The white lifestyle of Arroyo Blanco that Boyle describes it as sounds a lot like a community similar to Marin County. Arroyo Blanco is a place where everything is equal, safe and perfect; just like in Marin. 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). These high status privileges are quite familiar to Marin families. Delaney, in a way, resembles the Arroyo Blanco community in terms of organization, order, and routine. Communities like these are always accompanied by several stereotypes. Due to the given luxuries, the communities see themselves with authority and power over others, but this is also a stereotype; assuming these rich communities think that they are better than everyone else. When Delaney and Kyra are talking about Candido, Delaney proves the stereotype right by being prejudice towards Mexicans. "I told you - he was Mexican" (15). This is also something found quite often in Marin. Even though it is pretty well concealed, many people are prejudice towards other cultures, very often Mexicans.
The coyote that makes several appearances is a major symbol in this novel. The coyote, similar to Candido and all others living in poverty, barely surviving, scrounges for food and hardly has a place to call home. Along with their miserable lifestyles, Candido and the coyote are mistreated by all others when all they are trying to do is survive. Delaney writes about the coyote in his column and the symbolism is clear. "The coyote is not to blame-he is only trying to survive, to make a living, to take advantage of the opportunities available to him" (215). Many people who live in the poor town of Tepoztlan can relate to the same struggles as the coyote. Another way that the coyote resembles Candido is through illegal immigration. "One coyote, who makes who makes his living on the fringes of my community…has learned to simply chew his way through the plastic irrigation pipes whenever he wants to drink" (212). Candido also steals water in order to help his family. The resemblance is obvious through Delaney's columns, Candido and the coyote are one in the same.
I agree with your claim that because of the luxuries and power given to white, wealthy communities like Arroyo Blanco and Marin, many people are prejudice against other cultures, like Mexicans. Another example of this in the book Tortilla Curtain, is when Delaney is hiking and gets angry at the trash thrown about the ravine. He immediately assumes it was caused by the Mexicans and gets even more angry at the thought of the immigrants destroying "his" land. His thoughts show that he is an example of an entitled man that has developed a subconscious prejudice against Mexicans.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both Ellie and Sofia. Places like Marin County and the Arroyo Blanco Estates, and other areas sharing similar traits, often include people that think they are better or more entitled than others. This is simply because we are lucky enough to live in a place where common resources are distributed and supplied with little to no conflict. Wealth is often located in these areas as well, which helps the residents acquire what they need when they need it. These are privileges that are often taken for granted in areas like these. Because of all the privilege, the people tend to build a reputation, that is similar to the stereotype of these places: rich, snobby, shallow and in some cases prejudice. This is evident at many points throughout the book. "He tried to picture the man's life--the cramped room, the bag of second-rate oranges on the streetcorner, the spade and the hoe and the cold mashed beans dug out of the forty-nine-cent can."(10) This quote just goes too show how people like Delaney view other people like Candido, they give them a stereotype. I think that a way for people to avoid making these kinds of judgments, is to recognize the large amount of privileges they have, and to not take them for granted.
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