Figurative Language In The Devil's Highway

In The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea, the author retells a story of a group of immigrants who attempted to cross the border from Mexico into America. Throughout the novel, Urrea uses figurative language and syntax to prove the meaning that in order to grow as a community, there needs to be unity; making quick judgements about others can prevent people from uniting together. Towards the beginning of the novel, Urrea describes how the bodies of those who died crossing the border are treated in inspections for reports. He particularly describes how the deceased are referred to and states, “Some reports wittily call these men Juan Does. Jane Doe becomes Juana Doe” (Urrea 36). When he states that “Jane Doe becomes Juana Doe,” he uses the …show more content…
The people the U.S. need to unite in order to help solve issues like immigration in a calm manner to benefit everyone. Unity does not only apply to immigration, but it can have a positive benefit to any problem society faces. With more viewpoints available to provide their opinions and backgrounds, a more advantageous solution can be reached that benefits more people. The Devil’s Highway was written to inform people of the horrid, brutal journeys and treatment many immigrants face when crossing the Devil’s Highway. Urrea’s novel gives very personal anecdotes to remind people that these immigrants are still human and are in fact not very different from those who are opposing immigration. The division and prejudice that lies in the society can only further desensitize people to the wrong treatment of others. It is important to realize that there is more to each and every person than the stereotypes they are connected to. Throughout his novel, Urrea proves the meaning that in order to grow as a community, there needs to be unity through his use of syntax and figurative