The
Tortilla Curtain:
Chapter 1
1
Delaney Mossbacher, a wealthy white American, is driving a canyon road
when he hits a Mexican immigrant. The Mexican flips over the car, cuts his
face, hurts one part of his upper body and finally lands in the nearby shrub.
Neither Delaney nor the Mexican want the accident to be reported. Both men are
deeply shocked, Delaney due to his fear, the Mexican because of his injuries.
Mr. Mossbacher literally welcomes the immigrant’s requests for some money and
slips 20 dollars into his jacket.
2
Delaney quickly found out that the man was
Mexican because he had a typical moustache and he spoke Spanish. When the white
man suggested a doctor, he said he would refuse any treatment.
For Delaney, this reaction was crazy, so he
assumed that he must be illegal.
Chapter 2
3
America is Candido's wife, and she loves him
very much. When she discovers his injuries with disbelief she instantaneously
takes care of his wounds. She knows exactly that he won’t be able to work and
earn money for them anymore and as a brave girl she plans to work herself. But
Candido wants to forbid it suppressing the thought that there is no other way
out. He remembers the time when he rescued her from Tijuana, when he took her
away from her family and promised her a better life in The States.
Chapter 3
4
The Arroyo Blanco Estates is stationed high up
the canyon, nestled in a fan-shaped depression dug out of the side of the
western ridge by a stream. They are a private community comprising a golf
course, several tennis courts, a community center and 250 homes. All of these
houses are built in the Spanish Mission style painted in a shade of white with
orange roofs. They all have to look same for this is the odd about Arroyo
Blanco Estates.
5
Sacheverell, one of Delaney’s two dogs, was
playing in the garden while the family was in the house. They heard the
unbearable yelp of the dog, when they found him in the jaws of a coyote.
The coyote had jumped over the 6 feet fence,
grabbed Sacheverell, jumped back again and disappeared in the woods. Delaney’s
attempts to follow the coyote finally ended up with beating methodically into
the bush with a stick.
6
In the community center is a special session
dealing with the prolonged issue of a gated entrance. There had been several
robberies in the neighborhood and many of the community members are willing to
construct a gate. Some argue that there are already enough expenses; others say
that The Arroyo Blanco Estates suppose to be open for poor and rich and that
was the reason why they moved there.
Jack Jardine, the president, is frustrated for
the crime was committed in his area. He stubbornly tries to convince the other
members.
Chapter IV:
Reading for
detail:
a)
Labor
exchange is a place where either illegal immigrants or legal citizens gather,
hoping for some “gringo” to stop by. Few of the jobless will get some badly
paid work for a day.
b)
Candido
is worried because of several reasons. First, he knows that if América gets a
job, she won’t return before dawn. But otherwise, if she doesn’t – which he
would prefer – they don’t earn any money and have to starve.
Additionally, he is aware that there are a lot of pervert “gringos”, who could
be dangerous to her. Moreover, she hasn’t got any English knowledge to ask for
help or to inform her. (which bus to take to go to…)
c)
He
demands where she was, which indicates his worry. He suffered a lot that night
and morning while he was waiting for her.
But finally he knows that it is not right to be so aggressive because he is
aware that she is their only hope.
d)
She
has to arrive the labor exchange first in order to get a job first. She
secretively slips up from the blanket. She doesn’t want to wake up Candido for
he will be worried and cannot sleep if he notices her. But sleep is what he
needs most at his condition.
Chapter V:
1
The lack of streetlights in Arroyo Blanco is
the speciality of it, one of the attractions. Arroyo Blanco was constructed not
only to live in a high standard but also to have a rural feel, to have a sense
that you are separated from the city and wedded to the mountains.
2
At the meeting Delaney was so self-confident
that the gate was something totally wrong. He didn’t want to vote for a gate
because for him Arroyo Blanco ought to be a community where anybody can walk in
and out whenever he or she wanted. He is a fundamental liberalist and believed
in liberty for everybody.
However, when he first experiences this incident, the black car slowly passing,
he starts to consider about a gate. He feels suddenly unprotected. Delaney
chews over that a gate will save him from such bizarre happenings in future.
3
Kyra and Delaney have a lot in common, not only
temperamentally, but also in terms of their beliefs and ideals too. That is
what attracted them to each other. They are both perfectionists. Both jog, are
non-smokers and nutrition-conscious. Delaney writes his monthly column in a
nature magazine. Kyra works as a realtor.
But they have also some differences caused by their work. Delaney enjoys his
time imaging and fascinating about nature. He is a relaxed person, hardly in
serious stress, which is just the quality of Kyra. She is very calculating and
very attached to her job. Kyra represents the typical career woman.
Chapter VI
1
On his way up the hill Candido meets a strange-looking man. He is tall –
appears even taller due to the slope -, wears a baseball cap turned backwards
and has indescribably red and yellow eyes. Although the stranger speaks Mexican
and should be more trustful than a “gabacho” Candido’s first reaction is
suspicion. The stranger is paying special attention on Candido’s injuries.
He asks Candido if he is camping down by the river, which makes Candido very
much concerned. He doesn’t want anybody else to find América’s and his place
for there will be the rest of the labor exchange soon. Therefore he lies he is
leaving but obviously without much success.
