Tortilla Curtain Racism

Within various piece of american literature racial borders and their impact on decisions made by characters and other plot point are very influential and prominent. The novel The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle tells the story of two “families” of two different social classes and race and the troubles and problems they face. The white family higher in the class system face problems regarding the wellbeing of their dogs and other petty material things. While the family of illegal mexican immigrants face hunger, elements of nature, and injustices from other people. Racial boundaries are created through denial that the borders exist, a lack of empathy for the oppressed, and making assumptions or using stereotypes.
To deny is to state that something
The obvious connection between both “problems” are not visible to the residents of the neighborhood, thus they are not able to learn that they are treating (contrary to their belief) these PEOPLE like animals! Probably the most iconic and influential piece of recent literature is Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird. The novel includes strong relevant themes of racism and racial discrimination in a small Alabama town. “Lula stopped, but she said, "You ain't got no business bringin' white chillun here—they got their church, we got our n. It is our church, ain't it, Miss Cal?"’ (Lee 52). This racial border, is very mental and a very subconscious border. There is an obvious separation from both groups of people in the small Maycomb, Alabama. There is a church for the black people in the community and a church for the white people in the community, alluding to a black part of town and a white part of town. Instead of denying the borders existence and acting like they are all equals, the “black” dynamic of the separation is very conscious of the border and committed to keeping it and the “peace”. The separation and lack of unity in
Growing a sense of superiority because they possess more “knowledge”, people create this awful lack of empathy and an inability to relate and sympathise. In Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle, the two male protagonists live two totally opposite lives in an area separated by wealth, status and race. Delaney, a man living the semi-affluent “american dream”,and Candido is a man homeless living in a canyon with his wife whose goal is to be able to provide for his family. Delaney begins sympathetic for the homeless immigrants and is opposed to the wall around the neighborhood and his beliefs are opposite of those of his racist neighbors. "For a long moment they stood there, examining each other, unwitting perpetrator and unwitting victim, and then the man let the useless bag drop from his fingers with a tinkle of broken glass" (Boyle, 8). The first interaction between Candido and Delaney is semi-morbid and dark, because Delaney hits candido with his car. Delaney tries to help candido and get him some medical assistance, and Candido refuses because of his status as an illegal immigrant. First, and initially Delaney is worried about the well being of his car, then almost immediately after leaving Candido with $20, wonders about his car insurance. Though Delaney is a half hearted diamond in the rough of the racists in his neighborhood, he stands up or