The Tortilla Curtain, a compelling story by T. C. Boyle, is a very interesting book that will really make you realize what goes on in some people’s lives. This book shows the struggles of illegal immigrants trying to travel to America for a chance at a better life. The Tortilla Curtain sharply contrasts what life is like for two very different families. One family, a wealthy Caucasian family, Delaney, Kyra, and their son Jordan, live in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles and tell about their struggles and experiences throughout the story. The other family, a poor Hispanic couple, Candido and America, (America is pregnant), struggle for their survival in their camp deep in the ravine. The two families have very, very different lifestyles.
The author weaves together a story that shows how terrible it is for illegal immigrants in contrast to a life of an average American family. In the beginning you meet both families and their lives intertwine as the story switches off each chapter from the different characters’ perspectives. There is a sort of sympathetic tone that the author uses to characterize the illegal immigrants in the story. On the other hand, the author shows the white family as being ungrateful and unaware of what’s going on in the world. I felt that there was no substance in the story from the Caucasian point of view. It really made me wonder about the authors own life experiences and political party. I believe that if you were to interview the author and ask his opinion about illegal immigration laws that he would probably be very liberal. He would be likely to approve of giving illegal immigrants American citizenship. The idea of a “tortilla curtain” symbolizes the division between the Hispanic “tortillas” and the Caucasian “gringos.”
Another plot line of this story is the contrast between the lives of the female characters. Kyra lives in a beautiful house, where she is respected and has a successful husband and child. America is basically homeless, and has no luxuries that most people take for granted like running water, a toilet, a toothbrush, etc. She does not receive any medical care for her unborn child and has no one to go to for questions during her whole pregnancy. The author shows a life of privilege and a life of extreme poverty.
I found Delaney’s point of view to be dull and uninspiring. Sometimes I felt like skipping the Caucasian family’s chapters and going straight to the Hispanic side, because it was more of a gripping story. The only hardship Delaney’s family really went through was the loss of their beloved dog. I had a hard time feeling sympathetic at all for their family, considering all of the tragic struggles in Candido and America’s lives. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the brutality of illegal immigration. Not so much to anyone who is looking for an uplifting story.