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Delany's Pilgrim At Topanga Creek

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Delany's Pilgrim At Topanga Creek
In Delany’s article "Pilgrim at Topanga Creek”, Boyle makes a social commentary about possible causes and solutions for the immigration problem through further development of coyotes as a symbol for immigrants. This is my favorite example because it ties so many different aspects of the novel together with the metaphor. On the surface, Delany describes coyotes in his article as “our cleverest and most resourceful large predator” (p.211). He claims that they are able to take advantage of the resources that we unwittingly provide. The article includes a story to prove how cunning coyotes are by describing how they tapped into some irrigation pipes to create their own water supply. While he doesn’t seem to know exactly how to solve the problem, …show more content…
As Boyle shows through the lives of the Rincóns, the Mexican immigrants surrounding them were able to use the resources of the neighborhood to deliver their baby and construct a temporary shack for example. Furthermore, as Delany talks about failed attempts to protect themselves from the coyotes, like the first and second chain link fences erected around their yard, Boyle is making a commentary about the wall within the novel meant to keep out immigrants and, in a broader sense, about failed immigration policies. Within Delany’s life, the wall failed to keep Cándido out of his neighborhood just like both fences failed to keep out coyotes. Both were able to scale their obstacle with relative ease to accomplish their goals of acquiring necessities. On more general terms, some of the article can be taken literally to apply to immigration. This is a complex issue and nobody can be sure of the ideal solution. While previous attempts have failed to make significant progress, the author advocates looking to a different source of the problem to create a solution. Instead of blaming the border, perhaps we should address the metaphorical food source provided to immigrants. Despite the fact that most of the residents of Arroyo Blanco Estates are upset with the influx of immigrants, some continue to exploit the cheap labor opportunities, which spreads hope of better opportunities in America and further increases

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