The Tortilla Curtain

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes references to racism and xenophobia. It also depicts offensive language, a racial slur, and a scene of rape and sexual assault. 

Delaney Mossbacher hit a man with his car while on his way to drop off his recycling. He remembers flashes of the accident and his initial worry first for his car, then for his insurance premium, and finally for the victim. Getting out of the vehicle, Delaney could not find the man and began to think that a gang had staged the accident. However, he soon spotted a Latino man bleeding on the side of the road. Delaney tried to ask the man if he needed a doctor, but he refused. Relieved that the man would not die, Delaney gave him $20 when he asked for money.

Delaney is disturbed by the accident and gets lost on the way to the recycling center. He cannot get the image of the man out of his head, wondering how the man will recover from his injuries. He realizes that the man must have refused treatment because he is undocumented and afraid of deportation. The thought inspires a wave of sorrow in Delaney, and he tries to imagine the man’s life.