Examples Of Humanism In The Tortilla Curtain

"What makes us Americans is our shared commitment to an ideal -- that all of us are created equal, and all of us have the chance to make of our lives what we will." - Barack Obama. In The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle, he writes about the topic of immigration using a couple named Candido and América who are trying to better their lives by living in the U.S. Boyle showcases the myths and false beliefs of millions of Americans who fail to see that immigrants are human just like them. Boyle uses animal like similes and disrespectful terms to get his point across on the self-proclaimed liberal “humanist” Delaney Mossbacher views immigrants. In the beginning of chapter one, Delaney hits Candido with his car. Delaney thinks to himself “The man

Why did this have to happen to him?”(6). If only he could truly live a day in the life of Candido. There are far worse things in life than a bump or scratch on his precious car with the ironic “PILGRIM” license plate. He then goes onto to say that this event “Ruined his afternoon”(7). How can someone be so thoughtless of others? He saw the shape Candido was in, yet HIS afternoon was ruined. Delaney doesn't feel guilty at all, in fact he states that he is angry. “There wasn't a trail in the Santa Monica Mountains that didn't have its crushed beer cans, its carpet of glass, its candy wrappers and cigarette butts, and it was people like this Mexican or whatever he was who were responsible thoughtless people, stupid people, people who wanted to turn the whole world into a garbage dump, a little Tijuana…”(11). Delaney talks about immigrants like they are poor or lower class. However, according to Adl.org, fewer than 1 in 5 immigrants live in poverty and more than half the foreign born population are homeowners. It’s extremely hypocritical to say that “these people” are thoughtless and “stupid”. If only someone would talk about him like this or treat him the way he treated Candido. Also, whose to say that immigrants are responsible for all the trash he just named? 75% of Americans admit to littering and the U.S has proven multiple times that it’s the most wasteful country in the world