The brilliantly written novel The Tortilla Curtain by T. Boyle recounts the story of two couples in the United States both pursuing their idea of the American dream. The first couple, Delaney and Kyra are a modern, middle class pair. Candido and America, the second couple, are illegal immigrants from Mexico. Although it seems difficult to see what these four people might have in common, there are several similar characteristics observable in the women, in spite of their differing situations. Most women highly value safety, independence, and personal space; these women are no different. Throughout the novel as Boyle develops the characters, it becomes evident how each woman's culture and husband shapes the way these values are expressed and manifested in their lives through their work ethic. It ultimately determines how successful they become.
The first couple introduced in the story are Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher. They seem to have the perfect modern relationship with very similar personalities and much in common; "They were both perfectionists They were joggers, nonsmokers, social drinkers, and if not full blown vegetarians, people who were conscious of their intake of animal fats." (34) They live in the Arroyo Blanco Estates, a private community complete with every luxury they desire. Living a comfortable and complacent lifestyle, they have little regard for the less fortunate and even less interaction with them. Kyra is an extremely driven and successful businesswoman; in fact, " she was the undisputed volume leader at Mike Bender Realty, Inc." (31) Delaney, her husband, is a stay at home step-dad and part time columnist for Wide Open Spaces a nature magazine. With his liberal humanist worldview, he has no ethical problem with Kyra being the "chief breadwinner" of the family. (35) Scheduling his life to cater to her needs, he supports and encourages her independence and her work.
T.C. Boyle, a proponent of immigration and advocate of both legal and illegal immigrants. In the novel The Tortilla Curtain Boyle uses the extended-analogy of the coyote to draw parallel lines between the actual coyote and the symbolic coyote. Boyle uses the actual coyote to show how they live in ...
Tortilla Curtain is a very interesting book that has realistic views. It clearly illustrates the real problems that surround the daily life of Americans and illegal immigrants on the Mexican border. It shows the reader the problems the Mexicans and Americans face every day. The novel illustrates to ...
The title of this novel, The Tortilla Curtain, by T.C. ... The Tortilla Curtain, in both real life and this novel, represents an established but vulnerable border, which the lines are crossed. ... This curtain is suggesting the border between Mexico and the United States, which because you can cross this border, is similar to a curtain because it hides what is on either side from each other. ...
Boyle uses the coyote throughout the novel Tortilla Curtain to draw repeatedly parallels between the actual coyote and the figurative coyote. ... In each of these cases, we see how the coyote plays an important role in The Tortilla Curtain. ...
What does the liberal white suburbanite do when the walls around his community no longer keep out the forces of "nature" with which he is (formally) so much in love? T.C Boyle's The Tortilla Curtain approaches this question from a perspective of irony. The book's central character, Delaney Mossba...
The novel "The Tortilla Curtain- by T. Coraghessan Boyle is about two Mexican immigrants who come to America to be free. One of the Mexican immigrants, Candido, gets hit by the car of a white man. There other immigrant is America, who is the wife Candido. America is a seventeen-year-old Mexican...
The Coyote In The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle, the author repeatedly draws parallels between the actual coyote and the figurative coyote. Boyle uses the actual coyote to show how the animal actually is. In this novel the coyote acts as a symbol for many things. Boyle parallels the figur...
California's Love/Hate of Immigrants Individuals around the world view California/the United States as the premiere place to raise a family, and to have a nice white house on the corner of some quiet street. They see California as the opportunity to work a 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. job in...
