The Power of Determination

      In the first half of Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario Enrique's determination is tested with the many hardships that unfold as he makes his trek to find his mother. One's determination or outlook on life can really change the final destination. There are freight trains that the migrants ride on to get out of their country and into the United States. Some migrants call the train "The Train of Death". This name for the train can be perceived as a negative outlook which can lead to less determination to get to their final destinations. Without determination these migrants can lose their focus ultimately resulting in their death. If one keeps a positive outlook, it will help keep their mind on their final destination. Throughout his travels, Enrique keeps his focus on finding his mother, "Enrique is struck by the magic of the train-its power and its ability to take him to his mother. To him, it is El Caballlo de Hierro. The Iron Horse" (Nazario 71). This is a important moment for Enrique because at this moment the reader sees his passion and determination for succeeding at his travels which can foreshadow to his final destination reuniting with his mother. 

       As one can see there are differences in Enrique's outlook on the train and the other migrants. Yes some of the migrants will reach their final destinations even after losing their focus, but it becomes much harder. Enrique's determination ultimately helps him with his trek and finding his mother. If you were in a life or death situation would it be that easy to keep your determination and focus?

 

All the Forces Against Them

         By the time he has reached the United States, a migrant undoubtedly will have come into contact with numerous groups that directly affect his wellbeing. In just the first half of the novel, the reader has already been introduced to several organizations and individuals that have impacted Enrique and other migrants alike. The police force, gangs, civilians, Grupo Beta, madrinas, and lastly other migrants all act as either supportive or obstructive forces that influence those who are headed north. One of these groups in particular, the residents of various towns along the route, is especially intriguing to me because of the completely differing welcomes Enrique receives on two distinct occasions.

         The first of these is a salvation for a battered Enrique after he is badly mangled by a fall from the train. In addition to the generosity he is shown by women in the town, the mayor in Las Anonas also arranges for Enrique to be taken for medical care nearby. Contrastingly, during a later attempt to make his way north, Enrique makes it across the southern border of Mexico where he then reaches the city of Chiapas. The town has a reputation for being unwelcoming, but Nazario explains that the migrants bring disease, prostitution, and crime upon the civilians. Furthermore, stories of migrants killing families who took them in made the fear of migrants even more prominent for the residents. Situations like that of Chiapas could be the driving force behind madrinas, civilians who work with authorities against the migrants, often torturing, raping, and robbing them.

          Besides the locals that migrants encounter, they also have to navigate their way through run-ins with the other opposing groups. With almost every force pushing against them, the young migrants look to each other for support. Even still, madrinas pose as traveling migrants to catch others unexpectedly. Thus, the journey that these adolescents set out on is one that presses them to become strong individuals who have to look inward for determination to keep traveling north. In the end, however, the success rate of migrants actually reaching their intended destination is relatively low, and those who do make it have likely suffered an incomprehensible amount of pain and torture along the way. Even knowing this, children continue to leave their homes and set out on this near suicidal journey to reach the states. Do you think if migrants had the chance to change their mind and not set out on the journey in the first place, would the majority take it?

When life knocks you down, get back up

During Enrique’s journey he encounters many harsh people who take advantage of migrants or go to extremes to send them back from where they came. Additionally, he has kind people who are there for him when he is at his absolute worst.   Enrique was sent back several times by the police and roughed up by gangsters who wanted what little belongings he had, “Someone rips off his shirt.  Another blow finds the left side of his face… The robbery has turned into blood sport” (Nazario 54).  It is a long and lonely journey and not many people are trust worthy, but when he is need of medical attention he is taken in by a small town, Arriaga, and the mayor takes him to his house where they tend to his wounds and even take him to a hospital.  These kind people pulled together to pay for his medical bills and gave him a few pesos to help him along his journey, “As he walks, people stare at his injured face. Without a word, one man hands him 50 pesos” (59).  Enrique was very fortunate that these people gave him medical attention and financial support when he needed it the most. 

Have you ever had a rough time and are at your weakest point when someone came to your rescue?  Have you ever bombed a test that you studied really hard for then your teacher graciously allows you a second chance?  When you were little and fell off your bike did your mom come running to your rescue and run you up to the bathroom and dressed your wounds with Band-Aids and kisses? 

Love in Unsuspecting Times

To me, one of the most important messages I learned from this book is best while Enrique's train is traveling through Oaxaca and Veracruz. At this point during one of his many journeys, Enrique has experienced some pretty uncongenial experiences; nothing a boy at his age should be facing. It is known that a voyage across any border of any country is not easy, and the villagers in Oaxaca and Veracruz understand this well. Instead of sending negative messages and energy to migrants like most do, they send positive messages full of love.

