A few of the community leaders at Arroyo Blanco, the posh community that Delaney lives in, lobby for a gate to be built around the cul-de-sac, to keep out the "undesirables." The gate is a social barrier that is meant to screen out the minorities. This goes against all liberal ideals, because last time I checked being a liberal was about being open-minded and accepting all cultures. I guess the point that Boyle is trying to make is that people only stick to their morals only when it benefits them. History proves that whenever the economy goes sour, the blame is put on immigrants.
To me this book is more or less an accurate portrayal of the status quo, not to mention Boyle has a talent for making his characters in his books come alive. I personally believe one of the main selling points "Tortilla Curtain" is its intense realism, and how believable the two characters Delaney and Candido are. Boyle's obsession with small details only adds onto this effect. For example take this excerpt from the first page where Delaney is having a flashback, "Everywhere he turned, he saw those red-flecked eyes, the rictus of the mouth, the rotten teeth and incongruous shock of gray in the heavy black brush of the mustache..." (1). Instead of diluting the real world like a lot of authors do, Boyle chooses to tell things like they are.
The real deal-breaker for me is the imagery in this book. I'm a real sucker for vivid descriptions of nature, and it is just my luck that Delaney is a professional nature writer. The language in the columns that he writes are impeccable, take for example, "Who am I, striding into the buttery glaze of evening sun amidst stands of bright blooming mustard that reach into my elbows and beyond?” (76). The bottom line is, this book has everything that I look for, a little social commentary, some nice nature imagery, and is a story that is realistic enough that I can relate to.
A few weeks back when I checked this book out from the school library, the librarian said that it was her favorite novel in the freshman curriculum and promised me it would be good. Now that we're on page 140, I can truly come to the conclusion that so far, this book is definately one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteThe novel compares the lives of a middle class couple living in a gated community in L.A. and a Mexican immigrant couple with no material possesions besides their own will to survive (and clothes of course). The contradictions between the two lifestyles are very eye opening for the reader. The novel really forces the reader to ask themselves, who is really happier: the "haves" or the "have-nots". They both deal with hectic lifestyles and constant struggles with the harsh realities of society, telling the reader that we all must deal with adversity in our lives, no matter what kind of background we come from.
The other striking thing about this novel is how it integrates the clashing political views that are associated with immigration. Some people in the novel are for allowing a large number immigrants and some are definitely against it. Delaney, the upper middle class main character in the book says how everyone in America were immigrants at one point in time- and that's how our country was made, whereas his friend is completely against allowing illegal immigrants into the country to take American jobs, etc. It is really interesting how the novel uses observations of juxtaposing political opinions in society today do develop a novel that comes across as a sort of a satire about Americans.
Like Robert, I'm really enjoying the imagery that is showcased in this book. The author is extremely specific in developing details throughout the story. For instance, we know that Delaney drives a white Acura sedan and we know all the different vareities of after school snacks that Kyra (Delaney's wife) lets their son Jordan have after school. These details that are described to the reader may seem meaningless, but they make the book enjoyable to read, and it adds to the satirical nature of the novel by making fun of the detail oriented lives of the American upper middle class.
Anyway, I am really enjoying this novel and it it is much more enjoyable than the last book I read for the blog project (don't even get me started on that one...) and it distinguishes itself by its satirical, yet realistic nature.
So far, I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fast, interesting and insightful read.
Ahhh, hopefully I could keep up with Robert's massive post. Although I've only gone through the first part of th novel... I'd like to state how just like Robert, I admire this novel. The harsh, ruthless satire provided by T.C. Boyle gave a reader like me a hilarious jolt of guilt. "He'd given the man twenty dollars - it seemed the least he could do - and the man had stuffed the bill quickly into the pocket of his cheap stained pants, sucked in his breath and turned away without so much as a nod or gesture of thanks..." (9). It seemed brutal and cruel how the middle-class liberal, Delaney, drove into an illegal immigrant, Candido, and then gave 20 dollars for silence. The two main characters then just walked off, which was quite a hilarious twist that Boyle brought.
