Examples Of Racial Discrimination In The Tortilla Curtain

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America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. It is best known as a place that guarantees any individual equal opportunity and the right to be free unless you’re a minority group. This is a category of people that differs from the majority of a society. For instance, immigrants in America are constantly being viewed as second class citizens. They are being deprived of their basic human rights and treated unfairly in a country that guarantees equal opportunity. The immigrants of America are victimized by more than just the self proclaimed ignorance of the American people. In the book The Tortilla Curtain, the author T.C Boyle describes racial discrimination towards immigrants through the perspective of the characters, the use of …show more content…
The author describes the wall as an unmovable object that has the mere purpose of keeping people in and, most importantly, people out. This wall is the safe haven that eventually finds its way around the main characters, Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher. No matter how they felt about it at the beginning of the story, the characters accepted the wall and felt safer being isolated from the people who can bring them harm. However, the wall itself is not only keeping people out; it is telling a distinct group of people that they are not welcome in. Like most Americans, Delaney and Kyra Mossbacher are allowing their negative opinions of Mexicans to influence their rational thinking. In fact, according to "Mexican American Discrimination", “Mexican Americans have been the victim of discrimination throughout the history of the United States.” The creation of the wall is no more than an excuse to separate two types of people and encourage racial …show more content…
Through Candido’s and America’s immigrant experience, the author shows just how much Mexicans are given “equal opportunity” in America. The text states, “It’s all right, six hours and he’ll give you twenty five dollars.” This quote is showing that Mexicans are not given any sort of equal opportunity. They are competing with one another over winning a chance to overwork themselves and earn close to nothing. Americans are using Mexican immigrants’ dire situation to their advantage. For example, the article "Exploiting immigrants: Labor laws need to protect undocumented workers", says, “ It was one year that José Ucelo Gonzalez…. Had finished paving a parking lot and asked for his day’s wages. But instead of paying him, the local contractor cursed at him and called the police.” The novel also describes Candido and America going for weeks without eating because they didn’t have any money for food. Due to the lack of money, they had to resort to stealing and eating out of the trash. The racial discrimination towards Mexicans is the reason why Mexicans become their stereotypes. America is made up of all types of people and each struggling with their own personal battle. The author of Tortilla Curtain portrays in his book that the battle Mexican immigrant’s face is none other than racial discrimination. They fought to live in a country that only sees them as workers

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