Julianna Hebert
GEOG 310
Dr. Cordoba
01 December 2015
The Tortilla Curtain Questions
1) Does Delaney’s character change throughout the book? Why or why not? Substantiate your
answer with evidence from the book.
Like most characters in any novel, Delaney’s perspective evolves. At the beginning of
the novel, we see Delaney feel guilty for injuring Candido, but only after determining his car was
ok and considering his insurance. Delaney knows that he has to do something to take
responsibility for his actions. He offers to take Candido to get care, but he refuses. Delaney
offers him money instead--a measly twenty dollars. Throughout the novel, we see Delaney’s
tolerance towards Mexicans shrink to the point where he isn’t using logic to make accusations.
When the canyon catches on fire, Delaney assumes that Jose’ Navidad and his friend, who are
both immigrants, were the ones who started the fire simply because they were in close proximity
and his wife had an encounter with the men. Delaney loses himself a bit during his interaction
with the police and Jose. Delaney, a peaceful, nature-loving person, resorts to violence to prove
his dominance over the men. His growing intolerance stems from the guilt he feels for hitting
Candido. He blames Candido for his guilt and uses prejudice to make himself feel better about
it. Delaney presents himself as a peaceful man through the articles he writes about hiking and
nature; however, we see that he does not share the same sentiment with immigrants. At the end
of the book, Delaney seeks out Candido because he believes that he is the vandal despite the
evidence that proves Jack Jr. and his accomplice were the vandals. He attempts to apprehend
Candido to punish him, but comes up empty handed as he causes a collision. Delaney starts out
as a somewhat sympathetic man and turns into a man who is intolerant and irrational.
2) How do Candido and America earn money? Where do they go to find this work? Provide
detailed examples from the book.
Candido and America go to the Labor Exchange to find work. Because Candido is
injured, America takes the initiative to find work despite her husband's pleas not to. The Labor
Exchange is a notoriously dangerous place for women. The book describes incidences where
women have been raped in this area. America understands that she is at a disadvantage because
she is a woman. She does eventually find a job working for Jim Shirley polishing his Buddha
statues. Like many immigrants in her situation, she works longer than intended and is not
compensated for her extra work nor is she validated.
Once Candido is able to get back onto his feet, he heads down to the Labor Exchange to
find work. He finds work with a contractor who brings him to Delaney’s house to work on his
fence. The work is inconsistent and pays poorly. Kyra, Delaney’s wife, makes a few calls to
some of her friends to get the area cleaned up and free from Mexicans loafing around looking for
work. As a result, the Labor Exchange is closed and those searching for work migrate to the Post
Office to continue their search.
3) How do Candido and America live after they leave the canyon? Provide a detailed description.
After Candido and America leave the canyon, they follow the wall near the canyon to the
community it protects. America is going into labor is desperate for a place to deliver her baby.
Candido finds a shed with some supplies and he guides America to the small shelter. Once the
baby is delivered, Candido must find something more suitable for the family. America is weak
and they lost all their money in the fire. Candido resorts to cooking Delaney’s cat so that he and
America have food to eat. He builds a small shelter out of some supplies he scavenges around the
neighborhood.
4) What are the main strengths and weaknesses of the novel in portraying the Mexican
immigrant experience?
The Tortilla Curtain accurately depicts a typical experience for mexican immigrants.
Many of them come to America with little to no possessions and speaking very little English.
This is a huge disadvantage for them. Because of the language barrier, these immigrants have
difficulty assimilating into American culture. To Americans, this may seem as a reluctance to
assimilation and is not well-received. The portrayal of intolerance and prejudice against Mexican
immigrants is very accurate. Many Americans feel as though Mexicans are responsible for
problems within communities with large numbers of Mexican Immigrants, like Americans in San
Diego.
While The Tortilla Curtain does a sufficient explaining the Mexican immigrant
experience, this book does only shares the experience of one family. Rather than sharing the
experience of Delaney and his family, T.C. Boyle could have given readers a better sense of the
difficulties Mexican Immigrants face by implementing more Mexican immigrant characters.
Jose’ and his friend were supporting characters, but their only purpose within the story was to
create conflict.