Barbara Kingsolver simplifies the motif/adage of “one man’s trash, is another man’s treasure” in The Tortilla Curtain best when she says, “He (T.C. Boyle) comically and painfully details the smug wastefulness of the haves and the vile misery of the have-nots.” In the novel, Boyle constantly reminds his audience that the simple necessities, the “trash” Delaney (a symbol of the typical American, myself included) takes for granted such as hot running water, a fridge full of food, and a roof over his head are the “treasures” Candido (a symbol of the border-hopping-American-dream-seeker) strains for as he heaves himself up the trail from his shanty shack, day after day, in search of work.
Why does Boyle keep Candido in a constant state of misery? Why does he get Candido’s hopes up and then crush them so vehemently? I believe this is because Boyle wants his readers to appreciate the abundance of which we, the American public, fail to recognize in our everyday lives. He repudiates this idea in the text when Candido feels “as happy as he had ever been (Boyle257),” while roasting a small turkey, a thanksgiving gift from a benevolent citizen, without the fixings for thanksgiving. Because even without the mashed potatoes, the turkey gravy, the cranberries, etc. Candido is grateful for his blessings, however small. This is the moral lesson that develops throughout the novel, that the simplicity of one’s life and the contentment one has for their life is the key to happiness.
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You say that Boyle wants his readers to appreciate what we Americans take for granted. While this statement is true, I believe that Boyle kept Candido in constant misery because he wanted to emphasize the constant survival mode that Candido has to constantly have. Candido lives in fear every day that he is alive. He must take care of his wife, America, and their unborn baby; he must also be able to survive living in a canyon surrounded by wildlife as well as constantly be on the lookout for border patrol so that he and his family will not be caught and sent back to Mexico. Because he lives in fear all the time, this leads to his perpetual misery because he cannot provide for his family. He must salvage every day for food, and the dream for a permanent home can never turn into a reality.
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