Question

Jose Navidad's character is accepted by neither Americans nor Mexicans in the course of the story. Is this a result of his own actions, or are his actions a result of this lack of acceptance? Why? Refer to at least three scenes from the novel Tortilla Curtain to support your answer. You also need to use at least two quotes from the novel to support your response.

Answer 1

From the book Tortilla Curtain, Jose Navidad is a notorious character that is regarded as the villain of the novel and regarded with suspicion by many characters in the novel.

Jose Navidad and his companion r ape America when he sees her in the labor exchange and America says later on that she saw pain and hurt in the eyes of Jose Navidad. His actions throughout the novel are a sort of retribution for the lack of acceptance by both the Americans and Mexicans and how he was treated.

His lack of acceptance by the Americans or Mexicans could be as a result of his mixed race. He is described to be light-skinned which belongs to neither the American or Mexican community and he was addressed by some racial slurs when he is called "wetback" by a white character named Delaney.