La Linea

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2006

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-12

Chapters 13-19

Chapters 20-25

Chapters 26-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

Family Is Everything

The importance and influence of family is a dominant theme in La Línea. Jaramillo uses the theme to help readers connect with the migrant experience. Showing that Miguel, Elena, and Javi share the same fundamental values of family as the reader allows the reader to empathize with their struggles. Family is a motivating factor behind most of the characters’ journeys north, but family also comes with emotional issues.

Familial love is the underlying reason Papá went to the United States—he sought better financial and educational opportunities for his family. Miguel and Elena also travel north because of family, so they can become a whole family after years of separation and loss. Like Papá, Javi leaves his family because he cannot provide for them in El Salvador. Family responsibility also drives other migrants to go north. The pregnant wife and her husband who fail to board the train are likely seeking a better life for their growing family. The mata gentes are loaded with children, “trainload after trainload of niños, all of them headed north, searching for their families” (71). Familial bonds, responsibilities, and hope for betterment for one’s family drive migrants north.

Jaramillo emphasizes the sociopolitical conditions that influence many of the migrants’ decisions. Poverty forces migrants like Javi and Papá to search for work in the north because there is little money to be made in their home countries. Abuelita’s rancho has dried up and could not compete with the cheap prices of foreign corn. Javi worked at a coffee plantation until coffee prices dropped. Other migrants seek safer homes for their families, fleeing the powerful influences of narcotraffickers like Juanito. These factors ultimately threaten family opportunity, basic sustenance, and safety.

Navigating family relationships, however, can be difficult, especially when family members have been separated for so long. Miguel, emotionally wounded by Papá’s absence, has difficult relationships with both Papá and Elena. At various times throughout the novel, Miguel is ready to cut his family ties and responsibilities.

Miguel feels anger and resentment toward Papá. While he recognizes that Papá and Mamá sacrificed out of love to leave them to establish a better life for them, Miguel thinks Papá should have made a different sacrifice, saying, “Wouldn’t a father sacrifice whatever it took to bring his only son to his side?” (9). Miguel feels abandoned and unloved. Growing up without a father figure has left Miguel with some emotional challenges. He lacks self-esteem and needs to be right and in charge, as his bullying interactions with Elena reveal. She recognizes, “You can’t stand to have me be right” (79). For much of their journey, Miguel acts superior to and critical of Elena. Miguel recognizes this about himself, saying, “I knew how it felt to be macho, to try to boss Elena around to ignore her, to fight with her, like I did in San Jacinto” (63). Frequently, Miguel wishes he was free of Elena and the burden of responsibility he feels toward her. Miguel is also quick to anger and has trouble trusting people like Javi.

Other characters also show they have complicated feelings toward their families. Miguel believes Javi feels guilty about leaving his wife and children behind. Elena resents Miguel. She is angry at being the youngest and last one left behind, and she thinks Miguel is self-centered.

All three characters resolve their family issues by the novel’s end. Javi, affected by Elena’s resemblance to his daughter, acts as a surrogate father, taking both Elena and Miguel under his protection. Miguel recognizes the importance of his family ties. He realizes he does not want to be alone and does not want to leave Elena in the protection of Javi, who is not family. Miguel assumes responsibility for their survival. He, after time, also manages to forgive Papá. Elena, in turn forgives her parents, and grows closer to Miguel. Elena, arguably more so than Miguel, honors her connection to family and heritage, returning to run Abuelita’s rancho, start her own family, and find her belonging in her roots.

Coming of Age: Crossing Lines

While his trip north is physically arduous, Miguel must also overcome emotional challenges and internal conflicts. Miguel’s journey is also a search for self and belonging. Over the course of the novel, Miguel matures, learning more about himself and transitioning from childhood to young adulthood. In this respect, La Línea is a coming-of-age narrative. Miguel experiences pain and suffering on his trip, loses his innocence, and grows from his experiences, maturing and changing from naïve to wise.

At 15, Miguel thinks he is already grown up. He has endured a lengthy separation from his parents and is ready to begin what he sees as his life’s journey. Papá’s letter marks the beginning of his transition. Miguel comments, “If I’d ever belonged in San Jacinto, I didn’t belong now” (22). He is eager to strike out on own and discover where he truly belongs and who he is.

Miguel reveals at the start that he is not as grown-up as he believes. Although prepared with stories about the potential horrors of the trip north, Miguel is naïve about many of the dangers he and Elena face. He is frightened by “all the things I didn’t know and didn’t want to know.” (66). Miguel also acts immaturely. He is self-centered and dismissive of others’ worth. He is judgmental and unforgiving. Miguel has a difficult time admitting he is wrong or giving others credit, making Elena’s criticism that, “You didn’t know anything. You didn’t do anything!” (79) in contrast to Javi, especially hurtful.