ReplyDeleteAs Robert has said, Boyle inserted hypocritical characteristics into the main characters. I'd like to go into a larger emphasis of Boyle's play on hypocrisy. Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher were middle-class Americans who lived pretty posh, comfortable relaxed lives where they raised their children. Candido and America Rincon were illegal immigrants who were camping within a national park. The Mossbachers considered themselves as "open-minded" liberals, but their actions towards the immigrants were cruel and contradictory. The American Dream was something that could be achieved through hard work and tough effort, although the Rincon's tried their best to reach for the "dream", they could never actually touch it - while interestingly, their American counterparts have always lived the "dream". The juxtaposition of these twisted main characters seemed as if it came out of the scripts of a comedy sketch, but Boyle could always insert little chains onto these people to remind (smack) the reader back into the reality in which the storyline was based off of. It was as if Boyle was utilizing the hypocrisies to ridicule the modern American society.
As both Robert and Nick have clearly noted, T.C. Boyle is extremely detailed in all the little flaws and tiny bits of characters and scenery to provide the most filthy and realistic image in words. He even added in some dirty language to enhance some scenes. "The leaves hung limp, the stream stood still. There was no trace of her, no note, no pile of stones or scribble in sand. This was muy gaacho, bad news. And fuck his stinking pinche life. Fuck it." (87-88).
I can't judge the novel too much as of yet as I've only read through the first part! At least Robert, Nick, and I are all enjoying the book pretty well!
Ok, second part section entitled "El Tenksgeeve" is completed. I'm not going to lie, I am a little appalled that this author sees it fit to mock people of different ethnicities speaking different languages in his novel. But then again, the book is built off of social commentary and making fun of people, and the book is at least slightly offensive to most classes of people out there.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, about the second section of the book... The mood and tone of the novel is fairly consistent, no major turning point in the novel has occured yet. The novel remains in the structure of a narrative that alternates it's focus between the Mexican couple and the "gringo" couple, alternating between every chapter. I have to say, I really like how the author chose to structure the novel, because after about 15-20 pages, just when you get tired of hearing about complicated life of Delaney and Kyra, the novel transforms completely and then next 15-20 pages are spent walking you through the recent happenings in Candido and America's life.
So heres a question to kick off the second round of discussion... Do you guys think that Delaney/Kyra will ever come into contact with Candido/America again? Do you think their lives will intersect somehow? This question has been lingering in my mind for the past two hundered pages.
Also, since we are starting to initiate the final section of this book, how do you guys think this saga will end? I can't help but think that the way Candido has all of his hopes and efforts channelled into renting an apartment could be some foreshadowing for the future. It seems that the author is dropping some hints about the outcome of the book.
And then there was the turkey gift in the convenience store... didn't it seem like a prank to mess around with Candido to you guys? If the two guys who pretty much threw the turkey into Candido's arms were sincere, I wish the author would have made it more clear.
I am still thoroughly enjoying the imagery in this book and the social commentary that is ever-present in this novel. Its a great book.
I think I’ll start my blog post by answering a couple of Nick’s questions, because I think interaction is an important aspect of this project.
ReplyDeleteHe asked: Do you guys think that Delaney/Kyra will ever come into contact with Candido/America again?
My personal opinion is yes. A single unifying theme that has been present throughout the book is how easily two peoples’ or in this case, two couples’ lives can become intertwined. It wouldn’t make sense for the author at this point in the novel to somehow break the connection between these two couples.
He also asked: Also, since we are starting to initiate the final section of this book, how do you guys think this saga will end?
I personally hope that the author ends the novel with a touch of irony; Candido and America finally reach their goals, while Delaney and Kyra encounter many misfortunes as the result of their hypocrisy. However, we don’t always get what we want, do we? What I can see is Candido and America suffering a tragic fate, it seems evident from the author’s foreshadowing.
Part II consists of a vicious cycle, every time Candido and America get close to their goals they are set back to square one. For example, when they finally get close to saving up enough money for an apartment, the canyon fire burns their savings, America is forced to give birth in a tool shed, with no medical supplies or doctors.
I feel that the author plunges Candido and America into these unfavorable circumstances to prove his social theory on haves and have-nots. His statement is that there are people in this world, even in this country that have everything, while at the same time, some people have nothing.
His style of writing, where he transitions between beautiful nature imagery and descriptions of Candido and America’s miserable lives provides a stark contrast.
For example take these two passages:
“All at once she understood: garbage, they were going to eat garbage. Sift through it like the basureros at the dump, take somebody else’s filthy leavings, full of spit and maggots and ants” (238).
“As I sit here today at the close of summer, at the hour when the very earth crackles for the breath of moisture denied it through all these long months of preordained drought, I gaze my study at the artifacts I’ve collected during my diurnal wanderings…” (211).
