Into the Beautiful North

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2009

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-3

Chapters 4-6

Chapters 7-9

Chapters 10-12

Chapters 13-15

Chapters 16-18

Chapters 19-21

Chapters 22-24

Chapters 25-27

Chapters 28-30

Chapters 31-33

Chapters 34-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Chapters 31-33Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 31 Summary

Irma has set up her tribunal for the meeting. The assistants of the hotel begin letting the applicants file in. There were close to twenty in the room, and a large line up moving into the hallway. No one anticipated this large of a turnout. Atomiko goes into the hall for crowd control and some of the men plead with him to go home because life in America “is too hard” (299). Atomiko has to settle the crowd from their pleading and asking questions about jobs, houses, etc. and repeats that they only want soldiers or cops. He returns to the room and tells Irma "the revolution has begun" (300).

Chapter 32 Summary

Nayeli and Tacho roll on. As Nayeli feels her menstruation beginning, she and Tacho stop at a gas station so she could get the necessary supplies. Tacho has corn nuts and a slushee. He gets a brain freeze and the people in the store inform him that it is from the slushee. He asks about the 6000 lb. prairie dog that the signs boasted of and the cashier tells him it is a lie - it is made of concrete. He announces to Nayeli that "It is all a cruel illusion" (303).

The extreme boredom on the road changes to despair. "They were far from anything they knew. They were far from any world they could understand." (305). They stop to view the great Mississippi River, however, the arch of St. Louis frightens them. Tacho is having digestive issues even though he remembered not to drink the water.

Chapter 33 Summary

Tacho has a high fever and diarrhea. "Ma Johnston's minivan, too, was sick. It screeched, banged, and clacked as they drove" (307). The worst, however, is the despair that he begins to feel. Tacho believes "They were fools, on a fool's errand. They had been fools to ever leave Tres Camarones. And they had joined all the other unwanted fools hiding in the long shadows of the United States" (307).

Swooning with fever, Tacho looks up at the statue of a huge hand clutching a globe. Nayeli sees it as a sign that they "have been in God's hand the whole time" (309). Tacho called Kankakee "Tijuana, USA". They find a hotel and Tacho falls into bed, sick. Just as well, Nayeli figures she should find her father on her own.

There is a thunderstorm raging outside. She showers, cleans her underpants with soap, and calls Aunt Irma. Irma tells her that Yolo does not want to go home to Mexico, that she wants to stay with Matt, but Matt does not want her to stay. There were seventy men that showed up to the application and they decided to take twenty-seven. Nayeli is shocked, saying they only wanted seven. They will find ways for the seven men to come back, but the other twenty will have to find their own way home. Nayeli admits that she is tired and Irma says she has changed the world. "You came here on a mission. Why do you think I allowed you to come? Eh? Why? Because you are the future. You had to be tested. And you passed" (314). Irma tells her that Nayeli is stronger than she will ever be. "Yes, I am Irma! Yes, I am La Osa! Yes, I am the women's bowling champion of Sinaloa! But I am only that person in my village...I can't be a hero in the big world - it scares me...I belong in Tres Camarones" (315).

Tacho groans that he wants to go home and echoing Irma’s sentiment, tells Nayeli, "People like us? We don't marry Johnny Depp" (315).

Chapters 31-33 Analysis

The further Nayeli and Tacho move away from their home, the sicker they begin to feel. Tacho is suffering with a fever and diarrhea and Nayeli is struggling to breathe in the high altitude air. Even though Kankakee seems like a small version of Mexico, it is still not home. Their illness and despair is symbolic of their “not belonging” there. It is not because they are illegal Mexicans in the US; it is because this is not where they are meant to be. All of the people of Tres Camarones are enchanted with the idea of going to the beautiful north and Tacho especially felt he was meant to be there. Joy and prosperity did not follow them into the US for long, and Tacho only desires home. In Tres Camarones they were “somebodies”, and here, they are quite disliked. They are not just labelled outsiders; they feel like outsiders and are out of place. This is what Tacho means when he says, “people like us…don’t marry Johnny Depp”. They were never meant to. It is very much about accepting who they are and finding that corner of the world where they feel a strong tie.