care and emotional expression. Evelyn’s mother returns photos of the Ponce Massacre to her grandmother before a political education class. Evelyn’s friends warn her that there is a good chance that arrests will be made on the following day if the Young Lords stay in the church. The next day, an altercation with the police begins when a bottle thrown from a rooftop injures Evelyn. Despite her granddaughter’s injury, Evelyn’s grandmother chooses to stay at the protest while Evelyn goes to the hospital with her mother. Evelyn feels deeply disappointed and wishes that her grandmother had accompanied them. Evelyn’s mother draws from her own childhood experiences to address her daughter’s disappointment, urging her to accept her grandmother’s choices.
Chapter 29 Summary: “Healing”
At the hospital, Evelyn’s stepfather quickly arrives, concerned for her well-being. Feeling hurt, Evelyn wishes her grandmother had come too. After Evelyn receives stitches for her wound, the family returns home to find empty streets after the arrests. Evelyn’s mother cares for her, providing comfort and insisting that she rest. Evelyn wakes up when Evelyn’s grandmother arrives excitedly, sharing news of the protest. Dismissing Evelyn’s injury, Abuela leaves Evelyn longing for more attention. Despite Evelyn’s conflicting feelings about her grandmother, she is drawn into the woman’s enthusiasm. After Abuela leaves hurriedly, Evelyn and her mother enjoy coffee together.
Chapters 25-29 Analysis
In the concluding chapters, Evelyn’s journey underscores the importance of Affirming One’s Cultural Identity amidst societal challenges. Her reflections on fighting and activism reveal her growing awareness of the larger societal struggles and her role within them, leading to a newfound understanding of her place in the world. Her encounter with a man paralyzed in a gang-related shooting challenges her to confront the harsh realities of conflict and reconciliation within her community. Despite their past conflicts, both the paralyzed man and his former aggressor now find common ground and support each other in their shared struggle against oppression. This encounter symbolizes Evelyn’s ongoing struggle with reconciliation, highlighting the complexities of navigating identity and history. Through this experience, Evelyn gains a deeper understanding of societal struggles and her role within them. As she reflects on fighting and activism, she experiences a revelation, realizing her potential for advocacy and change. As she reflects,
There were many kinds of fights. […] Little fights that happened in one neighborhood, and great big fat ones out there in the wider world. […] [K]nowing there was a bigger fight out there to deal with didn’t make me feel bad—it made me feel free (179-80).
This revelation marks a pivotal moment in Evelyn’s journey as she embraces her place in the world amidst the challenges of reconciliation and activism.
Furthermore, this section of the narrative emphasizes The Importance of Critically Examining History, particularly in the context of familial legacies and societal struggles. This dynamic underscores the need to confront uncomfortable truths as Evelyn grapples with her family’s troubled past, particularly her embarrassment and worry regarding her grandfather’s participation in the Ponce Massacre. Following Evelyn’s injury at the final protest, her grandmother’s decision to stay instead of accompanying her to the hospital deepens Evelyn’s sense of disappointment and longing for support, and her experience echoes her mother’s disappointment in Abuela when she herself was a child. Thus, the incident deepens Evelyn’s understanding of her mother’s unresolved issues, and Evelyn’s mother’s subsequent conversation with her about expectations and acceptance serves as a pivotal moment of reflection and growth for both mother and daughter. Through this dialogue, Evelyn’s mother imparts a valuable lesson about embracing family members for who they are rather than expecting them to conform to personal desires or ideals.
Reconciling with history expands beyond personal narratives, extending to a global scale. The movie screened during the Young Lords’ takeover exemplifies this concept. The struggles depicted in “The Battle of Algiers” resonate deeply with the Puerto Rican community, highlighting the universality of the fight for freedom and self-determination. Likewise, the connection brought by The Power of Community Activism underscores the interconnectedness of historical struggles for liberation across continents. The film serves as a powerful prompt for characters to critically examine past struggles in order to understand their present issues. Through this process of historical examination, characters like Evelyn gain a deeper understanding of their own identities and the forces that have shaped their community. Ultimately, the novel emphasizes that confronting the complexities of history, both personal and collective, is a path to healing and a necessary step toward building a more just future.
