family shaped his self-identity." In general, The Rain God uses a third person narrator who, through indirect discourse, is deeply sympathetic with and self-conscious of his connection to the main character, connecting the writer to the protagonist. In other works like La Mollie and the King of Tears, Islas uses a first-person narrator who speaks in dialect to reinforce the influence of personal experience on the work. In both cases, the impact of Islas' heritage on the form and style of his work is plain. While not an exact retelling of his life, Islas' depictions of the Angel family place him in the category of contemporary semi-autobiographical Chicano/a writers from working-class backgrounds who have transcended language barriers to include Chicano/as in the class of educated, published people. Literary themes Borders Many of Islas's works center on the conflict of borders. His work are frequently set in border towns, and explore the dynamic scenes, perceptions, and situations that occur when two cultures meet on the United States/Mexico border. As is common in Chicano literature, Islas critiques the stereotypes involved with the association of white and American with civilized as well as dark and Mexican with tribal and uncivilized. He discusses the rifts this causes in border town communities, especially in some of his earlier short stories, and continues to expand on the topic in his later novels such as The Rain God. Economic disparities are also observed, as Islas compares the Anglo elite with the impoverishment of the Mexicans. He further looks at borders and Chicano identity through an examination of language, making distinctions between Castilian Spanish, Mexican Spanish, and English. He identifies the advantages of bilingualism in the United States, the stereotypes associated with Mexican Spanish, and how the different forms of language contribute to the establishment of personal identity. Sexuality The exploration of sexuality is very prevalent in Islas's works as he looks at the topic in relation to the Chicano community. In "Poor Little Lamb" Islas looks at the role of machismo culture. He casts the protagonist as the non-macho son who defies the will and expectations of his very macho father by breaking through the stereotypes of masculinity in Chicano culture. The idea of sexual repression through culture is present in Islas's more well-known works as well. In The Rain God, the Ángel family lives in a highly structured, patriarchal community in which homosexuality is not viewed