What does Delaney write about in Tortilla Curtain?
In his nature column, Delaney writes, “The coyote is not to blame—he is only trying to survive, to make a living, to take advantage of the opportunities available to him.” He concludes the same column by writing, “The coyotes keep coming, breeding up to fill in the gaps, moving in where the living is easy.
Who is Kyra in The Tortilla Curtain?
Kyra is Delaney’s wife and the mother of Jordan. Kyra is a realtor and is wholly dedicated to her work.
What social issues are apparent in the excerpt Tortilla Curtain?
What social issues are apparent in the excerpt Tortilla Curtain? It delves into middle class values and their relation to the issues of illegal immigration, xenophobia, poverty, and the American dream.
What type of woman is Kyra?
KYRA, in Greek, is a shortened form of Kyria which is a title of respect for a woman. In Slavonic the name Kyra means “strong women”, while in Russian it means a “female beloved leader” or the “the woman people look up to.” In Hindi and in Sanskrit it can mean woman of light.
Why is it called The Tortilla Curtain?
The term “Tortilla Curtain” referenced the Cold War-era’s “Iron Curtain” that represented the division between the democratic Western Europe and the Communist Eastern Europe. The incident serves as a key example of the mercurial nature of border relations between the United States and Mexico.
What does the coyote symbolize in The Tortilla Curtain?
The dramatic scene, with the “dun” (brown) coyote holding a “tense white form” clenched in its teeth, metaphorically illustrates white fear of the Mexican immigrants. At this point, Delaney is nevertheless a staunch liberal humanist and animal lover.
What does Delaney do for a living Tortilla Curtain?
A nature writer and New York native, Delaney spends much of his time writing about the flora and fauna of California.
Why is it called the Tortilla Curtain?
What does Kyra do for a living?
According to her LinkedIn, Kyra is currently employed as an analyst for Healthcare Staffing Professionals Inc. in California. Before that, she earned a degree in psychology from Loyola Marymount University.
What happened to the baby in The Tortilla Curtain?
Cándido and América’s infant daughter, born in a toolshed just outside the wall surrounding the Arroyo Blanco Estates. Socorro is born blind, which América believes is the result of José Navidad having raped her. Socorro is lost and presumably drowned in a flood at the very end of the novel.
Who or what does the coyote symbolize in Delaney’s article pilgrim in Topanga Canyon?
They are cunning, versatile, hungry and unstoppable.” Delaney’s column on coyotes centers on an extended metaphor in which coyotes stand in for Mexican immigrants.
Why was Delaney against the idea of a gate?
That evening, Delaney attends a neighborhood meeting for the people living at Arroyo Blanco Estates. Delaney’s attitude vis-à-vis the gate issue is important because it reveals that he is not as committed to his “liberal humanist ideals” as he claims he is.
When was the Tortilla Curtain by Delaney Mossbacher published?
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Penguin Books edition of The Tortilla Curtain published in 1996.
Who is Delaney Mossbacher in the tortilla?
The borders. Delaney took an involuntary step backwards, all those dark disordered faces rising up from the streetcorners and freeway onramps to mob his brain, all of them crying out their human wants through mouths full of rotten teeth. “That’s racist, Jack, and you know it.”
Who is Delaney in the Tortilla Curtain book?
At the beginning of the book Delaney is a liberal humanist but in the end he turns in to a reactonary racist. This development starts with the car accident at the beginning of the book and ends with him accusing José for the burning forest.
Who are the characters in the Tortilla Curtain?
The The Tortilla Curtain quotes below are all either spoken by Delaney Mossbacher or refer to Delaney Mossbacher. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: ).