Celia’s story is very similar to the article I
found on New York Times; both are personal stories about immigration from what
is currently Mexico. Specifically, “coyotes”
brought Celia and Oscar (from the article) to Opium/United States when they
were both young. I believe both of them turned to “coyotes” for help to escape
the poverty they were living in. Celia’s
story was very heart touching and emotional, as was the article, but the
article shows the harsh reality of illegal immigration. I’m sure there are many
factors pushing people towards immigrating illegally, including escaping
prosecution, poverty, or violence. There are many people living in dreadful
situations, most without proper identification, therefore forcing them to
immigrate illegally.
I believe Celia risked her life in hopes of finding
a better one; this is probably true for most illegal immigrants. She imagined a wonderful country, much better
than her own and knew that’s where she wanted to be. This is described in
following passage from The House of the Scorpion, “You couldn’t see much
because the Farms are dark at night. But beyond, where the United States
lay, was a great glow in the sky. We knew that under the glow was the most
wonderful place.” Oscar and Jorge, both illegal immigrants, were only 15 when
they left Mexico. Not only did they want a better life for themselves, but also
to provide for their family back in Mexico. Soon after arriving in the United
States, they were both arrested and homeless. Although Celia wasn’t arrested,
she was taken by the Farm Patrol, “What an idiot I was! Those people don’t help
you go anywhere. They lead you straight to the Farm Patrol.” (Farmer 142).
Moreover, if the Farm Patrol hadn’t taken Celia, I
wonder what would have happened to Matt. Who would’ve taken care of him? Farmer
portrayed Celia as a kind, considerate, caring mother figure towards Matt. I
think Matt’s personality was partially shaped by his surroundings. If Rosa
happened to take care of him, Matt could’ve turned out like Tom! All in all, I
think Celia enjoys her current life and probably doesn’t regret immigrating as
she now has Matt in her life.
Resources:
-Knight, Meribah. “Far
From Family, Alone, Homeless, and Still Just 18.” Nytimes: New York Times (2012): n. pag. Web. 16 Mar. 2012.
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