While their train is passing through Mexico one day, the native villagers from Oaxaca and Veracruz began to throw bundles onto the train tops for the immigrants to use. Alarmed at first, Enrique believed these packages held rocks and other objects that were used to hurt him. His previous experiences with negative villages led him to believe that he and the other migrants were the only ones who understood his intentions for going to America. On page 104, Nazario describes the villagers throwing packages: “Women and children on both sides of the tracks are throwing bundles to the migrants on the tops of the cars. They run quickly and aim carefully, mostly in silence, trying hard not to miss… they smile, they shout, and then they throw food” (Nazario 104). These positive bundles not only provide necessities that Enrique would later use, but also they provide faith in humanity and reassurance for the good in humans.

I believe that it is easy for anyone who hasn’t taken the voyage to America to assume what it is like to go on a journey such as the one that Enrique went on. These premade assumptions are what make the acts of love from the people in Oaxaca and Veracruz stand out. Amongst the mostly negative energy immigrants receive, the people in those towns sent those packages of love because they understand that they are people just like them. If you were in the same situation as the villagers in Oaxaca and Veracruz, what kind of messages and packages would you is sending out? Would you be outside throwing bundles to migrants, or would you be inside, contributing either way?

El Juicio de Sed (The Trial of Thirst)

There is an area of Enrique's Journey where Enrique considers boarding a boxcar in Tapachula. During this section the author, Sonia Nazario, deviated a little from Enrique's story and took the time to describe to the reader an experience from another migrant. His name was Darwin Zepeda Lopez, and he explained the hazards of being locked in a boxcar. He said that smugglers who had mistaken him for a patron of their services herded him and other clients toward several open boxcars. Once Zepeda and roughly forty others were loaded into a single car, the smugglers locked the boxcar from the outside to avoid suspicion. The following quote is taken from Zepeda's description of the boxcar:
"It was April 2000 in southern Mexico, and the outdoor temperature was climbing past 100 degrees. Inside, the car was turning into an oven. As the train rolled north, the migrants drank their water bottles dry. The air in the car turned rank with sweat. Zepeda could hardly breathe. People began screaming and shouting for help. Some knelt and pleaded with God to stop the train... After four hours, he says, a woman with asthma begged for water, then slumped to the floor, unconscious. Others pried open her mouth and tried to give her the few drops they could find. Finally, they left her for dead. Some stood on her to reach the highest airholes" (Nazario 69). 
The first time I read this passage, I was immediately reminded of an experience I had a year ago, while traveling to Mexico with my godmother, Elizabeth Villanueva, and her family. We had stopped right by a gas station, but instead of going inside to use the bathroom or buy something to eat, my godmother and her daughter proceeded to walk right past where my godfather, Papa Boni, was filling the car with gas. Intrigued, I followed them into a dusty lot near some train tracks, perhaps twenty feet away from the edge of the gas station. What I saw when I reached them confused me a good deal. Mama Elizabeth and her daughter had halted right before what appeared to be a sort of shrine. The ground was strewn with jugs and bottles of water, some of them full, some of them empty. There were more containers than I could count. There were also large, brightly painted crosses standing upright, their bottoms rooted firmly in the dry earth, in addition to white, unlit candles. I asked Mama Elizabeth what all this was supposed to be about, and she told me very solemnly that a few years ago, a group of about thirty migrants from El Salvador had died of thirst inside a train car that had gotten too hot. She said that the jugs of water scattered about the lot were put there over the years by passersby who had known what had happened, and wanted to provide the dead migrants with water, when they had none as they were dying.
This experience made me think about how much we take water for granted, as well as many other resources that we are provided with. It also made me think about how desperate these people must have been, and how much courage they must have had to make such a perilous journey in search of a better life. So I ask you now, do you have any memories that have made you appreciate or feel more aware of the luxuries that we have in the United States?

Stop. This isn't a Game

As I write this, I am in no way trying to make this journey and history less of what it is. I am simply taking from it what I have been convinced is being portrayed in the first half of the novel and my opinion thereof.

There is a reason why people try multiple times to reach their goal: determination. With road blocks and restarts in the way, it is usually very hard to reach a goal on the first try. This process is almost like a video game. The avatar is trying to reach its goal but there could be road blocks that cause it to loose energy. There could also be authorities that cause the avatar to click that reset button and begin at the start. However, there is the possibility that the avatar gains energy from a spontaneous coin of some sorts. In this scenario, Enrique is the avatar. The goal is to find his mother in the United States of America. Road blocks could be anything from waiting for a train, being beaten by gangs, or robbed by bandits. Road blocks decrease the energy left in Enrique along the journey: “It drains the little energy he has left,” (Nazario 82). The reset button is automatically clicked when the authorities, la migra, capture Enrique and deport him back to Guatemala. Enrique can gain energy by traveling with the gangs, quite like he did with El Brujo: “he always stuck with one of these gang members to protect himself from any attacks” (85). Because of the roles that these characters play, it is accurate to parallel this journey to a game.

