Sacrifice In The Only Road By Alexandra Diaz

In The Only Road, the author Alexandra Diaz asks readers to consider the reality of corruption and sacrifice that affects immigrants and refugees, and the resilience it takes to combat it.

The theme of sacrifice affects the main characters Jaime and Angela early on in the book. When the cousins are sent to the United States unaccompanied by an adult, they are sacrificing their right to a stable life in their hometown, and embarking on a dangerous journey that is filled with corruption and fear. Money is the only thing that can improve their chances of survival, and even this can not ensure it. “‘You’ll have to pay them of course,’ … ‘Buy the children’s safety-’” (pg 19) On the day that they leave, the cousins discover a surprise. Their parents

In Arriaga, Mexico, the cousins are staying at a refugee shelter when Jaime again realizes the sacrifice that his parents made to send him and Angela over the border. “The money, the sacrifice his and Angela’s parents must have gone through to get everything ready in just a few days. Just for their safety. They gave us everything they had. And more.”(pg 86). Around them, some people who do not have the resources that they have suffer even more than the cousins. Jaime and Angela, even in the situation that they are in, are somewhat privileged. They are able to secure a spot for themselves on a train, and pay for a somewhat trustworthy “coyote” to take them over the border. Others aren’t so lucky. Jaime and Angela witness children starving on the train and people who have been sent back over the border multiple times. The journey is intertwined with corruption and fending for yourself. “‘...is it worth going against your morals just to stay alive?’” (pg 181). All of this makes the journey not only physically, but emotionally

When the cousins need money to pay to cross the border safely, Jaime makes money from his drawings, but white, wealthy tourists take advantage of him and his sister, assuming that they can buy anything they want from them. “‘My children love your dog. How much for her?”(pg 253). In this scene, a tourist father attempts to buy Jaime and Angela’s dog, Vida. When Jaime refuses, the tourist is taken aback, because he assumed that he could buy anything that he wanted. This carries over to the general attitude of white people towards refugees in the book. On the way into the United States, after all of the struggle and hardship the cousins face on the way through Mexico, all it takes is Angela flirting with the border guard to get them across safely. Because Jaime’s brother, Tomas, lives legally in the U.S, Jaime and Angela are guaranteed a safe place to stay. However, Tomas is making a sacrifice by allowing Jaime and Angela to live with him. He is risking his citizenship, because if the cousins were found at his house, they could all be deported. When Tomas reunites with Jaime and Angela at a refugee shelter, some of his first words are, “I can’t believe you’re here. Do you two know how lucky you are?” (pg 273). Even though the cousins faced many hardships on their journey, and sacrificed their childhood, they are considered lucky just to be