The Tortilla Curtain
Jeanilda De La Cruz

The Tortilla Curtain The Tortilla Curtain is a novel, written by a US writer Thomas Coraghessan Boyle. The Novel has been written in the backdrop of tightening US restriction upon the immigration, especially for the immigrants from Mexico. The story deals with the main characters like Delaney Mosbacher, his wife Kyra Mossbacher, a Mexican Immigrant- Cándido Rincón, and his wife América. The story deals with the resentment that exists between the indigenous Americans living in the region Aroyo Blanco canyon, near Los-Angeles, California. It shows the stark contrast that exists in the between the Americans and those emigrating from the other nations. Americans spend a serene and contented life, whereas the Mexicans live a substandard and boring life. The motive of Cándido Rincón to bring his wife to the US was to make their US dream get realized. But the native people always cast a suspicious eye upon the intents of the immigrants. Though there are some miscreants living in every society, they make every other person subject to suspicion. In the novel, where the man with the backwards cap creates the problems for the other people, they make the other people find the same suspicious treatment for themselves. The plot of the story opens accident of Cándido Rincón, who is hit by the car of Delaney Mossbacher. Delaney Mossbacher is a middle-class, nature writer. Cándido is a Mexican, illegally living in the US. Candido gets badly injured. But, on being offered a nominal amount of twenty dollars, he is ready to reconcile with Delaney. The accident just puts a timely effect upon Delaney and he is soon able to resume his normal routine of life. His unshaken routine of life gets disturbed when a coyote comes rushing into their lawn and kills their pet. The act of coyote is linked with the Mexican immigrants living in Aroyo Blanco, who feed these coyotes. The issue is raised in the meeting of the town hall, but Delaney fails to solicit attention. Kyra cares more for her work than her domestic routine. The only thing she is concerned with at home is her beautiful mansion at home that faces valley. Jack Jardine is a family friend of Mossbachers. He is is the President of Aroyo Blanco Property Owners Association. Delaney and Kyra, in their frequent meetings with Jardine, share the problems faced by them due to the Mexican immigrants. Even during his car theft. He holds the Mexican immigrants responsible for the act. Cándido and América is a young Mexican couple living in Aroyo Blanco. They came from a little town Tapoztlan of Mexico. They came to America to earn their living. They came to America to get all their dreams come true. They had eloped after Cándido found his ex-wife, the elder sister of América, cheating on her. They both work together to meet their requirements of life. Their life takes a turn when a man with his cap turned backwards pounces upon América and rapes her. Although she never tells Cándido the whole story of her rape, and just tells him that she was robbed; he abstains her from working outside. Delaney and Kyra are perturbed by the stealing of the car. The imminent dangers posed by the immigrants are discussed by the stakeholders of Aroyo Blanco community. Their obsessions about the immigrants keep mounting. A decision to erect a wall around the community is suggested. Delaney expresses his tacit approval, as he will lose the sight of the valley forever. The labor exchange with the immigrants is stopped. The ultimate source of the income of these immigrants is throttled. Cándido and América find themselves in hot waters. Their bad condition gets further aggravated when the trees in the canyon catch fire. The conflagration engulfs everything they were left with. Delaney, Kyra, Jardine, and some others from the Aroyo community conjure together for a thanksgiving party and Jardine’s house. The news of the fire catches them with a great surprise. The accusation of this act also goes into the discredit of Mexicans. The two of the immigrants get arrested on the charges of setting the fire. The wall built for the protection gets damaged as a result of fire. Meanwhile, Cándido and América are surrounded with such miseries; América gives birth to a baby child. Cándido has to steal something, in order to provide his wife and newly born baby with the basic food. Cándido gets caught by Delaney, but finds, to his utter disgust, Jack Jr., the son of Jardine involved in the crime. During his outrage, Delaney reached the hut of Cándido’s family. He finds the problem-stricken family. All of them are swept away by a wave of the river. But, Delaney is rescued out of the water by Cándido. The story sheds light upon the two contrasting families of Candido Rincón and Delaney Mossbacher. The problems of both the families and the natures of their differences come to limelight through the main idea of the novel. The indigenous residents like Delaney, Jardine and Kyra are quite apprehensive and repulsive towards the immigrants from Mexico. Jardine uses quite offensive wording for the Mexican women. The criminal activities of Jack Jr. also cause the disgrace the Mexicans ultimately. The vigilance cameras reveal the delinquencies of Jack Jr. But, the response of Delaney is not as much aggressive as it is towards Rincóns when they were suspected to have tripped the camera and damaged the protective wall. Certain animate and inanimate characters have the special significance towards the themes of the story. The animate characters like Jack Jardine, Delaney, Kyra, Cándido and América represent the ideas of class difference. The man with the cap turned backwards and Jack Jr. are the representation of the troublemakers from the different races. The walls, as an inanimate character, show the difference that exists between Rincóns and the native inhabitants. Jardine is highly repulsive against the Mexicans. Delaney and Kyra are not less abhorrent towards Mexicans than Jardine. The fact can be made ascertained by the presumption of Delaney that their son, Jordan, would be as much menacing as Jack Jr. As the inclination of Jack Jardine towards racism has intensified when it passed on to next generation, their tendencies would do the same. The man with the cap turned backwards and Jack Jr. are the different manifestation of the same trend of misconduct. But the difference occurs due to their differences in their races. All the wrong acts are condoned by the Aroyo community, however, the misdeeds of the man with the cap turned back ultimately makes the whole immigrant community responsible for the act. The story is based on the double standards of the people represented in the different semblance. A severe hitting off a Mexican by a car of Delaney can be escaped just by paying twenty Dollars, whereas the killing of a pet by a coyote makes the whole community a subject of the hatred by the same person. The wrongdoings of Jack Jr. counted as a misconduct of the whole immigrant community. The transgressions of the man with the cap turned back are ultimately ascribed to the whole community. However, the ultimate awakening of Delaney about the wrongdoings of Jack Jr. does not move him an iota. The wall signifies the tendency to deprive the other community of their very basic needs of their living.