2
América’s first job is a rather senseless one. She has to scrub a bunch
of Buddha statues. It is a hard job but she gives her best or even more than
that. She works even 2 hours more than the settled 6 hours. Her employer is an
overweight man who engaged her and Mary, a drunk American woman. He locked them
both into a room where all the Buddhas were standing. With frustration she has
to watch her coworker doing almost nothing. When her “patron” drives them both
back she discovers that Mary is paid the full 8 hours’ work, whereas she only
got her promised 25 $.
Chapter 7
- Jack’s opinion is that times
have changed. He believes that there are far too many immigrants – legal
ones already. He thinks that those legal ones are skilled, have money and
education. However, for him the Américans are “endangered” by the illegal
Mexicans who allegedly steal, rob or murder and terrorize the whole
society. When Delaney counters that Jack’s attitude is racist, he calls it
rather a matter of national sovereignty.
For Jack, getting the control of the borders is the only way to escape
from their “miserable” situation.
- Delaney shows his liberalism.
He knows that there aren’t any “Américans” but they all immigrated once
from somewhere else. Delaney doesn’t want to accept Jack’s racist points
of views to be true! And that for a good reason. He believes in freedom
for everybody to go wherever he or she wants to.
Jack continuously attempts to convince him by listing various statistics,
but which has no influence on Delaney at first.
- Jack wants to break Delaney’s
objective attitude towards immigrants. By referring to his accident, Jack
prompts his emotions. He also wants to indicate that the whole affair
should also concern him, in a private way. It’s not only “the other
people” whom they are talking about.
- When the three of them return
back to the parking lots in front of the supermarket, they witness a
rather little fight between a fat-faced trucker and a totally disfigured
Mexican. The Mexican finally gets thrown back to Delaney’s rear end of the
car.
Delaney and Jack approached the car and watch how the Mexican slowly
sneaks away. Delaney unfortunately identifies the man as his former “nightmare”,
and Jack seizes the opportunity and compares that incident with what he
talked about (control of the borders).
- Delaney tries to relax from all
the trouble and tension around him by hiking in the near woods. Thereby he
discovers garbage and dirt on the earth. He is very shaken and shocked,
and finally turns angry.
After a while he hears two voices which come closer and closer. They are
the voices of two Mexicans. When the men and Delaney meet, he is somehow
anxious. He heard a lot about various crimes in the woods. The situation
is greatly tightening. It is small talk, the Mexican indicating that he
supposes to hike with his friend too.
Even after Delaney decides to return and disengages from them, he feels
very uncomfortable.
- When Delaney returns and enters
the street where he parked his car he is frozen. His car disappeared. He
conceives that he must have parked it somewhere else, but he hadn’t.
He asks the Hispanic workers around but they don’t speak any English.
Desperately he calls the police and the towing service but they haven’t
got his car either. At last, he accepts the fact that his car was stolen.
Chapter 8
- América has a job. She knows
that this job is hard and badly paid but if they always save some her
money, they could afford a little apartment soon. She is considering this
while they are on their way “home”, after having bought some eggs and
meat. Food makes them feel hopeful.
- She is scrubbing the Buddha
statues when she realizes that she isn’t using any gloves. Those gloves
are very essential because she is polishing the figures with toxic
chemicals. They harm on her hands and also her whole respiratory system.
Although she keeps on working under these dangerous conditions in fear of
losing her job, she gives up later and calls her patron, who angrily
provides her with gloves.
- Her respiratory passages become
raw and abraded. There is a sharp-stinging sensation round the cuticles of
her nails and the skin of her hands appears pale and lifeless. The
chemical gas stings in her eyes causing them to water, and later on she
feels light-headed.
- As she feels tired and wasted
she decides to go back to their camp on her own. On the path through the
wood she meets the Latino with the cap turned backwards with and Indian
guy.
There is no conversation – she starts running back where she can cry for
help, however, she has no chance. They catch her, tear her only dress
apart and rape her brutally.
Part II
- Kyra is furious when she
notices the Afghan locked up in a car. She cannot believe
that somebody is capable of doing
such a thing. She searches everywhere for that criminal, asks in the restaurant
and finally she finds him at the car again. She rushes towards him and blame
him – rather than asking – why he locks up the dog in the heat. Kyra also
explains that there are laws that forbid that, and his dog could have been
taken away from him. The rather annoyed man swears and drives off. Delaney is
just speechless.
2.
When Kyra enters the Da Roses’
estate she finds a shopping cart. She is suspicious but walks on to the house
for her regular check. Then she realizes two Mexicans in the garden. She rushes
to them, ordering them to leave the private property instantly. However, she
feels very uncomfortable at the sight of one of the intruders, the man with the
baseball cap turned backwards, wary of her being in great danger.
She lies that her husband and she own that place and he and her brother are
inside. The man hesitates unbelievingly, but finally doesn’t want to take a
risk and replies that he has been hiking and got lost.