The authorities make the reader believe that to them it is just a game or another day at work. The people they deport are nothing to them but avatars, and they could do with them however they would like to. La migra have the power to click that reset button on any migrant they want to. They get to change that person’s life by deporting them. They can also end the migrant’s life whenever they feel the need to. This reality is corrupt, but “If you speak out too much against police corruption, you wake up with a machete in your back,” (49). The problem is that to the authorities, this is just an avatar. This person isn't worth anything. They value the life of others so loosely, but in reality a life is worth everything. The truth is, it’s not a game. The people that are killed on a day to day bases have dreams, have family, have a home that are all ended at the brunt of a blow, or the pull of a trigger. The migrant can be reset by deportation, but how many times does that happen until the migrant is killed? In a game, you have as many lives as it takes to reach your goal. In reality, you only have one. Enrique only has one life. Sure, he has had many resets, but will he reach his goal? “He tells himself over and over that he’ll just have to try again,” (60). How many times is he going to try until a mistake for his life makes him actually want the deportation?

In reality, it is easy to not accept the resets that life throws at you, like: moving to a new school or learning to do things differently because of a disability. But how many times have you done something that you regret and you've actually wanted a reset?

Love: The Driving Force

Do you believe that immigrants enter America illegally just for the money? Or do

you believe there is something stronger that motivate these people to embark

on a life threatening journey? In the beginning of Enrique’s Journey, written by

Sonia Nazario, the readers quickly realize that Enrique and his sister, Belky, feel

unloved. Belky often thinks to herself, “How can I be worth anything if my mother

left me?” (Nazario10). I believe that when these parents leave, the small children

begin to feel as if they are unlovable. This lack of affection and discipline lead the

children to make bad decisions later in life. For example, Enrique turns to drugs

after feeling rejection from his family and hopelessness of his mother’s return.

The feeling of being lost in his own life is the deciding factor for why Enrique must

reach his mother in America. Since children like Enrique and Belky lack security

in their own lives, they will go to desperate measures to find some. I believe that

love is truly the driving force behind why illegal immigrants enter America. Do

you?

Is Raising a Child Experiencing Life With Them, Or Sending Money?

Enrique’s mother left her family so that she could provide for her children. This was hard for her children to understand because they were young when she left. During the novel, it is often discussed whether or not it is worth losing the love of a mother in order to live a better life without one. Lourdes seems to think that sending money is equivalent to raising a child. She says, “I sent money. I supported you. That is raising you!” (Nazario 195). However, Enrique seems to disagree. He thinks that a true mother raises her children. He then explains, “My mother is my grandmother Maria” (198). Enrique thinks of his grandmother as his mother because she has been with him his whole childhood, while his mother has not.

              It is discussed in the novel that many mothers who leave their children feel an immense amount of guilt, and wonder if they made the right decision by coming to the United States. This seems like an incredibly difficult decision to make, and I honestly have no idea what I would do if I were in that situation. I think that if the mother does leave for the United States, most do it for the love of their child. However, often it is hard for the children to understand this. Enrique often resents his mother for abandoning him in Honduras, even though she provided a much better life for him than she could of if she were in Honduras. When I traveled to Honduras this summer, I went to a girl’s orphanage. Many of the girls had been abandoned by their parents. These girls were happy at the home, and it was a better life than their parents could have provided them. Although, these girls do not get the personal love that a mother gives their child, and these girls long for the love of a mother. Do you agree with Lourdes and think that sending money is equal to raising a child? Or do you agree with Enrique and believe that a mother must be there in order to raise her child properly?

Determination During Hardship

Enrique was deported seven times while he was on his journey. I think it is amazing that Enrique continues to get up and make the journey again and again, despite how grueling it was for him. Enrique was severely injured by a gang on the train. He was lucky to find someone to treat his wounds. He then tried to catch a ride. However, the driver turned him in to la migra. After being deported, “He tells himself over and over that he’ll just have to try again” (Nazario 60). Enrique decides that he will do whatever it takes in order to get to the United States and see his mother. Doing this is extremely difficult, but Enrique believes that the outcome is worth it.

