Frustration

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 La Linea by Ann Jaramillo highlights themes of desperation, poverty, and hope. While reading the novel, I noticed that I consistently felt the theme of frustration as well. I felt frustrated not only from the characters, but I personally felt frustrated while reading the novel. Miguel and his sister Elena were frustrated with waiting for their parents to send them to America, Elena was frustrated with having to wait for her parent's permission to travel north, and we see them frustrated with each other multiple times in the story. 

The feelings of frustration create suspense throughout the novel that increases our empathy towards the characters. In the scene where Miguel discovers his sister Elena has run away to try to reach la linea, we see pain and anger from both characters. "My plan-Don Clemente's carefully laid plan-was in ruins. And Elena was to blame." (Jaramillo 41). At this moment, I felt Miguel's anger that he was forced to change his entire plan because, from his perspective, his sister ruined everything. These feelings transfer over to his decisions on how to move forward in their journey up north. 

As the reader, I felt frustrated that this is what it takes for people to live a better life. Immigrants looking to cross the border have to survive potential kidnappings, robberies, rape, and murder. Once making it across the border, immigrants now have to live "in the shadows" to prevent being deported and sent back to their home country. 

With the theme of frustration, I understand the importance of this novel. It not only increases understanding of the topic but also promotes empathy. Despite the majority of us not being able to personally relate to this phenomenon, we still can be proactive in educating ourselves before making judgments on immigrants. 

Comments

  1. Candace BeebeNovember 18, 2020 at 10:18 AM

    A’Keriah, I also felt frustrated while reading this novel, mostly because every time Miguel and Elena seemed to make a step forward, they were knocked five steps backwards. Nothing came easily to them, every step was an uphill battle. And the battle does not end once they cross the boarder, like you said they will now have to live in the shadows or they will have to fight to earn their citizenship. However, I do think it’s beneficial for students to read because they need to understand the importance of hard work and determination. Anything worth having won’t be easy but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try anyway.

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