Chapter 2
- Cándido was working in potato
fields, sending his salary to his first wife Resurrección, who is the
older sister of his present wife América. He experienced a lot, from
working in Oregon to fleeing from La Migra and crossing eight lanes of
freeway. When he returned to Tijuana, he found Resurrección betraying him.
Eventually he found América whom he promised a better life in The States
and took her with him.
- He was illegally working in The
States when the Immigration control snatched him up. Cándido found himself
standing in a row of Mexicans, one by one checked by the police. Suddenly
he dashed off, eventually ending beside an eight-lane freeway. When La
Migra drew near he rushed across the lanes safely. Two youngsters who fled
with him died at that point.
- Cándido didn’t let América go
to the labour exchange anymore because of two aspects. First, she is
pregnant and she ought to avoid any unnecessary strains, which could
eventually be harmful to her or to the baby. Secondly, as Cándido was
certain that the men hadn’t only robbed her, he decided that it would be
too dangerous to go to work anymore.
- América was alone and she felt
deeply depressed. The incident with the Mexican (rape) still stuck deep in
her. Her body felt strange since then, and she was clueless. She desired
to see her mother, her aunts or her sisters, actually any woman whom she
knew.
- Cándido was fed up. Fed up with
the gringo world. He had lost his job, because the guy for whom he was a
short-term substitute returned from his illness.
Chapter 3
- Kyra explains to him that the
Mexicans near the shop are increasing and that made her call the Immigration
to check them. However, the last time she drove there the whole area was
deserted. She knows that Delaney is very sensitive in that case. As an
excuse she says that she isn’t proud of her acting and she had no other
choice.
- Dominick Flood appears to be a
wealthy man around sixty. He is dressed very casual at the “social
gathering”. There is a confusing device on his ankle, which Delaney cannot
identify at first.
It is a device from the L.A. County Monitoring Service. Instead of being
in jail he has this device strapped around his ankle in order to locate
him anywhere. The Council gave him 150-foot radius to move. Whenever he
exceeds that, the police will be informed and will arrest him.
- The true purpose of the
gathering was to discuss the construction of a wall around the Estates.
Delaney accidentally found that out by a joke.
- Jim Shirley supposed to be the one who
should influence the guest’s minds. He described different happenings,
robbers, all caused by Mexicans.
- Osbert, Delaney’s second dog,
had the same fate like Sacheverall. Even although the Mossbachers
increased the height of the fence from 6 to 8 feet, a coyote climbed up,
grabbed Osbert and flew with his prey.
Chapter 4
- When Cándido went to the labour
exchange he found it deserted. Candelario Perez, whom he met there, told
him that La Migra is going to make a sweep that morning and that the
labour exchange is closed.
That meant to him that he was lost. No work meant no life. He was
frustrated and angry not knowing what to do. He thought of getting a job
near the Canoga Park.
- She knows that they have to
move. When Cándido explains to her that he intends to go alone, she gets
furious. América cannot stand the filth, all the rubbish and the dirty
water around her anymore. She decides to stay not even one day.
América hopes to find an apartment, some place – and if it happens to be a
motel for only one night – where she could take a shower and sleep in a
bed. Her dreams of a happy living haven’t been shattered yet.
- Their trip is very hard.
América soon finds out that she has overestimated herself. She gets tired
very often and for she stayed at their camp for a long time she isn’t used
to walk longer periods.
Cándido knew that her situation would exacerbate if she came with him.
Still, he encourages her much. The closer they came to the city the more
often América is attracted of shops, especially a furniture shop where she
finds beds and couches.
Chapter 5
- Delaney writes about the
coyote, seen as a predator, who has ideally suited to its environment.
Whatever human being attempts to cease coyotes of taking pets or even
babies, they will assimilate. But do we have the right to banish them? We,
the Homo sapiens, invaded their territory, so why should we be surprised
if they invade ours? After Delaney lost his last dog Osbert, he perceived
that the coyotes are unstoppable. As a liberal naturalist he doesn’t abhor
them, for he is conscious that they are animals like any other, trying to
survive. The only chance for the human race to avoid any tragic
confrontations is to protect him. Keep children and pets inside the house
out of the coyote’s range.
Part 3
1. America is ready to deliver the baby. They are lying in a clump of bushes up the
rim of the canyon and Candido knows that he has to find another place. Eventually, America gets thirsty and desires
something to drink. He leaves, assuring
her to find help. Somehow he is relieved
to distance himself from this critical situation but still he is aware that he
can't go too far or he will lose her.
She decides to go only 200 feet away from her.
2. Usually, a midwife is a woman who helps to deliver babies. In this case, America chooses the little
Siamese cat as her midwife. She should
represent a psychological support.
Chapter 3
1.
A) The two Mexicans happened to be those who raped America. One of them is the guy with the baseball cap
turned backwards. They're forced to lie
underground for they were suspected to have commenced the fire. The two policemen were arresting them.
B) There are at least two reasons why Delaney feels a thrill of triumph
and hate. First, he recently had a
quarrel with Kyra, so he's depressive and feels misunderstood, finally angry at
the whole world. At this point, he's
able to put off his steam. The other
reason is that Jack gave him hard liquor to drink, which causes more intense
emotions, lust as well as aggression.
