Perform a detailed character analysis of one of the major characters in Random Family—Jessica, Cesar, Lourdes, or Coco. Parse the literary, journalistic, and ethnographic dimensions of LeBlanc’s depiction of your chosen character. What are the character’s individual traits, and how are their traits both a product of, and a reaction to, their social, racial, class, and gendered position?

Choose one characterand perform a character analysis based solely on the concept of gender. How do gender norms, mores, and expectations shape your chosen character’s identity and life path?

Choose one male character and one female characterand write a compare/contrast essay which focuses solely on the concept of gender. How does each character’s gender distinctly shape their identities, experiences, and opportunities? What relative advantages or disadvantages occur as a result of each character’s gender?