Boyle uses juxtaposition in describing the different living conditions of Delaney and his family with the conditions of Candido and his family. He switches from chapter to chapter contrasting between the life of Candido and the life of Delaney in order to highlight and emphasize the harsh, realistic differences between their conditions. The differences in their living conditions alone are a huge theme of this book. Boyle describes Arroyo Blanco in order to paint the image of a typical wealthy, white community. "It was a private community, comprising a golf course, ten tennis courts, a community center and some two hundred and fifty homes, each set on one-point-five acres and strictly conforming to the covenants, conditions and restrictions set forth in the 1973 articles of incorporation" (30). Throughout the book, he writes about more images of Arroyo Blanco to contrast from the campsite of Candido and América. He uses Delaneys column to describe the beautiful nature that they are able to enjoy, rather than survive in, like Candido. He talks about the diet that Mossbacher family has, and how Kyra only lets her son eat all organic, very fancy food. In the next chapter he shows us how Candido and America struggle to find anything to eat, savoring the last can of beans., contrasting the harsh differences of their relationship with food. Because of the living conditions and their surroundings, they have developed a different sense of the world, and a difference tolerance of suffering. For example, Delaney is seriously annoyed by the small differences in his new car compared to his old car that he was more comfortable in, meanwhile Candido is struggling to keep his pregnant wife alive, trying desperately to find work. Boyle shows us the tragic reality of the differences of Mexican immigrants and upper class whites, using the Rincón family and the Mossbacher family as symbols of the real suffering and drastic changes of different cultures, races, and weath.
Boyle creates a growing sense of vulnerability and fear by describing a series of unlucky, horrible events causing despair to the Rincón family. By creating a domino effect of occurrences, one terrible thing after another happens to them. In the very first scene in the book, Candido gets hit by Delaney, causing him to not be able to go to work, which forced his wife América to go the Labor Exchange alone to get enough money to get food. Because of América going to the Labor Exchange alone, she is then raped, possibly causing her child to be born blind. After the Labor Exchange is shut down, they are forced to move to a new area with a large population of immigrants, where all of their savings are stolen. On thanksgiving, after a single strand of luck, they receive a turkey from two white men. However, their luck is short lived. While they are cooking the turkey, the wind picks up and blows a burning coal into a pile of leaves, starting the fire that forces them to run to the shack by the Mosbacher's home. Because of the vandalization of the wall, caused by Jack Jr, Candido is caught on camera stealing a little food to give to his newborn daughter and wife, causing Delaney to find them and barge in with a gun. All of these events, one after another, cause the reader to feel sympathy and root for the innocent, hopeless Candido and his family. One specific example that the reader sees vulnerability in Candido is when Jack Jr and his friend find his camp and destroy every possession of theirs. Candido is so terrified that he will be discovered and turned in to the police, that he is forced to hide and watch these teenagers destroy his camp instead of trying to fight back. “Candido waited a long time before emerging. They’d been gone half an hour at least, their shrieks and obscenities riding on up the walls of the canyon till finally they blended with the distant hum of the traffic and faded away...After a moment he got up and waded into the stream to try to recover his things, and it was then he noticed their parting gift, a message emblazoned on the rocks in paint that dripped like blood. The letters were crude and the words in English, but there was no mistaking the meaning: beaners die” (62). This is a perfect example showing the events that have occurred to Candido and his family have caused him fear, vulnerability and powerlessness, simply because of his skin color. This is still a prevalent issue that needs to be changed, and that is exactly the point that Boyle is making.
I agree with your claim that Boyle creates a growing sense of vulnerability and fear by constantly bombarding the characters with misfortune. It seems as though every time something remotely positive occurs in Candido and America's lives, something much worse soon follows. This creates emotional and physical distress, resulting in the negative emotions. For example, when Candido and America go into town to shop and possibly sleep in a hotel for a night, Candido ends up beaten and robbed. As stated, "They hit me with something, a baseball bat, I think, right here. They got everything, every penny"(234). The Mossbachers,despite their luxurious living, also being to feel similar emotions after traumatic events occur for them as well. For example, when both dogs are eaten by Coyotes, or when Kyra's house is vandalized. Boyle has managed to inflict vulnerability and fear in both families by telling traumatic event after traumatic event.
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