Miguel matures gradually during his journey. He knows he is searching for his identity. Looking at his reflection in the stream, he comments, “My face looked like a dozen different puzzle pieces. No matter which way I moved my head, the pieces wouldn’t fit together. If I ever made it across la línea, I probably wouldn’t even know myself” (81-82). Miguel ultimately recognizes the importance of the bond between him and Elena. He appreciates Javi’s determination and the sacrifice the older man makes for them. Given their life-or-death situation after Moisés is shot and captured, Miguel takes responsibility for their survival.

A decade later, Miguel reveals he is finally mature enough to forgive his father, releasing the anger and bitterness that masked his sense of hurt. He now recognizes his inner conflict: Even though he has crossed la línea, Miguel is still searching for belonging and self-understanding. Miguel seems isolated, unable, or unwilling to even visit Mexico, but ambivalent about his life in the north. He understands now that there are always more challenges in life, some that change your identity in obvious ways and others that are more subtle. While he hints at plans for his future, he acknowledges that life is an endless journey of self-discovery, one that will continue throughout his life.

¡Sí se puede! Grit Overcomes Adversity

In La Línea, Miguel, Elena, and Javi face a daunting variety of external conflicts, from character versus society to character versus nature, to character versus character. Through all, they demonstrate grit and determination. Jaramillo shows that by courageously focusing on one’s goal, one can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

Angela Lee Duckworth, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania declares that grit is a defining character trait in those who successfully achieve their aims: “Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term goals” (“Angela Duckworth: FAQ,” 2022). Grit is a mindset for success. Miguel, Elena, and Javi are united in their determination to cross la línea. They feel so intensely and emotionally about their goal that they bounce back despite setbacks and moments of fatigue and doubt. Their courage, perseverance, and resilience keep them going.

The three support each other, encouraging and helping each other through difficult situations. When they again meet and embrace before boarding the mata gente, Miguel notes that, “We made a triangle, Javi and Elena the base, me floating loosely at the top.” The shape of their hug illustrates their unity and connection (63).

Two overarching obstacles the trio face are socioeconomic and political. Poverty in San Jacinto and El Salvador drives Papá and Javi to find work in the US and consequently drives Miguel and Elena to find their parents. Poverty limits their opportunities and their ability to go north. Miguel has waited years for enough money to finance his trip, but poverty restricts freedom. Similarly, politics in both Mexico and the United States—the closed border and lack of comprehensive immigration policies—give the migrants little choice but to attempt the dangerous illegal crossing. These social issues present both underlying motivations and challenges for their journey north.

Human obstacles are among the most dangerous the trio encounter, and they cause them the greatest setbacks and fear. Capitán Morales represents the hurdle of government corruption. Juanito typifies the threat from drug cartels. Colmillo and the train gang illustrate the dangers of widespread lawlessness and the victimization of the vulnerable. Arguably, the origin of each of these obstacles can be traced back to both poverty and politics. In addition to all of these obstacles, the trio struggles against natural hazards during their trek across the desert. Heat, dehydration, venomous animals, and hazardous plants endanger their lives.

When Miguel believes all their money is lost, he despairingly says, “I’m ready to give up” (57), but he does not. Miguel, Elena, and Javi show the depths of their desire to go north, which demonstrates their grit and resilience.

Javi, despite his age and his increasing physical debilitation as their journey progresses, displays iron willpower. He encourages himself and the others and pushes through his pain, saying, “All I have to do is get there,” (106). Miguel notes that Javi, exhausted, nonetheless “seemed to summon something from deep within” to keep going (110). Javi focuses on his passion for the end goal. When Javi knows the three of them together cannot make it, he sacrifices himself to keep his promise to Elena so she and Miguel can succeed.

Elena, though terrified of the sexual threats from Colmillo and the train gang, faces her fears with courage and with the help of Javi and Miguel’s reassurances. Elena reboards the train at Javi’s promise of protection and holds tightly to her vision of California, asking Miguel, “It’ll be better in California than we ever dreamed, right, Miguel?” (115). She is tough and uncomplaining during the difficult desert hike. Elena’s hope and passion keep her going.

Miguel also focuses on their end goal. He overcomes personal emotional conflicts in addition to the external ones the three face, and he assumes a leadership role. He engages in positive self-talk, refusing to even think about the possibility of failure, telling himself instead, “No te des por vencido” (112), or “don’t give up.” He encourages Elena, assuring her that they are “going to make it” (106). Determination, vision, and grit enable Miguel and Elena to achieve their goal.