These passages are once again proof of how Candido and America are the polar opposites of Delaney and Kyra. Candido and America are worried about having nothing to eat and having to scavenge in the trash; while Delaney is thinking about his next nature column, and Kyra is stressing over moving real estate.
This book has really opened my eyes, living in Lake Oswego, every day I see a Delaney and Kyra and it makes me what to throw a copy of The Tortilla Curtain at them. I’m thoroughly appreciating this book for its literary value, while at the same time I agree with many of its political/social statements.
Alright, time for discussion of the 2nd part of the novel!
ReplyDeleteTo reply to Nick, I've gotta say that although T.C. Boyle might've seemed at times to be offensive to separate societies and cultures, the humorous moments he provided in the book were ultimately to compliment to the backbone that the writer constructed for the mockery-of-society based novel.
I honestly liked the format Boyle used to look into the 4 very diverse, main characters (the transitions from one couple's perspective to the other). Although Delaney and Candido have never met since the violent automobile collision in the beginning of the novel, the incident has forced the two lives to be intertwined into more problems. In another response to Nick, I'd say that the four may eventually see each other by the end of the novel (I predict this will occur after the climax, which hasn't arisen yet). I've read several double-perspective books where this incident has occurred near the end of the novel.
I'd like to compliment again on Boyle's extraordinary amount of imagery. "The place was crowded, businesspeople perched over plates of tandoori chicken, housewives gossiping over delicate cups of Darjeeling tea and coffee, waiters in a flurry, voices riding up and down the scale," (148). This passage truly showed the intense, chaotic scene where Delaney and Kyra were eating.
The turkey scene was a little confusing and took me a few re-reads to figure out the charitable person's intentions... But, I believe that the free turkey Candido obtained was out of sincerity due to how some felt of his impoverished appearance.
As Nick has said, this book is an excellent piece produced from Boyle's view of American society. The mockeries on racial centralism and other status-quo ideals were surely the main points and probably were the breadwinners of my interest in the novel.
Alright, April 14 has rolled around (faster than I thought it would, I might add), and I have just finished the novel. This final section, entitled "socorro" was quite an interesting one. It struck me as the culmination of all of the character's pent up anger as a result of the adversities in their lives, regurgitated onto the last hundred pages of the novel.
ReplyDeleteWhat was most surprising to me was the way Delaney, an accepting, affluent, left-leaning naturalist completely changed his personality after the wild fire. After the fire, he saw two Mexican people climb out of the disaster zone and he immediately blindly blamed them and called the police. He also helped the police supress the alleged convicts. The nice, friendly, nature hiker family man that we first met in the beginning of the novel was transformed completely into a racist violent fiend. The first time he ran into Candido, Delaney apologized and handed him a 20 and let him go on his way. The second time he ran into Candido, he intentionally tried to run him over, called the police on him, grabbed his gun and headed for the hills to try and find Candido's makeshift house.
I do wish, however, that the end of the story had a stronger sense of closure and resolution. It seemed really vague and left too much for the reader to interpret. Such a great novel needs a strong conclusion to satiate the reader's desire to know what Candido, America and Socorro decided to do with the rest of their lives. The ending scene was just the baby (or was it Delaney, Bill? Robert? Can you guys clarify this for me?)clutching onto a tile roof in a flood and Candido and America standing on the banks freezing their rear ends off. I wish it would have expanded the story another ten pages so that we could rest assured that Candido or America got a job and an apartment, or that they safely returned to Mexico.
The book retained it's sarcastic, yet extremely detailed nature throughout the entire book, and the ending was no exception. The author also kept the concept of making fun of certain demographics in the novel as well.
The final section of this book, named “Socorro” wraps up “The Tortilla Curtain” by T. Coraghessan Boyle.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned earlier that I hoped that Boyle would incorporate irony into the novel by delivering fortune to the have-nots (Candido and America), and misfortune to the hypocrites (Kyra and Delaney). Unfortunately, that has yet to happen.
During the thanksgiving dinner, tensions between residents of Arroyo Blanco and the illegal immigrants flare up when news of a canyon fire spreads. Delaney sees two Mexicans walking down the street, and automatically associates them with the fire. He calls the police, and gets into a fist-fight with one of them. This marks Delaney’s transition from an immigrant-loving, tree-hugging, nature enthusiast to a bigoted, ethno-centric, ruffian. I can’t help but find this situation comical. In a way T. Coraghessan Boyle is trying to convey how one’s circumstances dictate one’s personality and beliefs through an ounce of dark humor.
