In "Wish Fulfillment", Richard Rodriguez refers to Richard Hoggart's book The Uses of Literacy to explain his experience and difficulties as a student by comparing his story with that of Hoggart. Rodriguez presents Hoggart's personal experience to justify his behavior at home and at school. Rodriguez considers himself a “scholarship holder” because according to Hoggart, a “scholarship holder” is the student who is a good student but a bad son (518). At a young age, Rodriguez began to develop ideas and customs different from those his parents had taught him; Rodriguez's indifference toward Hispanic culture led him to physically and mentally alienate himself from his family members (515). Hoggart had no Mexican descendants but still alienated himself from his family, as he believed he had to get used to a school life that did not match his life as a son (518). Through Rodriguez's narration in “The Conquests of Desire,” he presents Hoggart as his personal teacher; Rodriguez feels a deep connection with Hoggart because they have both lived a life of strenuousness...