              I think that Enrique’s strength and will power is amazing. He is strong and determined throughout his journey. I went to Honduras this summer, and saw the living conditions that poverty-stricken people live in. It was an astonishing experience. In order to live on the streets in Honduras, you have to be strong. Many of these people on the streets do not know where they will sleep at night, or where their next meal will be. There are many children that live on the streets. I cannot even imagine the immense amount of pressure that parents may feel in order to keep their children safe. However, these people on the streets have to be persistent, and keep on trying in order to survive. I believe that it is difficult to have determination during a time of hardship, but necessary in order to succeed. I cannot begin to imagine how hard it would be to stay focused and determined during a journey like Enrique’s. However, Enrique needed to have willpower to keep on trying, or he would not have reached his mother. What do you think kept Enrique from turning back after being deported 7 times? After being deported several times by la migra, do you think that you would return to Honduras, or make the dangerous journey again?

Corruption of the Police Forces

Through Enrique’s journey to the United States, I was particularly struck by the corruption of the Mexican police forces. Rather than stopping and sending back the migrants they caught, the agents would exploit the children instead of protecting their safety. For example, in San Ramon, when the migrant agents stopped the trains, they did not send back the children and save them from the peril of the train cars. Instead, the police took advantage of the children’s desperation, forcing the migrants to face a Catch-22: either be sent home, or be robbed of all their belongings and continue on the journey penniless. Another example was in Cordoba, when Enrique was forced to bribe an officer with his three dollars, belt, and cap. In Chiapas, a Honduran girl, pregnant after being raped, was shot and beaten by three police officers. These officers, whose duty is to save these migrants, are instead putting the children’s lives at risk. According to Julio Cesar Trujillo Velasquez, a spokesman for the Diocese of Orizaba, “Municipal and state police would beat migrants, sometimes take their money, then throw them into the back of their truck.” The officers are profiting from bribing and/or capturing these migrants. The corruption of the Mexican government proves to be an issue since the police officers are neither aiding nor saving the migrants from the peril of the journey, only adding yet another obstacle to the migrants’ well-being and freedom.

I feel that the officers and agents need to provide more structure, creating a safer environment for the children travelling through Mexico from Central America. To me, it is pitiful and wrong that the migrants must fear the government in addition to their numerous physical and emotional obstacles. The government needs to be a source of aid and relief, not one of fear and harm. Considering all aspects of the officers’ corruption, do you think it would be better for the police forces to help the migrants on their journey or stop and save them from its danger?

The Beauty Inside The Beast

Throughout Enrique’s journey to be reunited with his mother, he tells of the horrors of riding the trains.  He tells of brutal gangs, starvation, and the fear of being sent back to the beginning, and having to start the dangerous journey over from the beginning.  There is, however, a moment in the story, when Enrique is hiding from the police in a cemetery that he describes something beautiful.  When Enrique observes the cemetery from his hiding place he thinks, “The cemetery is beautiful. The moon is yellow.  The sky is midnight blue.  Enrique can see stars around the ceiba trees shrouding the headstones.  Crosses, entire crypts, are painted periwinkle, neon green, purple.  Wind touches the tree branches, and they murmur in the gathering light.  A bigger gust moves the vast limbs, and the sound builds slowly until the wind commands the branches to dance and the leaves to titter.  The burial ground greets the sum with a symphony.” (Nazario, 63)  In this passage, when describing nature, I feel like Enrique slows from the hectic journey and is at peace for a moment.   I found this passage about the cemetery beautiful, because it was able to maintain some of its beauty even as awful things happen in and around the cemetery every day.  Unfortunately, directly after describing the graveyard Enrique goes on to say, “Police radios crackle. Enrique peeks over the edge of the mausoleum.  The graveyard might be beautiful, but it is filled with peril.” (63)  The horrors of the trains had managed to snake their way into this beautiful place, making it slightly less beautiful.

The graveyard Enrique hides in was once beautiful and safe but became less beautiful when the terrors of The Beast found their way into it.  Have you ever been somewhere that must have once been beautiful but has had its beauty tampered with by something corrupt or monstrous, like The Beast?

A Sense of Community

During dangerous treks to America, migrants generally have a lack of trust towards others. Fear of theft, injury, and deception lead many travelers such as Enrique to caution those around them. However, the common aspirations of the migrants bring them together to create a sense of community. The travelers fear gangs and bandits for their violent and malevolent natures, but there is a level of protection found within the groups. On Enrique’s first Journey, he encounters a member of the MS Gang named El Brujo. “Enrique doesn’t like gangs. But as the two spent hours traveling through Honduras and  Guatemala together, they became friends” (Nazario 85). Enrique gained protection from the MS gang which allowed him to travel farther in less fear. Though he did not agree with their lifestyle, they created an alliance because of their common journey. This community, though violent, does offer a sense of protection in numbers and power. That kind of safety is valuable to all travelers.

