theme: tortilla Curtain
The Universal Need
When viewing strangers we obtain impressions from what they wear or how they speak. Whether it’s the diction and the pronunciation of their words or the type of attire they wear we assume there is nothing beyond that. Combined with what we hear from our peers, the new associates are then given identities that are not theirs, and soon they are no longer our equals. Eventually barriers form to separate those that differ from us from those who are similar. We create false beliefs and stereotypes to deter others from contacting the newcomers and by developing private neighborhoods to reinforce the gap we created. However, by doing so, we keep inside a single image of everything not realizing the truth behind the question of the immigrant’s objective for appearing where they are. In T.C Boyle’s novel, The Tortilla Curtain, he reveals to the top and bottom of the social ladder by introducing two strangers, he gives detail of their lives, showing us that we all have one objective in mind; through his theme of survival he unearths how fear of the unfamiliar separates many people believing that certain groups are the enemy; but in reality we are all similar in searching for one thing: safety. In the Tortilla Curtain, whites point their rage and fear towards the Hispanics because their oblivious of the Hispanics’ reason for arriving in America. This unfamiliarity has caused the Caucasian community to blame the Hispanics for their many obstacles; they believe that Hispanics are “thoughtless people, stupid people, people who wanted to turn the whole world into a garbage dump, a little Tijuana” (Boyle 11). The Caucasian community does not welcome the Hispanic society, because white citizens believe Hispanics are in the U.S to throw waste, to steal, to vandalize, and to engorge on government resources. This false belief has caused much tension towards the Hispanics that they begin to hide in bushes and shift their sight downward when coming across white
When viewing strangers we obtain impressions from what they wear or how they speak. Whether it’s the diction and the pronunciation of their words or the type of attire they wear we assume there is nothing beyond that. Combined with what we hear from our peers, the new associates are then given identities that are not theirs, and soon they are no longer our equals. Eventually barriers form to separate those that differ from us from those who are similar. We create false beliefs and stereotypes to deter others from contacting the newcomers and by developing private neighborhoods to reinforce the gap we created. However, by doing so, we keep inside a single image of everything not realizing the truth behind the question of the immigrant’s objective for appearing where they are. In T.C Boyle’s novel, The Tortilla Curtain, he reveals to the top and bottom of the social ladder by introducing two strangers, he gives detail of their lives, showing us that we all have one objective in mind; through his theme of survival he unearths how fear of the unfamiliar separates many people believing that certain groups are the enemy; but in reality we are all similar in searching for one thing: safety. In the Tortilla Curtain, whites point their rage and fear towards the Hispanics because their oblivious of the Hispanics’ reason for arriving in America. This unfamiliarity has caused the Caucasian community to blame the Hispanics for their many obstacles; they believe that Hispanics are “thoughtless people, stupid people, people who wanted to turn the whole world into a garbage dump, a little Tijuana” (Boyle 11). The Caucasian community does not welcome the Hispanic society, because white citizens believe Hispanics are in the U.S to throw waste, to steal, to vandalize, and to engorge on government resources. This false belief has caused much tension towards the Hispanics that they begin to hide in bushes and shift their sight downward when coming across white