The Tortilla Curtain LAQ's

General
1) The novel begins with the introduction of Delaney Mossbacher and Candido Rincon. The two, from very different backgrounds and social standings, cross ways when Delaney runs Candido over near Topanga Canyon. From here on we see two lives unfold. Each life is affecting the other but the men involved are blinded to this. Candido is an illegal immigrant trying to get by with his teenage wife America while Delaney is an American citizen living a life of comfort alongside his wife Kyra and her stepson Jordan. While Delaney finds himself struggling with obstacles of minor importance, Candido and his wife are striving to survive and find work. Candido, injured, can't stop his wife from seeking work and when she does find it it is underpaid and she is overworked. America is raped and this adds to the tension building in the couples lives. The building of a wall around Arrollo Blanco is approved and Delaney is frustrated by such decision but get over it quickly. In the meantime, Candido's source of labor is shut down and so him and his wife are forced to move to Canoga Park where they are robbed of their savings and belongings. On Thanksgiving a series of unfortunate events, including a fire and some more vandalism, unravel. Delaney is determined to find the culprit and even when he knows it hasn't been Candido causing such mischief he still chases after him with a gun. America has just given birth to a blind baby and a flood sweeps Candido, America, Delaney and the baby Socorro away. At the end we see Delaney fighting for his life and Candido saves him.
2) The theme of the novel ends up being the willingness to survive. Although Delaney spends his life facing insignificant obstacles to him they are life changing. The construction of a wall around his neighborhood, his relationship with his wife, and his relationship with "friends" are all part of the life Delaney finds himself fighting for. Candido fights for a life in which he can stay alive and can provide for his wife. He had to face the difficulty of finding for, shelter, and safety. These things are taken for granted by Delaney and the things Delaney has are only present in Candidos dreams.
3) The author uses a tone of despair. Delaney finds himself struggling to continue living the life he once knew. Him and his family moved to Arrollo Blanco because he wanted to be close to nature but the building of a wall would only separate him form nature. He is forced to give in since he has no power to change decisions made by the leaders of the neighborhood. He has no voice yet is desperate to continue living the life he dreamed up for himself.  Candido is in urgent need of money to sustain his wife and grant her the life he had promised her before moving out of Mexico. He is looking for shelter and, just as Delaney had, he has dreams and aspirations that seem impossible to reach.
4) The author used two different settings combined into one. Delaney lived near Topanga Canyon but inside an American neighborhood where people lived lives of luxuries and commodities. Candido lived in Topanga Canyon where he was faced with starvation and homelessness. Even though both lived in pretty much the same location, their surroundings reflected their social standings. Blind baby Socorro, introduced at the end of the novel, served as a sybmbol of all obstacles faced by Candido. The baby was born blind and died at the end of the novel just like Candido's dreams of bettering his life. The flood served as symbol of how, no matter what social class, people are people and struggle through life but some remain good even when they have all the reasons in the world to hate.

Characterization
1) The author uses indirect characterization of a group of people through a character of a different ethnicity. America befriends a white women seeking work such as she is doing. This white women is alcoholic and a US citizen but still helps characterize the situation illegal immigrants often find themselves in. The women is intoxicated and vulnerable. Immigrants are also weak and vulnerable in the United States for they have no stability nor do they have safety. The only reason the white women finds herself looking for work with immigrants is because she has chosen to live a dirty and useless life otherwise one would never see a white women looking for work. It shows how low illegal immigrants are categorized by whites. Only the dirty whites mix with immigrants according to this. Although Delaney and his democratic ideals give us some insight into his personality it doesn't show all of it. He was raised in a white people environment nonetheless. He has those views in him and we see them appear when he sees the stability of his life threatened. His inner selfish self wants his life to continue being comfortable and so so he blames the nearest vulnerable person, Candido.
2) There were major diction changes in the novel due to the cultural differences between protagonists. The syntax was fairly constant. The Mexicans introduced in the story were all fairly vulgar and uneducated. They came form a low social class and so a poor education if any at all was expected from them. Delaney and his family, on the other hand, were educated people with higher ranked jobs that required skill and knowledge. They were also surrounded by people just like them if not higher on the social scale.
3) There are two protagonists. Candido is a static character. He has dreams, he works to fulfill them, he fails, and he starts all over throughout the novel. Delaney starts off as a laid back man. He has a job that doesn't require him to leave his house, he has set democratic ideals, and he loves his family. His life is almost carefree but we see his perspective on life change once he sees his own threatened. Instead of trying to resolve his problems he seeks people to blame them on. He goes from understanding to blinded. He knows Candido isn't the one responsible for all the problems in his life but he decides to take his anger out on him and chases him down. The very Candido ends up being his life saver.
4) This novel definitely introduced me to real life characters. The situations laid out in the novel are current. They are things that are happening right now. We see people like Candido and Delaney everyday. Many immigrants move into the United States in search of better lives and just like there are immigrants like Candido there are also white people like Delaney who live carefree lives filled with commodities. These are the two extreme of the spectrum. There is a middle class made up of both immigrants and whites among other ethnicities that don't live like the characters in the novel but these characters served as very good portrayals of such.