The Tortilla Curtain by T. Coraghessan Boyle

Delaney Mossbacher is a nature writer whose life changes dramatically after he hits the car of Candido Rincon, an illegal Mexican immigrant. Mossbacher's character is significant to the story in a number of ways, but Boyle uses his character primarily to demonstrate that nature will ultimately withstand no artificially constructed categories of race and ethnicity.

Delaney Mossbacher is a white male living in the comfort of upper-middle-class Arroyo Blanco Estates. That Arroyo Blanco translates as white creek is no coincidence, because with its walls, chain-link fence, and 24-hour security service the development is meant to keep out invaders, i.e. those who are not white. Living in California with his wife Kyra and son Jordan, Delaney is a white, upper-middle-class American who becomes increasingly prejudiced against Mexicans. Mossbacher's personality equates to the ultimate level of political correctness. As we are told of him and Kyra, "They were both perfectionistsàThey abhorred clutter. They were joggers, nonsmokers, social drinkers, and if not full-blown vegetarians, people who were conscious of their intake of animal fats," (Boyle, p. 34).

Despite being a naturalist writer, Delaney is married to a real-estate developer. His character becomes increasingly predatory towards the illegal immigrants that represent a threat to his whiteness. When he hits Candido's car, he shoves him a $20 bill and sudden