In Victor Martinez’s novel, ‘Parrot in the Oven’, we are told the story of Manny Hernandez, who has an abusive father and a crumbling family. Mr. Hernandez is angry about how his life turned out so he drank his problems away and came home drunk. He’d gamble a lot and really test the patience of his family. He was mad and drunk one night so he tried to chase his wife with a shotgun, ultimately getting arrested. One theme the story displays is that bad actions have consequences.

In the beginning, Martinez displays the frustration and fear from Manny’s family about his dad’s lack of responsibility and stability. In the text, it states: “Because he drank, and because of the milk she said drained into the gutter whenever he drank, Mom hated to see Dad go to Rico’s. She was always dragging me along with her to bring him home.” This line shows how Mrs. Hernandez hates watching her husband go drink, and it shows that she needs Manny to help get him home. Another detail that shows their fright is: “That’s when Mom began to sense Dad was angrier than he was letting on. She grabbed me by the shoulder and steered me out the door.” This quote shows that Mrs. Martinez was slightly fearful for Manny and wanted him out.

Later in the middle, Martinez focuses more on the consequences of the characters. In the text, it states: “”Here you go, Daddy, here.” Pedi gushed, handing him three copper-headed .22 bullets.” Since Pedi gave her dad the bullets, he was able to try and shoot Mrs. Hernandez. In the story, Manny’s dad ends up getting arrested for trying to shoot his wife. Martinez also tells us: “But Mom wasn’t listening. She seemed to still be hearing something in the air. Then her face became more alert and she turned to the officer leading Dad out the door. “Take him,” she said with a decided anger. “Go ahead, take him!””. This statement shows how Mrs. Hernandez wanted her husband to pay for his actions rather than let him get away with it. In the story, Magda, Manny’s sister, has consequences as well. On page 141 we are told: “Mom’s suspicions proved right. Magda was losing a baby. Mom figured it out by the stiff way Magda clutched her belly which you could see was swollen even under the loose dress.”. This passage shows Magda’s consequences for not doing the right thing. Lots of the characters have their consequences, but Mr. Hernandez is probably the one more at fault.

Manny and his family will always have to live with the mistakes of Mr. Hernandez. It could be said that Mr. Hernandez gambled to help his family, and that he drank because he was stressed. While this could be a good point, it fails to account for Mr. Hernandez’s attitude. He doesn’t show any love or compassion toward his family, which shows that he isn’t trying to get money for his family.

In the end, Martinez puts more emphasis on Manny and his mistakes, rather than Mr. Hernandez. He ended up joining a gang to try and earn respect, but he realized that’s not what he wanted for himself at all. “In that instant of trying to call out to Eddie, everything changed. It was like I’d finally seen my own face and recognized myself, recognized who I really should be. Then I didn’t feel like catching up to Eddie anymore.”. This quote from the book shows Manny’s regret for the decision he made, then he fixed it and left the gang. He realized he didn’t need to join a gang to be happy. He realized that his family is precious and that they are very important. On page 215 it says: “This room was what my mother spent so much energy cleaning and keeping together, and what my father spend so much time tearing apart. And it was wondrous, like a place I was meant to be.”. It shows the reader that Manny realized that he belonged there and figured out where he fit in: his family.

Overall, Parrot in the Oven teaches the characters and the reader that when you use poor judgement to make decisions, you can end up with consequences later in life that you may regret forever.