Summary Of Signs Preceding The End Of The World

Yuri Herrera, in Signs Preceding the End of the World, and Alex Rivera’s Sleep Dealer both promote the idea that crime may be necessary to get what we want by creating a story where the only way to success is through crime.
Both Herrera and Rivera use crime to show that it can be used to escape. For example, in Signs Preceding the End of the World, Makina’s family was involved with the illegal parts of their small town. To get away from this, Makina’s brother crossed the border illegally and began a new life. Herrera expressed, “‘I’m off to claim what’s ours,’” (p.29). Makina’s brother said this right before he left to go to America. He did this so he could get what they rightfully deserved. Additionally, in Sleep Dealer, Memo had a radio transmitter that could go onto different frequencies and hear what they were saying. This led him to find a station used by the American government. The government figured out someone was on their frequency and sent a drone to destroy the
In Signs Preceding the End of the World, after Makina finds her brother, Chucho finds her and takes her to get her new identification. Herrera wrote, “‘I’ve been skinned,’” (p. 106). Makina stated this when she was given a new name, numbers, papers, new trade, and a new house. She said this because it was almost as if she shed her shell that included everything from her past, including her mother.Moreover, in Sleep Dealer, Luz, Memo, and Rudy decide to get the government out of the river and out of Memo’s town. They do this by blowing up the dam and letting the water run freely through the river. This amplifies the thought of crime that is presented by both authors because, in the book and the movie, the characters needed to use crime to be free of their past, specifically in Herrera’s book, and their government, specifically in Rivera’s movie. Ultimately, as stated by both authors, crime is necessary to gain