In fear, some migrants band together in times of need also creating a strong sense of alliance. Common fear also creates a stronger community, and random acts of kindness give hope to those on the road.  A young boy trying to board a train grasps onto the ladder but is unable to pull himself up. Seconds from being sucked beneath the merciless wheels, “the men crawl down and reach for him. Slowly, they lift him up. The rungs batter his legs, but he is alive. He still has his feet” (67). All fighting for the same chance to live in the United States, the migrants come together through a rescue that put their own lives in danger. Traveling independently can be risky for innocent migrants, so it is important for them to help each other. These other migrants symbolize family that travelers have so often left behind, and they realize that the trek is much harder without help from others. The journey north is sewn with seeds of danger, but from that danger blossoms a sense of community. Have you ever been in a situation where you were scared and sought others for comfort or help to persevere?

Following Through with What is Planned

At the very end of the book, Maria Isabel finally sets off on her journey to America to reunite with Enrique. The final lines of the story show her departure from her family. Though she will not see her loved ones for a long time, "Maria Isabel does not say goodbye to her daughter. She does not hug her… She does not look back" (Nazario 240). I find these lines particularly striking because they mirror how Enrique's mother, Lourdes, left him at the beginning of the book. Lourdes could not bring herself to hug her son as she stepped away, and her only words were to remind him to go to church that evening.

There is obvious symmetry between the two mothers leaving their children behind at the beginning and end of the book, even as the middle of the book depicted the damage that a mother's absence could do to a family. Maria Isabel's abandonment of her daughter, despite Enrique's struggle without a mother, leads the reader to believe that she may not return to her daughter as Lourdes never returned to her son. Though Enrique understands how important it is that he and Maria Isabel return, I am not sure that his experience will make him any more diligent about returning to Honduras. 

Have you ever been insistent that you would accomplish something but, despite your intentions, end up not reaching your goal? How did it feel? Did you wish you had done anything differently?

Beyond the Media

                Personally, I think one of the most intriguing parts of the book happened before Enrique's story even started--in the prologue. Sonia Nazario offers the reader a snapshot of her daily life, recounting a Friday morning in 1997 when her maid, Maria del Carmen Ferrez, arrived to clean the house as usual. They strike up a conversation that is seemingly normal, but snowballs into something much larger for Nazario. She asks Carmen about her children, and she discovers that most of them have been left in Guatemala. Her teenage son, however, hitchhiked through Mexico to reach her. Carmen further informs her that "many immigrant women in Los Angeles from Central America or Mexico are just like her-- single mothers who left their children behind in their home countries," (xi). Nazario is shocked. She asks her son, Minor, about his journey and discovers more about the perilous flight many children choose to take to be reunited with their mothers. She asks herself why many mothers choose to abandon their children this way, and how their sacrifices impact their children at home. In addition, she wonders what kind of desperation these children must feel to sacrifice their lives to be with their mothers again. These questions sparked by this one conversation become something much larger for Nazario: an all consuming quest to highlight the stories of immigrants fleeing their home countries. As we find out later in the book, thousands of children are killed, dismembered, raped, beaten and robbed on this journey north--and Nazario decides to throw herself into their shoes. Although she received her degree in Latin American studies and was the member of an immigrant family herself, this conversation with her maid brought her to an entirely new level of curiosity and drove her to dedicate years to the cause of others in her situation.
                On a daily basis, we are inundated with statistics and news stories of wars, disease, national economical difficulties, turmoil, and of course, the occasional medical miracle or day-to-day hero. Some stories last for months, even years, and impact the world on a global scale. Even then, all we seem to experience are the people on tv telling us about them, or words printed on newspapers. In other words, we almost never experience them directly. However, by a twist of fate or mere circumstance, something happens that lets us encounter this on a first person basis, submerging is into this world of problems on a different level. Personally, I experienced this when my close friend's mother died of cancer earlier this year. She was stage four for many years or her life, and her end was drawing nearer and nearer. I thought I was ready to help my friend with this, to be there for him emotionally and offer my words of comfort to help. However, when the day did come, I felt so insignificant. Furthermore, seeing his family sitting there during the funeral, a family of a 14, 13, and 8 year old all by themselves, it really hit me. You read and see movies about death, disease and cancer, but for me, I never really grasped the concept until I witnessed it emotionally through my friend. Similarly, I think it was this one  firsthand experience with her maid that drove Nazario to go on this massive quest, to allow millions of others to glimpse this journey as well on a personal level, separate from statistics, laws and policies, and need coverages. Like Sonia, I'm sure many of us were familiar with this issue before reading this book, but were drawn in much more emotionally throughout the course of it. Have any of you had a similar instance in which a popular issue was made much more real to you on a personal level? Do you think lawmakers in our country should also try to see this issue on a more firsthand level, or do you think it's safer to remain separated for the good of the country?

