The Tortilla Curtain Essay
Chris Farley
English A
Wilson
October 30, 2010
TC Essay In the novel, The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle a couple experiences life in California and never know whats going to happen. They find out life as they thought it would be, really isn’t how they imagined. They go through some great hardships that will forever change their lives and change their thoughts on things. Candido and America went through the most hardest times in this novel, they are illegel immigrants, they have no money, and Candido turns into a criminal doing all he can to survive. They came to the United States in hope of fulfilling their dreams. When they got here they thought they would be able to make a life for themselves and be able to live happily. Their views on that really changed when they had no place to live and hardly any food to eat. Being illegal immigrants there was really not much that they could do about food, money, a real job, and a place to live and call their home. He had to allow America to go and try and get work from the labor exchange when she made a very clear point when she said “We have maybe a cup or rice left, half a twelve-ounce sack of dry beans, six corn tortillas, no eggs, and no milk”(28). At this point Candido lost some of his pride and his manhood and he had no idea what he could to do earn it back. There was no way that Candido could have got a decent job and earn the house that he had promised his wife America before they came here seeing as he was illegal. He had promised her a house that was described as “A clean white one made out of lumber that smelled like the mountains, with a gas range, a refrigerator, and maybe a little yard for a garden and a place for the chickens”(28-29). He had to allow America to go and try and get work from the labor exchange when she made a very clear point when she said “We have maybe a cup or rice left, half a twelve-ounce sack of dry beans, six corn tortillas, no eggs, and no milk”(28). With everything already
English A
Wilson
October 30, 2010
TC Essay In the novel, The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. Boyle a couple experiences life in California and never know whats going to happen. They find out life as they thought it would be, really isn’t how they imagined. They go through some great hardships that will forever change their lives and change their thoughts on things. Candido and America went through the most hardest times in this novel, they are illegel immigrants, they have no money, and Candido turns into a criminal doing all he can to survive. They came to the United States in hope of fulfilling their dreams. When they got here they thought they would be able to make a life for themselves and be able to live happily. Their views on that really changed when they had no place to live and hardly any food to eat. Being illegal immigrants there was really not much that they could do about food, money, a real job, and a place to live and call their home. He had to allow America to go and try and get work from the labor exchange when she made a very clear point when she said “We have maybe a cup or rice left, half a twelve-ounce sack of dry beans, six corn tortillas, no eggs, and no milk”(28). At this point Candido lost some of his pride and his manhood and he had no idea what he could to do earn it back. There was no way that Candido could have got a decent job and earn the house that he had promised his wife America before they came here seeing as he was illegal. He had promised her a house that was described as “A clean white one made out of lumber that smelled like the mountains, with a gas range, a refrigerator, and maybe a little yard for a garden and a place for the chickens”(28-29). He had to allow America to go and try and get work from the labor exchange when she made a very clear point when she said “We have maybe a cup or rice left, half a twelve-ounce sack of dry beans, six corn tortillas, no eggs, and no milk”(28). With everything already
Cited: Boyle, T. Coraghessan. The Tortilla Curtain. New York: Penguin Group, 1995. Print.