Nathan Lee
November 14, 2012
The Tortilla Curtain In T.C. Boyle's novel, "The Tortilla Curtain," the author makes an argument about the illegal immigration by using a image of coyote. The author discusses the symbolism as portrayed by the coyote as similar to that of the American attitude toward illegal immigrants in the United States. In this novel, Boyle tells an effective story of the illegal immigration in Southern California. While he tells the story of several characters throughout the novel, he best depicts the feelings of the characters symbolically by paralleling the story of the immigrants as comparable to the coyotes which continuously intrude into the yards of the residents in the community. Candido is one of the protagonists in the novel that is an illegal Mexican and is paralleled to the coyote. In addition, Boyle shows the meaning of the literal coyote to the real animal itself. This shows that coyote plays an important role in this novel as a symbol. In the beginning of the novel, Boyle uses the literal coyote to portray the real animal. Mossbachers' owns two dogs, Osbert and Sacheverell. One night a coyote jumps over and eats Sacheverell. Therefore Delaney's family build an even higher fence to keep out any unwanted animals like coyotes. However, a coyote jumps over again and eats the other one, Osbert. The homeowners association is trying to put up a gate to keep out "The Salvadorans, the Mexicans, the blacks, the gangbangers, and taggers and carjackers." (p.39) Boyle uses the coyote as a symbol of breaking in and taking whatever they wants. It can also be read to describe the situation with Mexican immigrants; like the coyotes, with whom they are associated throughout the novel, these immigrants jump over, crawl under, and generally evade the fences and other obstacles at the border. They sneak in to make money and to find food for