Violence and poverty in Honduras

At the beginning of the novel, before Enrique leaves Honduras to journey to the U.S., he feels lost and abandoned. After his uncle is shot and he is kicked out of the house, Enrique goes to stay with his grandmother. However, he begins spending time on the street and eventually gets involved in drugs like glue and marijuana. Enrique sees many kids in downtown Tegucigalpa who “sleep by trash bins… Some can barely stand. The acrid smell of the glue fills the air” (Nazario 36-37). Enrique realizes that if he does not make a change in his life, he could end up like these addicts. He decides to go to the United States, mainly to see his mother again, but also to escape the poverty and danger in Honduras. Many children just like Enrique, with situations even more drastic than his, have escaped their home countries to come to the US..

When I went to Honduras this summer, I met some of the street kids just like the ones Enrique saw. I met a girl named Belen, who sleeps in an abandoned industrial building, spending her days begging for food and money and getting high off glue. The people at the ministry I was working with told me that she had been abused by members of her family and did not have anywhere to go for help. For the rest of the day, Belen decided to tag along with us, while we walked around downtown and handed out food to street kids. When was time for us to leave, Belen climbed into our van and refused to get out, even when we tried to pull her out forcefully. Finally, we managed to coax her out of the van, but we knew she was scared to go back out on the streets because she did not feel safe, even with two older boys taking care of her. Belen’s fear is understandable, because of the level of corruption and violence in Honduras. After seeing their situation firsthand, I can understand why many children flee to the US, hoping for not only a better but safer life. Because of this, I believe that one way to solve the immigration crisis is to begin at the root cause, and help bring change to the immigrants’ home countries by increasing the availability of educational and job opportunities, give more donations, and try to combat corruption and violence to make the countries safer. This is clearly easier said than done, but I believe that it could work. How do you think the U.S. should deal with the immigrants? Do you believe there is anything specific we should do to help them?

Gifts in a Time of Need

           After facing gangs, police, hunger, and despair, the residents of Oaxaca and Veracruz bring some much needed joy and hope to the migrants traveling atop the trains. The people by the railroads here, although impoverished themselves, run alongside the passing trains and throw up food and packages to the thankful migrants. Even though some residents barely have enough to feed their own families, they give. Some of these givers describe their actions: “’If I have one tortilla, I give half away,’ one of the food throwers says. ‘I know God will bring me more.’ Another: ‘I don’t like to feel that I have eaten and they haven’t’” (Nazario 105). These gifts of food, water, clothes, and other necessities are so important to migrants like Enrique. Besides providing supplies needed for survival on top of the trains, the packages give the migrants hope for the future.

Initially, I found it hard to believe that the residents here along the tracks could give so willingly even though they barely had enough for themselves. After thinking about it, I realized that giving was helping them as well as the migrants. This summer I went on a mission trip where we helped improve homes for families. In my group we built a set of stairs, and even though we were only teenagers doing what we could, the family there was so grateful for our work and effort. I realized that this gratefulness was helping me too by making me feel valuable, and lifting my spirits. This must have been a little piece of what the food throwers feel when they give to the overjoyed migrants. It is a morale booster for the givers, and helps bring the community together. After experiencing that feeling of worth from giving or helping, it is hard not to want to do it again! Like the givers, have you even done something for someone that ended up helping you too?

Finally Feeling Loved

  In the early stages of the book, we see Enrique continuously struggle with the idea of love. He feels like his mother no longer loves him because she left, but we also see him struggle to accept the declamations of love from his grandmother and anyone who tries to stay that they love him. However, on page 31, after the death of Enrique's uncle, Enrique states that "His uncle loved him." I love this quote because for once in Enrique's life he feels genuinely loved by someone and realizes it as well. With his grandmother and other relatives, he feels as if they are forcing themselves to love him, but with his uncle, Enrique finally feels true love and care from someone who is not his mother. Yet when his uncle dies, Enrique feels abandoned once again. Has anyone else noticed this motif of abandonment in the book?

Happiness

I noticed that happiness appears numerous times during Enrique's trek north. The times when Enrique felt happiest usually concerned his mother and being near her. Once he makes past the "last big hurdle" into the US, Enrique sinks into the pillows in the rear of the car that took him to this moment. Nazario states, "Suddenly he is overwhelmed. Never has he felt so happy" (185-186). Similarly, his mother Lourdes feels happiest when she knows her son is safe and alive. She tests the smuggler to be sure he is okay and is relieved to know that he is. The author narrates, "It is Enrique. She feels pure happiness" (188). Another time when Enrique is happiest is when he receives photographs of Jasmín. Another character from the story, Padre Leo, a priest from Nuevo Laredo, feels happiest when the migrants he cares for are fed and satisfied. He makes dangerous and illegal journeys to retrieve clothing and groceries for them. Nazario describes, "He is as gleeful as a child who has gotten away with something forbidden. He is happiest when the pantry is full and there is plenty to give away" (175). I think our happiest moments in life really describe one as a person. Because Padre Leo is happiest when the migrants are happy, one can see that he is man committed to service, generosity, and love. Enrique is happiest when his mom is near and is safe. He's also happiest when he sees photos of his daughter, so it's obvious that family is what makes him the most joy.

