The Moon Will Forever Be a Distant Love by Florinda and Balboa - Essay Example

?Jessie Alegado F. BUSTOS English 116 Spring TTH Migration Migration is inherent in nature; this is evident in mankind as well. Through historythe rise of empires and borders, spawned the term immigration: The action of immigrating; entrance into a country for the purpose of settling there (OED). Luis Humberto Crosthwaite's “The Moon Will Forever Be a Distant Love” is not only a love story but a story of immigration. The main characters, Conquistador Balboa an accountant and Florinda an Aztecan/Mexican native, who both fall in love leave their town to explore the Northernish Empire, or what we call today the border of Mexico and the United States. The story explores immigration and its impact on people’s lives. Early man migrated from continent to continent in search of food, Balboa and Florinda migrated to the Northernish Empire for work. Crosthwaite uses many techniques to illustrate the parallel struggles of 14th century Latin America in comparison to 21st century Latin and North America, which is where the focus will remain. These struggles are comparative to all different cultures, through the adversities of immigration. The struggles for most immigrants merely begin with the concept of being accepted and understood. Moving from one country to another is a very scary and exciting thing. Even in the current culture that we live in, we are judgmental of others merely based on the color of their skin, as Florinda experienced when Balboa took her to the hospital in their first meeting (Crosthwaite, p 12). This is further disheartening considering that Balboa lost his job because of his meeting and helping Florinda. This is only the beginning of the fears and anxieties that immigrants feel. Leaving behind everything they have known, friends, family, life itself for a dream instills an extraordinary fear. Although they know in their hearts and souls that what they are doing is for the best, it is still difficult to take this action because of the overwhelming fears involved. The fears that immigrants have when it comes to migrating to another country are only exacerbated by the people that they encounter both on the journey and upon arrival. How quickly the people forget that they, too, descended from immigrants looking for a better life in the Northernish Empire. It is not often that people migrate from one country to another for the sole purpose of the journey and the excitement of it. Often, the migration of people from one country to another develops over time. It generally begins when a country needs additional labor forces. Then, the laborer comes to, as an example, the U.S. through a guest worker program. This allows the migrant worker to come and go freely across the border to work. Although work is a primary reason for many people to migrate, it depends on each individuals “characteristics and vary from person to person and place to place” (Rodriquez-Scott, 2002). Although the key reason for most people to migrate to another country is work, there are those that migrate for love, the dream of a better life, a better world, education and alienation. In “The Moon Will Forever Be a Distant Love”, Florinda and Balboa come together out of love and move out of necessity. They head to the Northernish Empire so Balboa can find work. This is a true parallel to the current influx of migrant workers from Mexico, but also other countries around the globe. The two flee together in love, but soon discover that their differences are stark. It begins with Florinda questioning Balboa’s religious beliefs, where they disagree and Florinda keeps at Balboa demanding a different answer than the one she keeps getting (Crosthwaite, p 50), and continues to the eventual end of the relationship. This parallel is a similar issue with immigrants to the U.S. as well. Although the U.S. is considered a melting pot, it still realizes promotion of illegal immigration and racism on a daily basis. In 2001, Tyson Foods Inc. recruited illegals from Mexico to work in their U.S. plants. They were paid a pittance for their work (Migration News, 2000), but this only fueled the smuggling of illegals into the U.S. companies like Tyson Foods encourage illegal immigration, because they can maximize their own profits and cut their costs dramatically. The harsh realities of migration are also noted on a personal level in the book as well. Florinda is staying at Onelia and Decoroso’s home, while Balboa is at the Northernish Empire looking for work. He left to find work, but Florinda has not heard from him since he left. (p 57). This leaves Florinda in a common quandary: should she find work? Often, the cost of living in a border town, such as where Balboa and Florinda moved to, is much higher than in the rest of Mexico. The women are referred to as ‘maquiladoras’, which live in the shantytowns on the border. They primarily make electronics, plastic, furniture, appliances and much more (Rosenburg, 2011). This is likely what Florinda did, assembling electronics with a soldering iron (Crosthwaite, p 60). Migrant workers affect our economy, as well as the global economy. There were ‘bracero’ (day laborer or arm man) programs that were begun during WWI to allow Mexicans to come into the country to work. At this time, however, Asians and illiterates were not allowed to come into the U.S. to work, under the Immigration Act of 1917 (Rodriguez-Scott, 2002). This allowed Mexican immigrants to come into the country legally to work, as there were many sectors that were short of labor forces due to the war. The U.S. allowed these people to get a waiver to enter and leave as they needed. This, in turn, put an increased burden on the women. They were forced to work in these sweatshops for little money, because the men went north to find work. The women were left to fend for themselves until the man returned. This put a huge strain on the relationship. Florinda feels the uncertainty of Balboa’s love and faithfulness to her, while at the same time discovering her independence. She is forced to work to support herself while Balboa is away; in so doing she has discovered that in her heart she needs him, but not financially. She has discovered a new independence that was not there before. Pizza, television, new friends and work (Crosthwaite, p 64 - 68). This independence has led to insecurity in the relationship that the two have together. Balboa is gone all the time, and when he returns, she doesn’t see the same love he had for her in the beginning. Time apart has strengthened the independence of both, one from another. The trivial things that occur in any marriage or relationship start to come to a head and are difficult to surmount. Florinda’s inability to open a box of corn flakes, the good-for-nothing Indian, she puts her shoes on before her panties and dress, the list goes on (Crosthwaite, p 74 - 75). This is a common denominator for immigrants in a relationship. The man goes to work leaving the woman behind. This is in keeping with the setting of the book, because up until the 1990’s the gender imbalance of immigrant workers was extraordinary. Most of the immigrants up to this time were male (wikipedia.org). The gender imbalance also converses with the leaving behind of possessions for the sake of the immigration. Migrants from any country leave most of their personal belongings behind, as there simply is not enough money to take all of them along. Material things may seem trivial, but to an immigrant they are symbols of the life they left behind and in some respects still long for. Leaving these things in storage or at a friend or relative’s house only increases the feeling of isolation and longing for what they migrated for in the first place: money. Florinda starts experiencing this exact feeling, but tries to remove herself from the objects, giving them verisimilitude by transference to Balboa’s letter (Crosthwaite, p 79 - 80). The American Dream is a primary factor in the attraction of immigrants to the U.S., because it has been told time and again that through hard work and determination, one can realize a better more prosperous life, if only they can get to the United States (wikipedia.org). The desire for this American Dream is so strong that many will sacrifice life, limb and imprisonment to attain it. Through the use of ‘coyotes’ (smugglers), immigrants cross the border illegally in search and hope for work. There are many migrant deaths that can be attributed to illegal work, with the Tyson Foods incident a tamer example. When an illegal immigrant crosses the border to work and is injured or killed, neither they nor their families have any recourse for recompense. Along with the possibility of being hurt or killed while working undocumented in the U.S., there are many deaths of illegals that can be attributed to the act of crossing the border itself. Most of these deaths are caused by dehydration or resisting arrest (wikipedia.org). Along with the sacrifices that immigrants make concerning life, limb and personal belongings, they must also often sacrifice self-esteem. As noted in Florinda’s list of wants in life, she clearly states “… and end to abuse by the authorities” and “no more sexual harassment from the bosses” (Crosthwaite, p 84). Although these may seem simple to us, they are truly dreams to immigrant workers. There are no avenues for recourse against an employer or anyone else that commits a Crime against them. Vicente Fox, President of Mexico, wants to keep the borders open. He wants to improve the migrant situation through negotiations of safety, a guest worker program, visas and illegal regularization by allowing them access to common