Quote 58
Meme Ortiz moved into Cathy's house after her family moved away. His name isn't really Meme. His name is Juan. But when we asked him what his name was he said Meme, and that's what everybody calls him except his mother. (9.1)
Meme represents a younger generation of Latinos – the children of native Spanish speakers who, growing up in the United States, possess a sort of dual identity that's reflected in their bilingualism and their two names.
Quote 59
Meme has a dog with gray eyes, a sheepdog with two names, one in English and one in Spanish. (9.2)
Like his owner, Meme's dog has an English name and a Spanish name.
Quote 60
Louie's girl cousin is older than us. She lives with Louie's family because her own family is in Puerto Rico. (10.2)
Depictions of foreignness in literature are often associated with feelings of exile. Louie's cousin, whose family is in Puerto Rico, brings up the issue of exile for the first time in the novel.