Multi-Cultural Literature Review Lupita Mañana and the Circuit

Within the novels Lupita Mañana by Patricia Beatty and The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez, the experiences of the lives of two different families immigrating from Mexico and El Salvador to the United States are shared and explored. The plights of the main characters within the two works, Lupita and Panchito, are reminiscent of each other. They are both forced to contend with the hardships of trying to live and prosper within a society that rejects them because they are different. Struggling to find a place within this world of competing ideologies, language barriers, and economic hardships, the characters find varying amounts of success and failures. Although there exists no true happy ending at the conclusion of these novels, the protagonists find their own unique solutions in order to keep their identity and personality throughout their assimilation. The narratives begin through the eyes of two young protagonists who begin a journey from parts of Latin America to California. They know very little about the harsh realities of their situation and the world that they live in. The little that they do know about the United States has been built upon the notion that it is a golden land of opportunity which is easily attained and sustainable with only a hard work ethic and the support of family. Contrary to these beliefs, reality is tragically cruel to the protagonists and their families. Instead of a land of milk and honey, they are greeted by a world that is more interested in rewarding their moral and ethical values with meager wages in exchange for menial or backbreaking labor. The journey that began in a foreign country does not end when they arrive in the United States. It constantly evolves and changes, threatening the survival of their cultural heritage, personal identities, and sometimes, their very lives. Of the different voyages, the circumstances surrounding those of Lupita and Salvador are much more violent and aggressive. During their almost

Bibliography: The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child written by Francisco Jimenez. University of New Mexico Press, 1997. Lupita Mañana written by Patricia Beatty. Morrow, 1981.