40 pages • 1 hour read
Into the Beautiful North
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.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaChapters 34-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 34 Summary
The next morning, Nayeli heads out to look for her father and is given a free bean burrito from a drive-thru. The worker tells her to try the library to find her father and that in Kankakee, "they like Mexicans here!" (317).
Nayeli marvels at the beauty of the building. There are Mexican children in the library, but Nayeli is too shy and ashamed to ask anyone for help. The librarian, Mary-Jo, asks her if she needs help and Nayeli tells her she is looking for her father. Mary Jo says there are some Sinaloans in Kankakee, and calls the police and asks someone to come over. The Mexican American detective makes phone calls for about thirty minutes and thinks he has located Nayeli's father. He and Mary-Jo argue over who will take Nayeli to her father. Because of this kindness, Nayeli loves Kinkakee. Mary Jo drops her off at a street for Nayeli insists that she must go alone.
Arriving at a dead end, Nayeli watches a truck drive by and park in a driveway. A man steps out, with a woman and a toddler. He playfully smacks the woman on the bottom; they kiss and go inside. Nayeli knows it is her father. After crying and running through a farmer's field, she leaves him and walks away.
Chapter 35 Summary
Mary Jo drives Nayeli and Tacho to the bus station. She asks Nayeli what she will tell her mother about her father, and Nayeli says, "Nothing. He was gone" (325). As they pay for the tickets they watch news footage of "scores of Mexicans jumping over a fence and racing into Arizona" (326). The ticket seller is embarrassed and turns off the TV. Mary Jo remains until the bus drives off.
Chapter 36 Summary
Aboard the bus towards "Calexico", Arnie the Border Patrol guard that had captured Nayeli earlier, has been transferred to the I-8. At a routine check, he pulls over their bus and is shocked to find Nayeli and Tacho in the back. "Small world, isn't it," Arnie says to Nayeli and she replies, "We are in God's hands" (328-329).
Arnie marches them off the bus and into the gate of the truck. He questions Nayeli about her trip, remembering the details of her story, the searching for her Dad and "smuggling wets back into Mex" (330). She unenthusiastically tells him of the twenty-seven men waiting in San Diego to go back to Sinaloa. Arnie shares water with them while Nayeli retells her story. Arnie says he likes them, radioes to someone in the truck and drives them back to Yuma where he cooks them eggs and tortillas. He drives them straight to San Diego.
The book’s Epilogue has Pepino, from the roof of The Fallen Hand Taco Shop, calling out the army that he sees advancing to Tres Camarones. Nayeli, Tacho and Atomiko lead the charge. Pepino calls Atomiko a large monkey that talks.
Chapter 34-Epilogue Analysis
If Nayeli does not end up with Missionary Matt, then it’s no surprise that she is not properly reunited with her father either. He has left Tres Camarones and Mexico behind and completely adopted his life in the north. Rather than trying to connect with him, Nayeli understands that it is best to return to her home where she belongs. She is not meant to be displaced from her home, as she is an important leader there, and adopting any sort of American connection fully in her life would not “fit”.
The sight of the desperate Mexicans climbing over the border fence on the TV only serves to illustrate the deep disillusionment that permeates through the whole story. It is a tragedy to see the desperate people seeking a better life in the “beautiful North”. What they do not realize is that the US is not the place that they see in the movies. It has its dark and desperate corners as well, and Nayeli and Tacho have come to realize that they are happier when they return to where they belong. Besides, now that they have secured over twenty-seven men to repatriate and protect Tres Camarones, Mexico, their home, holds so much more promise for them. The novel ends on a bright note; the warriors of Tres Camarones not only are successful at fulfilling their mission, they bring four times more people than they originally planned.
Unlock all 40 pages of this Study GuidePlus, gain access to 8,800+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
Related Titles
By Luis Alberto Urrea
