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The Symbolism Of Escape In The Crossing

440 Words2 Pages

To most, life is pretty simple, you get a house, food, education, and a family, but have you ever thought about those who don’t have those things? Like in the book The Crossing, a boy named Manny Bustos is seeking a way to escape his life on the streets. Currently, Manny has to wrestle and beg for food and sleep in a cardboard box. He does so, because the street men could take him away and sell him. Then there’s Robert S. Locke, a sergeant who served in the Vietnam War and lost many close friends, who now drinks the night away to keep the memory of them away from him. The two both need an escape, and that escape is symbolized as the Santa Fe Bridge that is the definite border of the U.S. and Mexico.

Ever since the beginning of the book, Manny has thought of the bridge and how he longs for the American dream. In fact, Manny won’t go a chapter in the book without mentioning or even implying to him crossing. For example on page 12 it states, “He had much to do to get ready, and on this day not much time left. He would cross tonight.” What the text is saying is Manny is preparing to leave and he is almost ready to just go to the United States. With the sergeant though, the bridge and border are completely different. …show more content…

Meaning he drinks to forget his dead war friends, because he fears that their memory will haunt him if he doesn’t drink. In Chapter 2, it states, “...Sergeant Robert S. Locke would go to Juarez… and he would drink evenly and professionally until he was in a state that he called brain dead, which would last until he came back to the barracks and get ready for the next day.” (Page 16) . This text is generally explaining is how Robert escapes from his life in a unreal feeling that seems like a fantasy. Robert and Manny both have bad life styles and the bridge helps the two to a better

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