I feel the happiest when I'm reunited with friends and family. I love spending time with the people I love no matter where it may be. I don't care what I'm doing, it's who I'm with that matters. I always try to surround myself with people who make me smile and laugh. I love kids and seeing people I care about having a good time. I love the sense of accomplishment when everything needed to be done is finally completed. I feel extremely happy when hard work is ultimately paid off, when you've gotten a result from time and dedication. What makes you happy?

Courageous People

Throughout the story, Enrique describes countless people that help him along his journey to the United States. A great number of citizens risk their own protection to support immigrants that they don't even know, including Enrique. Shortly after Enrique passes through the most dangerous portion of his trek, the Chiapas, he meets  a variety of generous people in Veracruz. He hears stories of their generosity towards migrants including a man from Encinar who managed to save a Honduran immigrant from the police. The immigrant was just leaving the man's home, when the police car drove by. The man, named Bréniz, pulled the immigrant back inside for safety, but was confronted by the police at his doorstep. They threatened to turn Bréniz in for being a smuggler. Nazario narrates, "The police had pistols and machine guns. Bréniz knew that people charged with smuggling can spend years in jail... He politely declined and said there was no reason to turn the man over. He told them the visitor was a relative from an outlying farm. The police retreated. He let the migrant stay for an hour, until he was sure the coast was clear" (117). Despite consequences, this man faced the brutal police for a stranger that could have cost him time in jail. Even though he was terrified inside, he was able to convince the police they were mistaken. Leaders such as Bréniz who risk their own security for others' safety are incredibly admirable to me. I think the greatest heroes are those who put others before themselves in this way. Leaders appear throughout history who display acts of bravery such as this. Are there any figures from history or everyday people you know and admire that have shown this much courage for the sake of others?

Nicknames for a Train

I thought that the various nicknames for the train were insightful in the book, Enrique’s Journey, because they deepen the personal connection between the characters and the train. The nicknames also reveal the character’s feelings towards the train at its various stages. The character’s views of the train change throughout the journey. In one area, “...migrants don’t talk of the Pilgrim’s train or of the Iron Horse. They have another name for the train: El Tren Devorador. The Train that Devours,” (Nazario, 88). I think it is admirable that the migrants would begin by calling the train the Pilgrim’s Train because it shows their optimistic outlook on the dangerous journey. At the beginning, the author, Sonia Nazario, contrasts the optimism of this nickname by describing the horrors and dangers the train presents to the migrants. I think that optimism in the face of a bleak situation is extremely admirable. Enrique, too, optimistically nicknames the train. He calls it The Iron Horse because he, “is struck by the magic of the train—its power and its ability to take him to his mother,” (71).  However, as time wears on, optimists turn into realists, and people begin to call the train, “The Train that Devours”. The train earned this nickname because people loose things so often on the train that it is almost as if the train itself is devouring them. For example, the train runs over people, removing their limbs. It also attracts bandits and gangsters who rob people for their money, possessions, clothing, and anything else they can take. At first, the train seems like a means to reach prosperity to the migrants. In the midst of the trip, it seems as if the train is depriving migrants of their wealth instead of helping increase it. These nicknames for the train help reveal the migrant’s feelings towards the train at varying stages. Marimac, the name I commonly go by, is actually a nickname. My real name is Marion, and my parents always planned to nickname me Marimac. I like to think that my nickname is less formal than my real name, and this reveals the informal, casual part of my personality. When do you feel like you have received a nickname that reveals something about yourself?

