Analysis Of Sonia Nazario´s Enrique's Journey

In Central America, some parents leave their children, and set out a journey to the United States in hopes of making a better life for them. Throughout the years, the children who are left behind eventually go on a journey to be reunited with their family. On the journey, the children acquire many character traits and skills that ultimately make them grow as a person. In the book by Sonia Nazario titled Enrique’s Journey, author Nazario writes about Enrique, a young Honduran boy, who goes on a long and strenuous trip to find his mother. In the article “Desperate Voyagers,” by Ioan Grillo, it talks on the subject of children fleeing their country due to gang violence. The majority of the children who have crossed into the U.S are usually reunited

When Enrique is in the encampment in Nuevo Laredo, he meets other migrants who are around the same age as him. Nazario writes, “Ermis Galeano is stuck too. He and Enrique compare stories. Both are from Honduras. Both have been robbed. As with Enrique, bandits on top of a train struck Ermis face with a board. It tore out his front teeth, leaving two black holes” (143). The two are both from Honduras. They share their experiences, and notice many commonalities between them. This is significant because it demonstrates that other child migrants are going through the same exact thing as one another. In addition, he meets a girl named Gabi. Gabi decided to go on her journey because she misses her mother dearly. Although Gabi had been robbed, and abandoned by her smuggler, she still is determined to reach the United States. Nazario writes, “She hardly slept, never smiled or combed her hair. Her legs turned black with ticks. She felt, as though bugs were eating her alive, but she dared not lift her skirt to remove them. She kept repeating to herself, ‘I have to get to my mother’” (145). Since Gabi is a girl, she is very likely to get raped. Gabi avoids getting raped by not sleeping, smiling, or brushing her hair. Her only motivation to persist is her mother. This is significant because even though Gabi has been through many challenges, she still is driven to reach

immigration agents. One gang in particular is targeting Enrique, which can ultimately be life threatening. Nazario writes, “One gang, Enrique knows, wants to harm him. Salvadorans with MS tattooed on their foreheads, the sign of the Mara Salvatrucha, hang out like dogs at the San Jose church, sniffing out robbery prospects”(152). In Nuevo Laredo, Enrique is aware of a gang that has a desire to hurt him. The gang frequently visits the church where Enrique sleeps at night to find a robbery victim that meets their criteria. This is significant because the Mara Salvatrucha gang is notorious for violence, and it shows how dangerous a run in with them can be. While Enrique is avoiding gang relations, he also has to hold back from getting caught by the immigration agents. Nazario writes, “Many migrants trying to enter are caught by the INS: 108,973 near Laredo in 2000, the year Enrique is trying. Enrique will have to outsmart Border Patrol agents on the other side who are skilled and dogged” (164). In the year 2000 in Nuevo Laredo, 108,973 migrants are caught trying to enter the United States. Unfortunately, that’s the year Enrique is trying to pass over. In order to navigate across the border, Enrique has to be very sly. As a result, he can successfully mislead the immigration agents. This is important because it shows that his chances of getting to the United States are very