The Tortilla Curtain Analysis

We all have our own meaning to the phrase, “The American Dream.” Many people long for a lavish lifestyle, with foreign cars and a vacation home; while others will simply settle for the comfort of having a roof over their head and a family car. After all, we are in the land of opportunity where many live or immigrate to, to make their dreams come true. James Truslow Adams (1931) was the first to define the American Dream. Adams defined it as a life that should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with an opportunity for each according to ability or achievement, regardless of their social class or circumstances of birth. In the book, The Tortilla Curtain, the author T.C Boyle knew he would have an audience on either side of the social spectrum that would relate to either Candido or to
I think Boyle wanted his audience to see that, for immigrants, it’s not easy to come to a new country. In fact, it is the total opposite so cut them some slack. Growing up in a working-class community with parents who immigrated to the United States to have a better life, I was able to strongly connect with Candido and his wife America. Boyle was able to vividly describe a few of the obstacles many immigrant Mexicans are forced to endure in their daily lives while chasing their interpretation of the “American Dream.” Whether it is living with fear of being caught by La Migra, dealing with stereotypical people like the citizens of Arroyo Blanco, and simply living with the worry of being able to keep food on their family’s table. “He didn’t need a million dollars—he wasn’t born for that, and if he was he would have won the lottery. No, all he needed was work, steady work, and this was the beginning.” (Boyle 166-67) All Candido wished for was a steady job, that itself would bring him