How Does T. C. Boyle Use Satire In The Tortilla Curtain

First World Problems: They Don’t Exist Kyra and Delaney Mossbacher seem to be living the perfect life. They have the perfect schedule down and they play themselves off as liberals: Delaney doesn’t mind that Kyra is the breadwinner of the family and Kyra willingly gives all housework and childcare responsibilities to Delaney. They seem like a perfectly normal and progressive couple. However, as T.C. Boyle delves deeper into their lives, these two characters in The Tortilla Curtain become more and more ridiculous. Boyle uses satire to show how ludicrous their lives are and makes fun of the way that they see their situation. Delaney and Kyra represent, essentially, the white, middle to middle-upper class population and even with their privilege,

On Thanksgiving, a wildfire threatens Arroyo Blanco, and in turn, the Mossbacher and Rincón families. Delaney jokes that they should turn off the oven with the turkey in it. Boyle provides an insight into how white people see disasters. With enough money from his parents to live well off, Delaney has no reason to fully worry about his house after Kyra’s son is out of it. His cat, his kid, his computer, they’re all safe, so the only thing left to worry about is the turkey. Meanwhile, Candido and América are facing real problems, like how to avoid being burned alive, along with keeping the baby safe. They’re running through brush during a wildfire while the white family is fretting over which valuables to get out of the house. The Mossbachers live in a gated community with fireman who will keep them safe while the Rincóns have no firemen to hose down the wildfire on their heels. The parody of how the two different families see the same problem is a harsh bite of reality from T.C. Boyle. It is harsh, but truthful in many

América and Candido make up after he brings home a Thanksgiving turkey from the market and Kyra and Delaney separate after the wildfire. The Rincón family has been through more dangerous and traumatic experiences than the Mossbachers will ever face in their lives. América was raped and gave birth to a baby in a shed and Kyra is upset because the house she was selling was burned down. The reactions of all the characters in the novel are quite similar, but the episodes that caused them are worlds apart. Kyra makes a fuss out of everything, and even Delaney surmises that nothing is small in the life of Kyra. Everything deserves an explosive reaction. This is the satire that T.C. Boyle has made of white people: they are over the top and hysterical about problems others would give anything to have. For a Mexican couple living in the brush, it would be a wonder to have a house, even if a wildfire was threatening it. Four walls and a roof are out of reach for Candido and América but the most out of reach thing for Kyra and Delaney is a perfect Thanksgiving