Ryan George CCQC's

This book was full of symbols, as Boyle knew where to fit them in, and knew how to do it cleverly.  I however noticed a couple symbols that stood out clearly to me, and that intertwine with each other.  The first one is the wall that surrounded the Arroyo Blanco Estates.  Walls are meant to keep things separated clearly, or to keep things from getting in or out.  However, this wall was much more than a physical object in the book.  It represented the barricade between the wealthy white community and the poor, deteriorating Mexican immigrants.  It was a physical wall as well, helping to protect the residents of the Estates.   It protected them from the "Mexicans".  The "Mexicans" are seen as unequal in many ways.  "They're peasants my friend.  No education, no resources, no skills..."(101) Although this wall does protect the residents of the Arroyo Blanco Estates to a certain extent, it does not make them invincible, which is represented very well by another one of Boyles clever symbols, the coyote. The coyote is able to climb the wall with little trouble.  The coyote is representing the Mexican people, illegally migrating into the United States.  Although the wall is meant to keep things out, and separate two different societies, it is inevitable that people will break through in search for a better life, just like the coyote did.

The American Dream has been misread for years now.  I understand that the U.S. offers freedom, and many people are attracted to that trait.  But the widespread misunderstanding is that if you make it to the United States, you will be able to go from nothing, to being rich.  It all just depends on how much you’re willing to work, and how determined and strong willed you are.  It is the idea that if you work hard, the result will be happiness and success.   In the book, the Mossbacher family realizes this legend, and is a wealthy family living in the Arroyo Blanco Estates.  However, it is not always this easy, in fact most of the time it isn't.  This idea is represented by America and Candido, who came to America, also in search of a new and better life, the American Dream.  America and Candido soon realized that making the American Dream a reality for them would be a lot harder than expected.  It was hard to find work, and they struggled.  Although the idea was to become successful and happy, America found herself wanting the necessities.  “She wanted. Of course she wanted… A house, a yard, maybe a TV and a car too - nothing fancy, no palaces like the gringos built - just four walls and a roof. Was that so much to ask?”(19)  The American Dream if rather an idea than an actual thing.  Some people take different approaches to achieving the American Dream, but no matter what, it’s not something you can take, you have to earn it.