Differing Outlooks on the Train

      As Enrique departs on his long journey for the United States, he has one motive that keeps him going:  his mother is waiting for him on the other side.  By focusing on his destination rather than the danger and hardships of his trip, Enrique maintains an overall optimistic attitude.  Nazario comments on his outlook of the train, saying, "Enrique is struck by the magic of the train-- its power and its ability to take him to his mother.  To him, it is El Caballo de Hierro.  The Iron Horse," (Nazario 71).  His determination to see his mother again gives Enrique a positive outlook on the train, seeing it as a powerful force to reunite him with Lourdes.  Some of the other migrants have the same mind-set as Enrique, calling it "The Pilgrim's Train" as it brings them to the North for a better life (71).  These people keep a positive view on the journey like Enrique.              While a portion of the migrants appreciates the train for its destination, other migrants think otherwise.  Some call it "The Iron Worm" because it is known for swaying and derailing, causing the deaths of many (71).  Others call it "The Train of Death" for this same reason (71).  These migrants are too frightened by the train to think positively of the destination.  They cannot concentrate on what is ahead of them with the numerous obstacles presented on the journey.  Their outlook is pessimistic, and though they may reach their desired destination, they are unable to think positively until that destination is secured.
      In all, there are two categories of migrants on the train: those who focus on the destination, and those who concentrate on the trials at hand.  Each is understandable, for reaching the North can provide a better future, yet the train is plagued with danger and crime.  If you were making this perilous trek to the North, what do you think your outlook would be?

Love Between a Mother and a Child

        In Enrique's Journey, Lourdes, Enrique's mother, leaves for the United States to seek greater fortune for their family. She leaves when Enrique is very young, but as Enrique grows older, his anger builds. He does not understand that his mother left to make his life better. As Enrique enters into his early teenage years, he develops a hostile anger towards anything and everything. Enrique begins to use drugs and get into trouble. He begins to believe that his mother will never come back.
        When Enrique and Lourdes talk on the phone, the calls are filled with sadness and impatience. Enrique demands to know, "Why do you want to be there?"
Lourdes responds, "It's all gone to help raise you" (Nazario 20).
         The reason that Lourdes has gone to America is simple: to bring back money and residency documents. She wants the absolute best lives for her children, and Enrique is too young to understand. Nevertheless, Enrique will soon find out the true love that Lourdes has for him.

Understanding Through Maturity

In the second half of the novel, Mirian prepares to leave her family just as Lourdes had fourteen years earlier.  For those fourteen years Belky, Lourdes’s daughter, didn’t understand why her mother would leave her and Enrique.  The author states, “For the first time, Belky understands her own mother’s choice to leave her as a young child.  She has watched Mirian’s plight.  She has seen her grapple with the gut-wrenching decision to leave.  She agrees with Mirian’s decision” (220).  By watching Mirian struggle to decide whether or not she should leave, Belky begins to understand why her mother left.  This shows how she has matured through the years and is willing to look at the situation through her mother’s eyes.  Parents face many tough decisions that can be hard for children to understand.  For me, this was when my parents got divorced.  I was young at the time and didn’t understand why they would want to leave each other; however, now that I am older I can acknowledge and appreciate their decision that bettered the happiness of our family.  My parents are still good friends, and we all love each other.  Their decision was difficult to comprehend at the time, but I now understand, just like Belky understands her mother’s decision to leave.  Do you recall a time when your parents made a decision that took time and maturity to later understand?

Decisions Driven by Love

In the beginning of Enrique’s Journey, Sonia Nazario explains the situations of the abandoned children whose mothers left them to find work in the United States.  Many children embark on difficult journeys to find their mothers, just like Enrique did.  Nazario informs the reader that “Some children say they need to find out whether their mothers still love them” (Nazario 5).  So many children who were left behind by their mothers question whether or not they are still loved by them.  It is more than likely that all of their mothers still love them just as they did before they left; however, it is understandable for their children to not comprehend this.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to not know if my mother loved me or not.  My mom has always been there for me, and it’s hard to fathom not having her in my life, let alone not knowing if she even loved me.  There have been times where my mom has made decisions that made me question her love for me, but now I realize love was her motive behind making these decisions.  This is just like how the abandoned children’s mothers left them because they loved them and wanted to support them better.  Have you ever questioned your parents’ love for you because of something they did?  Did you later realize their actions were driven by love?

A Feeling of Safety Through Everyday Objects

After Enrique crosses the river with El Tiríndaro and the two other Mexicans, they run through an open stretch before climbing into a car that belongs in the smugglers network. The narrator says that "He climbs onto pillows in the back. They are like puffs of clouds, and he feels immense relief" (Nazario 185). In the car, Enrique feels safe and relaxed. The pillows are compared to clouds because they represent the heavenly feeling  he is experiencing, and how he is finally in a better place.e After they get out and run past the check point, Enrique gets back in the car and on the pillows. An overwhelming feeling of happiness comes over him when he realizes he has made it past the last big hurdle. 

Sometimes objects can help me feel a sense of peace and happiness. For example, even though I dislike the taste of coffee, the smell of it makes me feel calmer and happier. My parents do not drink coffee, so the smell reminds me of our trips to Wisconsin to visit my Grandma. The pillows in the car Enrique was riding in aided in his feeling of peacefulness, and represented his accomplishment, much like the smell of coffee does for me. Is there an object in your life that makes you feel peaceful?