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. MossbacherÆs 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. MossbacherÆs personality equates to the ultimate level of political correctness. As we are told of him and Kyra, ôThey 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,ö (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 CandidoÆs car, he shoves him a $20 bill and suddenly realizes the encroachment of a race of people not his own, ôThey were everywhere, these men, ubiquitous,ö (Boyle, p. 12). The superficial politically correct character of Delaney unites him with only those of his own kind, like his wife. As such, it is a fatade and is actually used to exhibit prejudice and racism toward those who are not just like him. For this reasons, Delaney is not someone I would like to know, since he is a wealthy white racist det
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