At the beginning of the book, Delaney is in his own little world, but starting with his fateful encounter with Candido, he has slowly been exposed to the ugly side of the world through a series of unfortunate events. His personality and his beliefs are simply adapting to the ever-changing circumstances.
Now that I think about it, I feel somewhat sympathetic towards Delaney. He may be naïve, but he has good intentions deep down. By no means is he a Mother Theresa, after all when he hit Candido with his car he basically bribed him with $20 under the pretense that he would not report him because he was an illegal. But, at least, he did something. Jack Jardines on the other hand would have physically assaulted Candido and then reported him to immigration. Delaney simply cracked under the pressure, robberies and other criminal activities were occurring in his neighborhood on a daily basis. He was driven to believe that illegal immigrants were the cause of all of his problems by his peers.
Nick brought up the final scene in his last blog post. I would like to give my two cents on the topic. I personally found the resolution to be beautiful. It was hopeful, but not too corny. In a way it represents how there is still hope for humanity. Candido, after being chased down like a dog by Delaney, still offers him his hand during the flood. Nothing is more sincere than that, and I couldn’t have asked for a more touching ending.
As the last poster, I've got to wrap up our discussion on the Tortilla Curtain and voice in some final thoughts on this unique novel. It was fun reading this novel with you guys!
ReplyDeleteSorry Robert, it seemed that you didn't get the ironic ending you were long waiting for. Although your ironic speculations never truly took form, I still believe this book is bountiful with irony.
As I've said in my first post, I believe the Tortilla Curtain is based off of flaws within the American society. Boyle utilizes cruel and ironic situations within the novel to ridicule these flaws. At the beginning of the novel, Delaney is clearly stated to be a liberal. Liberalism is a principal that believes strongly in liberty and equal rights. As the novel progressed, Delaney evolved out of liberal-labelled shell and more into the mindset of a racist, nationalistic bastard. From this irony, Boyle tried to show that the American mindset is more based off of fear and greed than peace and compassion. Another striking example of irony was a plot twist I noticed within the novel. Delaney and his neighbors wanted to build a wall to protect themselves from harm caused by illegal immigrants. The real culprits who have been causing chaos within Delaney's gated community were actually white, racist neighbors. This irony Boyle wrote just showed how American's would do anything to stay dominant, even if it meant they had to fool and trick their own kin.
I'd now like to go over the final scene that both Robert and Nick were discussing over. Nick considered the ending to be too "cliffhanger" or short of a conclusion, while Robert considered it to be fitting and beautiful. I have to agree with Robert. The ending wasn't too short, and I found its vagueness to be intentionally interpretive for the reader. In an ironic novel of societal flaws, this scene showed that not all people in the world are terrible. Even after Candido lost his child and all of his material possessions, he still reached in to save the man who wanted to harm him. The ending showed that there was a way to get out of the twisted society of America. Candido showed how compassion and caring could help save Delaney's life... and showed that it might save America from the horrific status it stands on today.
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ReplyDeleteSorry guys, I had some posting issues...
ReplyDeleteFINAL POST:
ReplyDeleteT. Coraghessan Boyle has a masterpiece. "The Tortilla Curtain" is everything a teenage reader could possibly want in a book. It is humorous, vivid but most of all, it is thought provoking. I would give this book an 8 out of 10. The novel's main strengths are its lively imagery and its overall realism. The characters and their predicaments throughout the story are completely realistic and believable. There is nothing fantasy about this novel, and I have to say thats one of my favorite things about it. Even though the author is quite blunt about stating it's messages about soceity (with a healthy serving of ignorance, profanity and racism), Boyle has some very valid lessons that are being taught throughout the story.
The story teaches the average teenager to consider the other side's point of view. It tells the untold horrors of living as an illegal immigrant in this nation. It shows us the harsh realities of poverty. By the time I had finished the book, I felt almost enlightened because of the new perspective I gained while reading the novel. I think others who have read this book can agree.
There are times however, that this book is crossing the line in terms of decency. It uses profane language frequently, many racist slang terms, and the characters (Delaney and his affluent neighbors) pitch racist monologues to reader frequently. Although the inclusion of such, what I like to call "urban literary devices" is a little out of line, I think it is really effective in showing how ignorant the affluent white community can be.
