Cultural Conflicts in "Tortilla Curtain"

Paper Summary:

The paper describes "Tortilla Curtain" by T. Coraghessan Boyle, as a late 20th century novel that embodies many of the cultural conflicts occurring in 21st century America today between Caucasians and Hispanics. The paper then relates that these conflicts are embodied in the experience of two couples in the novel, Delaney Mossbacher and Kyra Menaker-Mossbacher, and Candido and America Rincon. The paper also relates that Boyle's novel conveys the hypocrisies of a nation that defines 'American' in a narrow way and claims to hate illegal immigration even while it depends upon the labor of Hispanic individuals, especially in the affluent yet economically and culturally divided California local where the novel is set.

From the Paper:

"The novel suggests that cultural interaction is impossible to avoid. The novel exposes liberal as well as conservative hypocrisies, particularly in the way that it shows that Delaney's supposed concern and compassion for the environment does not always translate into compassion for humanity, when he accidentally hits Candido with his car in Part I of the novel. By depicting the lives of two very different couples, living in close proximity to one another, Boyle's novel shows the great gulfs of prosperity that exist side-by side in America."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Boyle, T. Coraghessan. Tortilla Curtain. New York: Penguin, 1995

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