Crossing the Wire

The idea of the American Dream is complicated throughout the novel by references to a changing economic landscape. Early on, we learn that free trade agreements between the U.S. and Mexico have led to new manufacturing jobs in Mexico but have in turn destroyed Mexico’s farming economy. Victor recalls his father saying that, “They say that ‘free trade’ is supposed to help us. We get manufacturing jobs like my son-in-law’s at the General Motors plant in Silao. That’s fine with the American companies. It’s expensive for them to pay car workers in the States. But when it comes to agriculture, this free trade is killing us” (18).

Mexico is just one player in a rapidly-globalizing world. While Mexico has gained factory jobs from agreements with the U.S., those jobs are not secure, as Victor learns when he tries to work at a factory near the border and finds the plant closed. The work has moved to China, where labor is less expensive.Even the U.S. is not immune to economic changes due to globalization. Victor and Rico learn they are lucky to get work in the asparagus fields that year, because, “Little would be grown here next year. The cannery was going to close because Americans were buying their canned asparagus from Peru” (206).

Changes to the global economy contribute to changes toward immigration. The novel repeatedly references the fact that immigration to the U.S. has increased in recent years. The increase has led to overcrowding in Border Patrol processing centers. Sometimes, immigrants are detained for many months before they are processed and deported; Julio tells Victor this has happened to him. Other times, as with Victor and Rico, immigrants are not processed at all and simply deported. Still other times, as with Miguel, immigrants are caught by violent citizen vigilantes who roam the Mexico-U.S. border. 

Economic instability and rapid change threatens the livelihood of people living on both sides of the border, making the border a more violent and thankless place. As Miguel says, “It didn’t use to be like this. The ranchers used to put out water for people before there were so many of us, before the coyotes started smashing down their fences, breaking into their houses, stealing their vehicles…times have changed” (91-92). 

Family is consistently reinforced as the most important and resilient source of motivation for the book’s male characters. Victor, Julio, and Miguel are all traveling to the U.S. to earn money to support their families. Victor believes that as “the man of the family” he is responsible for providing for his mother and siblings (14). While Julio’s father is not reliable, Julio has his mother’s blessing and carries a seashell that he will give to her when he returns. And Miguel worries about taking Victor with him, because he has a wife and four children at home, so he can’t afford “to make any more mistakes” (87).

Miguel, a father figure to Victor, reinforces this idea of the male provider, telling Victor, “Don’t be sorry for me, or for yourself, either, when the bad things happen. You have to stay strong for your family. You have to be a man’’ (92). Miguel and Victor’s father’s sayings underscore this traditional gender role, emphasizing qualities like independent thinking, persistence, and bravery. When Miguel and Victor see a group of people led by a coyote through the desert, Miguel refers to them as centipedes. “Cut off the head,” he says, “and the body will die” (88). By contrast, Miguel and Victor forge their own paths across the border. “Walk your own road and bear your own load—that’s my motto,” says Miguel (88). This and other similar sayings—“Better to die on your feet than lie on your knees” (43) and “Once mounted on a horse, one must hang on when he bucks” (101)—outline the traits of the male as provider.

Rico is the only character who rejects his family responsibility. Speaking to Miguel, Victor describes Rico’s privileged position in Mexico: “My friend—his name is Rico—was born poor, yet his father built him a ladder” (97). Thanks to his parents’ hard work, Rico does not have to leave his country for money. He is supposed to stay in Mexico to attend school and take care of his parents as they age; instead, he chooses to leavefor the U.S. in secret to seek out culture and adventure.

By the end of the novel, however, Rico has realized the value of family. After narrowly escaping Jarra in the mountains and arriving in the U.S. only to find that his brother has been stealing cars and his cousin is in jail, Rico tells Victor, “Everything’s different. You have a family to send your money back to. A reason to keep you going. But me, why am I here?” (212). He realizes when he is crossing the mountain that his parents—and his role as provider—are his real reason to live, and decides to return home:  “I used to think it was unfair that my parents had chosen me to be the one to take care of them in their old age…[n]ow, I choose it.” (214). His experiences have led him to realize the importance of supporting his family.