Analysis Of The Tortilla Curtain

The novel The Tortilla Curtain, written by author T. C. Boyle, gives us a telescope view into two different worlds of culture, highlighting the differences between the upper-middle and lower class in southern California. The book breaks into three different sections that contain eight chapters that deals with numerous parallels that connect the lifestyles of the characters, but also contrast them. The author tends to switch back and forth between each chapter in order for us to understand the two main characters the Rincóns and the Mossbachers. The first part of the book called “Arroyo Blanco,” opens up with a descriptive but haunting event that occurs the afternoon as one of the main character’s name of Delaney Mossbacher is driving near the …show more content…
As usual every morning he was up at 7am to making breakfast for his wife, Kyra, and his stepson, Jordan. He let the dogs Osbert and Sacheverell out into the yard to take care of their business. The unfortunate experience still haunted Delaney, but his daily life ritual had begun to push the incident in the back of his mind with all he does in the morning from making sure Jordan homework in his backpack, lunch is packed, table is set for breakfast and coffee made. However, the routine gets interrupted that morning by a coyote, who jumps to their backyard fence stealing one of Kyra’s terrier dogs. Delaney rushes outside when they hear this unfamiliar sound, he sees the Coyote snatch the dog and he begins to go running and screaming after it in the canyon. The Coyote is too fast and gets away, but Delaney keeps looking for the dog. He finds a bone of a leg with a toenail in the brushes all this is left of the dog and he’s outraged and shocked, over the death of their dog Sacheverell. He wants justice for Sacheverell, therefore Delaney attends the town hall meeting to make a statement in regards the lurking around of the coyotes in the neighborhood who are being fed by the residents. However, the meeting is in regards to the building of a gate at the entrance of the community an idea Delaney's doesn’t quite agree fully with. An athlete jumps up and speaks out on the issue that is a common use of sarcasm of discrimination and racism. The man makes a statement to the how he against living in a community that closes its streets to someone just because they don’t come from the same background. Delaney worked up the nerve to speak out about his issues with the wild animals lurking around, as a result the committee did not want to pay him any attention to what he