Coyote In Tortilla Curtain

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Coyote In Tortilla Curtain Essay, Research Paper

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 figurative

coyote with Jose Navidad who is portrayed as the bad character in the novel.

Boyle also uses the coyote to parallel the illegal immigrants and the way the

coyote lives. Candido is one of the main characters in the novel that is an

illegal Mexican and is paralleled to the coyote. Boyle points out how the coyote

is symbolic of illegal aliens. He also shows the meanings of the literal coyote

to the real animal itself. In each of these cases, we see how the coyote plays

an important role in The Tortilla Curtain. The coyote in this novel is symbolic

towards the characters? actions and their way of life. In the first part of

the novel entitled ?Arroyo Blanco? we see how Boyle uses the literal coyote

to portray the real animal. The Mossbacher family consists of Delaney, Kyra, and

Jordan. They own two terrier dogs named Sacheverell and Osbert. One night a

coyote jumps over and eats Sacheverell. The family is heart broken over this so

they put up an even higher fence to keep out any unwanted animals. Again, the

coyote jumps over the fence and eats the other dog named Osbert. It seems as

though the coyote will do whatever is has to do to survive. Even if that means

breaking and entering. The homeowners association is trying to put up a gate to

keep out ?the Salvadorans, the Mexicans, the blacks, the gangbangers, and

taggers and carjakers??(pg 39). Boyle uses the coyote as a symbol of

breaking in and taking whatever he wants. Even though the Mossbachers put up an

even higher fence, it still did not keep the coyote out, just as the gate may

not keep out the illegal aliens. Delaney is outraged at the fact that the

coyotes have eaten his dogs. They are trying to keep the coyotes out, just as

they are trying to keep all the illegal aliens out of Arroyo Blanco. They want

to keep the intruders out. Boyle also uses the coyote as a symbol to parallel

with the illegal aliens. Delaney Mossbacher writes a monthly column in the paper

that is about nature. In one of his columns he talks about how the coyotes live

compared with the illegal Mexicans. ? One coyote, who makes his living on the

fringes of my community? has learned to simply chew his way through the

plastic irrigation pipes whenever he wants a drink.? (Pg 212). This is one of

the quotes from Delaney?s column. In this quote Delaney is talking about how

the coyote lives just like the illegal Mexicans. This is a definite parallel to

Candido. Candido is an illegal Mexican who is living in the hills trying to live

off the land. This is very much like the coyotes life. He too lives off the

land. Delaney also talks about having the Los Angeles county animal control

?trap and euthanize? the coyotes. This is very much like the la migra coming

to pick up all the illegal immigrants standing on the corner waiting for work.

Boyle uses the coyote to symbolize how they live and how Candido lives. Both are

very similar. Boyle points out that coyotes live off the land, as does Candido.

Candido is just like the coyote because he too is living off the land and is

using other people?s stuff to survive. Both Candido and the coyote are

intruding on other people?s property taking whatever they feel is necessary to

survive. Another person the has the resemblance of the coyote is Jose Navidad.

Like the coyote, Jose Navidad is also an intruder. He is described as a tall

pale man with between yellow and red eyes. Candido spots Jose at the top of the

trail coming down into the canyon. They exchange a few words and Jose leaves.

Candido feels that Jose is intruding on his space. ?Now he had to worry about

this stinking crack-toothed pendejo nosing around down in the canyon, as if he

didn?t have enough problems already.? (Pg 90). Candido is now very worried

that Jose may come down to his camp and steal all of his stuff. Jose Navidad is

much like the coyote because the coyote intrudes on other people?s space just

as Jose has. Later on in the novel Jose goes down to the camp and rapes

Candido?s wife America. Jose has intruded on their space and took what he

wanted. In this case he rapes America. Also, Jose and his friend are found on

the Da Ros property. This is one of Kyra?s properties that she is trying to

sell. Kyra confronts Jose and she asks him what he is doing here. Jose says they

are just hiking and that they don?t know this area very well. Kyra tells the

two men that they are on private property and they must leave. Later on when

Kyra comes back to the Da Ros place she sees Pinche Puta written on the side of

the house. This shows the character of Jose Navidad. He is an intruder who

intrudes on other people?s property and does what he pleases. This is just

like the coyote. The coyote also goes from place to place taking what he wants.

In each of these cases we have seen how Boyle uses his character?s actions to

portray the coyote. The coyote has intruded on the Mossbacher?s property just

as Jose Navidad has intruded on the Da Ros property. In Delaney?s column he

wrote that they are trying to kick out all the immigrants just as they are

trying to ?trap and euthanize? the coyotes. Boyle also uses Candido to try

and portray how the coyote lives. The way Candido and America live is much

similar to the way the coyote lives. In each instance we can see that they both

scavenge around and try to live off of the land. In one of Delaney?s columns

he writes that the coyote has adapted. We can see how Candido has adapted to his

surroundings just like the coyote has. In all of these cases we see how the

coyote resembles some part of the characters. The coyote has proved to be a

symbol in this novel because many of the character?s actions have resembled

part of the coyote.

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