Although I thought it was one of the best books I have ever read, I don't think it is a good book to read as a high school english class. Here's why: there's too much offensive language and it is degrading to the Hispanic race. In this novel, the Mexican people are depicted as impoverished, desperate, trash-eating campers, and I do not think this is correct. The degree of racism displayed in this book is overwhelming at times, and most of the time this book is just completely out-of-line.
However, the novel makes completely valid points about how the affluent white community is not accepting enough and sometimes way too discriminatory, and it gives insight on how hard immigrants must work on a daily basis to get by.
Although the book is very insightful, it is just too offensive for a classroom setting.
Review of The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle
ReplyDeleteT. Coraghessan and I are very similar. We both have a quite cynical outlook on life, and we basically share the same political ideology. That is of course, standing up for what you believe in, regardless of whether the status quo permits it. With that being said, in my very biased opinion, I found The Tortilla Curtain to be one of the best social commentaries of the 21st century. This novel is really an inconvenient truth, as it delves into many controversial topics such as illegal immigration, racism, and Social Darwinism to name a few.
The tale of Candido and America is a shockingly accurate portrayal of the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor in our society. Plot wise, but this book will keep you on the edge of your seat. Some of the misfortunes that Candido and America encounter are unfathomable, for example, to feed themselves they have to dig through the trash behind a restaurant. Not to mention, there is always the imminent threat of being deported back to Mexico, which would be humiliating for both of them.
Boyle creates an emotional rollercoaster by building Candido and America up, and then tearing them down through uncontrollable circumstances. From a purely literary standpoint, Boyle is able to incorporate beautiful nature-inspired writing to not only showcase his literary prowess, but also to contrast with the main protagonists’ predicament. Plot and literary value aside, once again the most important aspect of The Tortilla Curtain is its message. The biggest theme in this novel is social equality. And by Social Equality, I don’t mean socialism, but the idea of guaranteeing every human being, regardless of race or religion, the basic means to survive. I think the Tortilla Curtain should be a part of the School Curriculum; it gives sheltered students a glimpse of the real world. I would recommend this to anyone with a functioning brain: 9 out of 10 stars.
REVIEW
ReplyDeleteT.C. Boyle never intentionally wrote the “Tortilla Curtain” to be a literary masterpiece. He created the novel as a critique over American society and one of this era’s controversial concerns, illegal immigration. Through expert penmanship, Boyle is able to mold the critique into an entertaining story of modern-day issues and hardships.
Candido, an illegal immigrant, is a poor Mexican who has to take care of his pregnant wife while trying to survive in the arid Topanga Canyon. Delaney, a middle-class liberal, is a tree-hugging American citizen who lives comfortably with his family in a gated community of xenophobes. After Delaney’s car collides into Candido in the deserted outskirts of California, the two lives would become intertwined throughout the rest of the novel.
Boyle is worthy writer who is capable of crafting terror and fear from crisp detail and imagery: “And then the contractors began to arrive, the white men with their big bleached faces and soulless eyes, enthroned in their trucks. They wanted two men or three, they wanted four or five, no questions asked, no wage stipulated, no conditions or terms of employment” (129).
His expertise in detail allows the reader to visualize elaborate images of scenes within his/her mind.
Another fantastic feature within the “Tortilla Curtain” that Boyle included is its wide use of crude and inflammatory jokes that target illegal immigrants. Although many of the jests are extremely offensive, Boyle uses them to depict the vulgar reality of American society truly is. A modern novel that sympathizes illegal immigrants would not be possible without examples of the cruel reality from the American side to back it up.
T.C. Boyle utilizes a unique double-perspective to show the mindset of both Candido and Delaney throughout the novel. I actually didn’t enjoy how the two characters continuously cut each other off within the story. I sometimes felt that intense scenes were cut too short and interrupted due to the double-perspective use. I also sometimes feel that Boyle’s fine writing becomes choppy due to this dual-take.
9/10 STARS
Overall, I believe this book full of rich literature and is extremely enticing and entertaining for intermediate readers. Although the "Tortilla Curtain" was written over a decade ago, many of its themes such as poverty, xenophobia, violence, and fear still surround illegal immigration today. The book in relevant to modern society and excellent for young adult readers.
(Mostly like Robert, I'd recommend this book for upperclassmen English curricula)