Immigration in "El Norte"

Paper Summary:

The paper attempts to show how "El Norte" (1983), directed by Gregory Nava, illustrates the futility of migration to America by reflecting upon the difficulties endured by all immigrant, illegal workers. The paper focuses on the narrative style and the intense personalization that conveys how immigrants must struggle to survive in a cruel land that alternately denies their existence, persecutes them for being undocumented, yet relies upon their labor.

From the Paper:

"A synecdoche is a kind of metaphor in either film or literature where the part of something stands in for a larger whole. This literary and cinematic form of metaphor is deployed through the innovative triptych narrative technique, point of view, and the characterization of "El Norte" (1983), directed by Gregory Nava. The film focuses on a single family. The brother and sister of the family stand in for all of the triumphs and tribulations of all Guatemalan immigrants migrating to America in search of opportunities. The example of one, indigenous family is used to represent a larger sociological phenomenon, that of immigration from Latin American to North America in general, and the lies of the American Dream for recent migrants."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "El Norte." Directed by Gregory Nava. 1983.

More papers on Immigration in "El Norte":

• Film Review # 119886 : "Illegal Immigration in "El Norte"
• Film Review # 104624 : "Film: "El Norte"
• Essay # 18178 : "Gregory Nava's Film "El Norte"

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