Chapter 1-3 Background information (section 2)

Chapter 1: 
-Delaney was at the desert, where he got his car stolen 
-Delaney goes to his dealership in hopes to find his car
*Delaney, getting his car stolen causes tension and conflict throughout the book. He changes his perspective on anyone who is not white, because he assumes that he had stolen his car. 
Chapter 2: 
-After successfully getting a job at the construction place, Candido counts his own luck
*He is grateful for being able to get a job at the construction, but doubts how long he could keep this job because he was a temporary replacement 
* Candido also, realizes in this chapter that America, is getting bigger and bigger with her pregnancy but he does not have any stable job or real home for her and the baby. 
Chapter 3: 
* Exposes what Americans believe should happened to Mexicans
*Does not trust anyone out of the community and wants to build a wall to keep immigrants away

Chapter 8 summary (Part 1)

The last chapter of part one, shows Candido waiting for America, in front of the supermarket. At that moment, he is concern about where America is but he knows that the supermarket, is the only place America would go looking for him. After waiting for a while, he finally gets re-united with America. America, was getting out of Sherilyn's car. At the same moment, he feels ashamed. He is ashamed that his wife has to work for money for the family. It was a man's job to be the provider of the family, not the wife. As they got back to their camp site, America and Candido enjoy a wonderful night, uplifting their spirit. The next day, they both awoke early to head towards the labor exchange. At the exchange, America, got work early and left with Jim. Jim takes her back to his house, where she continues to clean Buddhas. Out of no where, her hands started burning and she need to pee real back. Taking her chances, she rushes to the bathroom. After work was done, Jim drops her off and gives he $25. She then waits for Candido, hoping he got work. After waiting for a while, she heads down to the camp site, where she runs into Jose. Knowing she is in danger, she rushes up the hill. A tragic occurs when Jose catches her and rapes her. She is then traumatized and tells Candido. 

Vocabs for Chaper 3 part 1

Chapter 3:

Ubiquitous: Presenting, appearing, or found everywhere

Allot: Give or apportion to someone as a share or task

Desertification: Fertile land becomes desert

Scuffed: Scrape or brush the surface against something

Clatter: continuous rattling sound as of hard object

Abhorred: Regard with disgust and hatred

Sapling: Dig a sap or saps 

Umbrage: Offense or annoyance

Mentum: Projection like a chin formed by the sepals 

 

The Tortilla Curtain Part || Vocab Ch. 7 - 8

Chapter 7: 
Apparition - Divide Calculate 
Penurious - Don't want to spend money
Frenetic - Widely excited or active 
Diminutive - Extremely small in size, tiny 
Innundate - To flood, to overflow 

Chapter 8:
Recrimination - An accusation 
Voyeur - Obsessive 
Blithely - Care free, nonchalant 
Venal - Open to bribery 
Myopia - Lack of long range perspective 

Tortilla Curtain Part 2 Questions Ch. 4-6

Chapter 4:
1. From the past events, how do you feel about Delaney? Why?
2. If you were in America's position, what would you do if you were pregnant without a stable home?
3. Why does Candido stop looking for a job?

Chapter 5:
1. How many times has Delaney been married?
2. What is strange about Kyra and Delaney's concern about the dog in the car?

Chapter 6:
1. Why does Delaney accuse the man of stealing? (Race, Gender)
2. How successful is Kyra for being a real estate agent?

The Tortilla Curtain PART 2 Chapters 1-3 Summaries

Chapter 1

          The Tortilla Curtain part two opens out with Delaney going to the Acura dealership to get a new car. He is able to get a car that looks like his stolen car; Kenny Grissom, the Acura salesman, tells him that Mexicans are the ones that always steal cars, Delaney dislikes Kenny Grissom because his personality. He then drives his new car to an Indian restaurant and meets up with Kyra for lunch. They discuss plans to build a new, taller fence for their backyard. As they're discussing this Delaney has the urge to tell Kyra that losing his car has mad him upset and resent Latinos. As they were leaving the restaurant Kyra notices a dog that has been mistreated then she goes onto confront everyone in the restaurant asking about the car; after a while she leaves forgetting about the dog in the green jeep and goes on with her day by working at the office. Meanwhile, Delaney tries to create a "mouse trap" for Latinos and anyone that tries to steal his car. After closing at the office Kyra checks up on the fencing going on at her house and notices Candido's injuries and realizing that he's the man that Delaney hit with his car.

Chapter 2 

          

          Candido is extremely proud of himself for being able to get a job at a reconstruction place although the pay is extremely low he imagines the future him and America can have if he saves up his money. As Candido's and America's lives were looking up, they soon realized that someone tipped the immigration off and officers were looking for them. Candido and America got away from the officers and now lived at Topanga creek. Candido realizes that wherever they are living, he can't give America the life that they dreamed of. He is reminded of that every time he looks at her because he sees that she is week and pregnant. 

Chapter 3 

          Delaney and Kyra continue to discuss the issue of the gang of Mexicans; Kyra informed Delaney that she showed Mike Bender the problem and convinced him to use his connections to get the gang out of the area. Delaney at first stunned by the news soon excepts it and gives it heavy thoughts. Delaney and his friends soon exchange stories and crimes about the hispanics, and brain storm a way to prevent the crimes from happening. He soon discovers that they tell him this because they want to build a wall around Arroyo Blanco. He puts deep thought into building the wall and wonders what would happened if all the Mexican immigrants would survive with that wall up. As Kyra, Jordan, and Delaney continue on with their day Delaney notices a horrific sight on Kyra's face; he turns around and finds a coyote back in their year after Osbert. The coyote grabs the dog and runs across the fence so fast that the little dog's life cannot be spared. 

Background Info Chapter 8

The Coyote - Recurrent motif throughout the novel, at the same time one of the strongest symbols of 
immigrant

Construction of "The Walls" - A physical barrier keeping people and cultures apart 
(Stonewall & gate installed in order to protect community against immigrant and criminals)

Opossum - Candido's dinner, believes it taste like wet rat

"Pilgrim at Topanga Creek" - monthly column for a nature magazine called Wide Open Spaces

Arroyo Blanco Community Center - White stucco building with an orange tile roof and features a kitchen, a wet bar, a stage, a P.A. system, and seating for two hundred people