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 * As you read //The Tortilla Curtain//, consider the following ideas. **
 * Annotate. Annotate. Annotate. **

- How does the alternating point of view impact the story? How are the couples similar? Different? Do you get to know the couples equally well? Is Boyle fair in his portrayals?

- Boundaries – both real and imagined – play a large role in the novel. Who establishes them? Who crosses them? What is the implication of a boundary, a circumscribed area? (Think about //Fences// here, too.)

- Consider again the connotations of the words //interloper, immigrant,// and //pilgrim//. How do you see them interacting with this text? What do the ideas conjured by these words illuminate about this novel?

- The symbol of a coyote runs throughout this novel. What does it represent? What does it contribute to our understanding of Delaney’s point of view? To other aspects of the novel?

- There exist many references to Candido’s bad luck. Do you agree that he is unlucky? Could he have changed his luck? (Is it then even called “luck”?) How about Delaney & “luck”?

- What does this novel say about the American Dream? About its accessibility? About its desirability? About the trade-offs that accompany its pursuit and its fulfillment?

- Remember that this is a satire, a comment about the society and culture we live in. Given that, what is T.C. Boyle satirizing?

Some ideas from [|www.readinggroupguides.com]