In the novel, The Crystal Frontier by author Carlos Fuentes narrates the experience of nine different people to show his readers the continuous relationship between the neighboring countries of Mexico and the United States of America. Throughout the novel the nine stories, all contain different people and their experience with however it’s not till the end when the stories all interact with one another, to fully understand what Fuentes was trying to portray by telling these stories. One person who constantly made an appearance was Don Leonardo Barroso a very well-known business man working in Mexico and the US and accurately depicted the interaction between both countries. During the novel, he also presents the Northern America Free Trade Agreement
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Throughout the novel three concepts that were presented in the nine stories were the Mexican culture and how its perceived, the economic crisis in Mexico and finally the mutual dependence between the US and Mexico.
The Mexican culture in the US has always been shown negatively by characterizing people and the culture to be lazy and undeserving. In the story “Spoils” protagonist Dionisio “Baco” Rangel was a famous cuisine master who came to the United States to show and teach people of the enriched culture of Mexican food. He strongly believes that the recipes of the Mexicans are better than those of the Americans and passionately describes the time and patience it takes to create these recipes. When he tries to engage his students in the wonder of Mexican food in order understand the beauty of Mexico and its culture he is constantly being ignored and he even states “that his student …show more content…
Due to failure to manage the wealth of the people many families were effected during the economic down fall that lead to the displacement of poor people throughout Mexico. While businessmen like Don Leonardo continued to grow in financial wealth people such as Lisandro in “the Crystal Frontier” express the depressing reality of the Mexican people during the economic crisis. These people have lost so much and now are doing everything they can in order to stay afloat. When on his way to New York to participate in cleaning office during the weekend and returning to Mexico City he remembers the struggles that await him when he gets back home and says “ No home land anymore, no such thing as Mexico. A family like his was not going to be able to withstand twenty years of crisis debt bankruptcy hopes raised only to fall again with a crash, every six years, more and more poverty and unemployment.”(171) The people companied him on the flight were few of the many who were trying to change their financial status, unfortunately this does not fix the problem but hides it for a while until it can no longer be ignored. In addition, the novel depicts Don Leonardo is meeting with American businessmen in Malintzin of the Maquilla, where women are mistreated in the factories and are subjected to racism and sexism by supervisors in the company, advising him to “buying land in Bellavista.
Throughout the novel three concepts that were presented in the nine stories were the Mexican culture and how its perceived, the economic crisis in Mexico and finally the mutual dependence between the US and Mexico.
The Mexican culture in the US has always been shown negatively by characterizing people and the culture to be lazy and undeserving. In the story “Spoils” protagonist Dionisio “Baco” Rangel was a famous cuisine master who came to the United States to show and teach people of the enriched culture of Mexican food. He strongly believes that the recipes of the Mexicans are better than those of the Americans and passionately describes the time and patience it takes to create these recipes. When he tries to engage his students in the wonder of Mexican food in order understand the beauty of Mexico and its culture he is constantly being ignored and he even states “that his student …show more content…
Due to failure to manage the wealth of the people many families were effected during the economic down fall that lead to the displacement of poor people throughout Mexico. While businessmen like Don Leonardo continued to grow in financial wealth people such as Lisandro in “the Crystal Frontier” express the depressing reality of the Mexican people during the economic crisis. These people have lost so much and now are doing everything they can in order to stay afloat. When on his way to New York to participate in cleaning office during the weekend and returning to Mexico City he remembers the struggles that await him when he gets back home and says “ No home land anymore, no such thing as Mexico. A family like his was not going to be able to withstand twenty years of crisis debt bankruptcy hopes raised only to fall again with a crash, every six years, more and more poverty and unemployment.”(171) The people companied him on the flight were few of the many who were trying to change their financial status, unfortunately this does not fix the problem but hides it for a while until it can no longer be ignored. In addition, the novel depicts Don Leonardo is meeting with American businessmen in Malintzin of the Maquilla, where women are mistreated in the factories and are subjected to racism and sexism by supervisors in the company, advising him to “buying land in Bellavista.