The "Tortilla Curtain" is a novel written by T.C. Boyle that was published in 1995. It tells the story of two couples, one Mexican and one American, whose lives intersect in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The Mexican couple, Candido and America, are illegal immigrants who are struggling to make ends meet in their new country. The American couple, Delaney and Kyra, are well-off liberals who are struggling to come to terms with their own feelings of guilt and entitlement.
Throughout the novel, Boyle uses the concept of the "tortilla curtain" to symbolize the divide between the two couples. The tortilla curtain serves as a metaphor for the barriers that exist between the two cultures, both physical and cultural. It also serves as a symbol of the power dynamics at play between the two couples, with the Americans holding all the power and the Mexicans struggling to survive.
One of the main themes of the novel is the idea of immigration and the difficulties that immigrants face when trying to assimilate into a new culture. Candido and America are constantly struggling to make ends meet and to fit in with their new surroundings. They are also faced with constant discrimination and prejudice from their American neighbors, who view them as inferior and unwanted. This theme is particularly relevant in today's political climate, as the topic of immigration and how to handle it remains a contentious issue.
Another theme of the novel is the idea of class and privilege. Delaney and Kyra are wealthy and well-educated, while Candido and America are poor and uneducated. This class difference is a major source of tension between the two couples, as Delaney and Kyra often feel superior to Candido and America and struggle to understand their struggles. At the same time, Delaney and Kyra also struggle with feelings of guilt and a desire to do something to help the less fortunate, which ultimately leads to a confrontation between the two couples.
In conclusion, "The Tortilla Curtain" is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that addresses important themes such as immigration, class, and privilege. Boyle's use of the tortilla curtain as a metaphor for the divide between the two couples is particularly effective in highlighting these themes and bringing them to the forefront of the reader's mind.
The Tortilla Curtain Study Guide
Ehrenreich experiences trying to survive on multiple low income jobs to understand what it is like to be in their shoes instead of being apart of the higher middle class. Cherrystone, on the other hand, uses his booming, distinctive voice to make trailers in Hollywood, thus literally making him the voice of Hollywood. Chapter three begins with a description of Arroyo Blanco Estates, where the Mossbacher family lives. While Delaney cannot really enjoy himself, worrying about the Thanksgiving dinner that they left cooking at home under the supervision of their Mexican maid, Kyra has a great time, as does her mother Kit, who is visiting for the holiday. Throughout the …show more content… At this point was when I believe the tone was set. Despite his unluckiness and his temper, Cándido remains determined and hardworking throughout the novel, and in its final moments he demonstrates his compassionate nature when he rescues a drowning Delaney from the flooded river. In his first encounter in the book, where he speaks to América and even gives her coffee, he acts very inappropriately and makes her very uncomfortable.
This shows that he wants to make his sons life as good as possible. It is clear that he is in very bad shape, groaning, barely able to stand and unable to focus his eyes. However, the phrasing of this advice is what is particularly interesting. As he goes through the motions of dropping off his recyclable materials, he is thinking about the Mexican and how terrible of a condition he left him in. Cándido is beside himself with worry, knowing nothing about delivering a baby, but América manages to get through it with the help of none other than Dame Edith, the Mossbachers' pet cat. Though brief, this passage illustrates one of the many ways that societal norms of politeness work to trap women into dangerous situations.
In this final section of part II, readers are introduced to the character of Señor Wilis, a mysterious man whom Cándido describes as a genius. He finds it cold and bland, with a highly intimidating atmosphere and highly judgmental customers. On the one night that he takes off, one of the cameras is tripped, and, to his surprise, the face of Cándido, the man he hit with his care, is what is captured. She thought it was going to be like she saw in movies, but what she lives is far from. . Cándido heads to the smaller of two local markets; he and América tend to buy their groceries here and he thinks this might be where she is waiting for him. José Navidad Described as having skin so pale that he could pass for an American if not for his dark brown eyes, Navidad always wears his cap backwards and is described by both the Mexican characters and the white characters as dirty and highly suspicious, accepted by neither race.
The Tortilla Curtain Part 1, Chapter 6 Summary & Analysis
Another interesting detail presented is the strict high-fiber diet that Kyra has her son Jordan follow. In his youth, the narrator callously casts away his roots and neglects the need for social progress for all of his people. Back in the canyon, Cándido is having trouble with his wife. Once again, this proves how it is much more difficult for Mexican immigrants to assimilate themselves into society than it is for American white men. He cannot understand them and mistakes their laughter at the situation for laughter at his expense, hurting him. Consequently, the coyote is used to symbolize the effect of immigrants in taking the position and wealth of the country. Cándido and América manage to save themselves, but Socorro drowns in a river.
Buy Study Guide Summary The novel opens with a description of the haunted thoughts of Not until after having these worries does Delaney get out of the car to look for the man that he hit. The community has a golf course, tennis courts, and a country club - in short, it is your typical middle-class American community. As the situations carry on throughout the novel, Delaney feels as if he is the only victim. The lifestyle of Candido and America is presented in a different perspective by the use of symbolisms such as the comparison of their lives of the coyote and the dog. The stereotypes that heavily engulfed the Rincóns throughout most, if not all, of the novel were mainly based off of a single factor—race. To his surprise, it is Jack Jr. He was building this wall thinking of how his father would have gone about building it.
Cándido Rincón Character Analysis in The Tortilla Curtain
The cashier tells them that they cannot do that, so the young men accept their turkey, wait for Cándido to pay for his items, and then give the turkey to him. Delaney finds his actions revolting, yet in the end his own actions are not much different, for he ends up destroying the tiny home the Rincón's built for themselves as well as all of their possessions. Apart from being immigrants, they are homeless and cannot afford to buy food at times. Delaney is an avid hiker and nature lover, so much so that he writes a column called "Pilgrim at Topanga Creek" for the nature magazine Wide Open Spaces, a column which discusses daily observations from a naturalist's point of view. .
The Tortilla Curtain Character Analysis Essay on The Tortilla Curtain
Like Delaney's scheduled daily routine, Arroyo Blanco is a highly regulated community that favors order and control above all else. The man and his friends had attacked him and stolen all of their money, having cut off the cuffs of his pants, and a deep despair and desire to die fill the exhausted América. Cándido feels energized by the beautiful location and he sets to work building a lean-to as a surprise for América. He takes advantage of her clingy nature and attraction to wealthy men, eventually cutting off his ankle bracelet and slipping it into Kit's purse before running away, probably to Mexico. The two men find it ridiculous, not knowing how to cook a turkey, and ask Cándido if he would like it instead.
Candelario Pérez Candelario is the unofficial leader of the labor exchange, the place where immigrants like América and Cándido go to find jobs with people willing to hire anybody as long as they work for cheap wages. The similarities between the two will continue, and it will be important to focus on peoples' attitudes towards the cunning coyotes. However, at precisely 7:32 AM Delaney is sure to note the time of the disturbance , a shriek of fear draws the frightened Mossbachers into the backyard, where they see a coyote running away with one of the dogs who turns out to be Sacheverell in its mouth and jumping over the six-foot chain link fence to escape. Although some stereotypes do not apply to Mexicans as a whole, the entirety of the Mexican society within the U. The characters in the novel, the tortilla curtain expose the hypocrisy of the American Dream for both the Rincons and Mossbachers. Jordan Mossbacher Jordan is Kyra's son and Delaney's stepson and has a major distaste for the diet his mother has him on.
