Barrios, Gangs, and Enclaves: A Socioeconomic Reading of Luis Rodriguez's Always Running

Abstract

This paper will engage in a socioeconomic analysis of Luis Rodriguez's Always Running. The paper will identify the Lomas barrio as an immigrant enclave isolated from the Greater Los Angeles community. While an immigrant enclave typically serves as a transitional community for ethnic immigrants, the geographic, political, and social isolation of the economically-deprived barrio lead to exclusion of the resident Chicano population from the surrounding communities. As a result, Rodriguez and the other youth are thrown into the nihilistic gang lifestyle of La Vida Loca, a rebellious and militant response to the marginalization of the neighborhood. The paper concludes that while gang lifestyle is not the best option for the youth of the barrio, it is the only chance to earn the respect, identity, and sense of belonging that the barrio cannot provide.