and important services, such as health, education and labor rights (Rodriguez-Scott, 2002). The American Dream is emphasized in Balboa by his uncle and their travels. Balboa first experienced as a child the perception of luxury at materialism. Tobacco, hotels, cars, credit and vacations. His uncle, Decoroso, also made certain that Balboa understood of the Border Patrol, and the dangers that they can impose. “They are dreadful beings, half-man, half-beast”. Balboa for the first time sees his ’destiny’: dishes (Crosthwaite, p 93 - 94). This is a very poignant part of the book. Balboa’s destiny being a pile of dirty dishes. This coincides so well with the typical sentiment that Mexicans will do the jobs that white or black people won’t do. Even Mexican President Vicente Fox agreed with this sentiment: “There is no doubt that Mexicans… are doing jobs that not even blacks [or whites] want to do there in the United States” (mhking, 2005). Balboa realizes and is told that this is the beginning. Through hard work and determination, someday he will be at the helm of a huge corporation, making millions and living in the lap of luxury (Crosthwaite, p 97 - 98). Given that Balboa and Florinda are separate for such long periods of time, both of their eyes and hearts begin to wander. Balboa for his newfound ‘love’ Mary Ann, Florinda for shoes (Crosthwaite, p 122, 135 - 136). It’s a very common desperation that immigrants feel when they have made such a huge step to forward themselves in their lives. Although they have made the first and biggest step in improving their lives, it is still difficult to deal with the cultural and economic differences. The love that florinda and Balboa had has been torn apart, through anxiety, separation, indignity and fear. Their hopes and dreams will perhaps be realized, but without one another. The testing of their relationship proved to be too much for them, which unfortunately is a commonplace occurrence. Both come up with the same silly excuses for the separation, blaming everything and anything but what was the real cause: separation from each other (Crosthwaite, 150). Although in the book things don’t work out as Balboa and florinda had originally had their hearts set on, sometimes things do work out like they’re supposed to for those with the American Dream. Following is an interview with a migrant worker from Michoacan, named Ricardo. Ricardo is a 24 year old man who went to the United States at the age of 19. He lives in Napa, California but grew up in Michoacan. In reference to the migration issue, he was asked why there are so many Michoacan’s that go to the U.S. His reply was simple. There is little work in Mexico and what little work there is the pay is terrible. He completed high school when his brother invited him to the U.S. Ricardo entered the U.S. twice, the first time was very easy, whereas the second was much more difficult. He tried crossing at Agua Prieta, where the coyotes separated him from his brother. He and several other people were locked in a hotel for several days, not allowed to leave, no telephone or anything. For two weeks his family had no idea where he was or if he was still alive. The coyotes wanted Ricardo to take a weapon with him, and the smugglers offered him 10 thousand dollars. He received a backpack and the contents were not a weapon. Luckily for Ricardo, he was able to deliver the bag without incident. They reached a migration checkpoint, where he was deported after five days of checking for crimes he may have committed. Dehydrated and ill, Ricardo returned to Michoacan. After a few months, he was able to return to the U.S. through an acquaintance. The first time Ricardo crossed the border, he paid the coyote $500. The second time the coyotes demanded anywhere from $4000 to $6000 per person. Although it was very difficult for him to adapt, within a couple of weeks he was enrolled in English classes, playing soccer and moving forward with his American Dream. When it came to work, he was making roughly $1200 every two weeks. From Ricardo’s perspective, the issue of racism is primarily an issue with his fellow Mexicans, not white people. He stated that he shakes hands with the people who he works for and has made friends. His attitude toward the anti-immigration legislation is simple. He doesn’t feel it will be removed, regardless of how many demonstrations take place there. When the financial crisis hit the U.S., many illegals returned to Mexico because of lack of work. The perspective of Americans on the immigration of Mexicans, from Ricardo’s point of view, is that Americans view the Mexican people as killers and gang bangers. This is not the case, although it is a common misconception. When asked about staying in the U.S. or returning to Mexico, his response was simple. One cannot spend their lives on one side or the other when you have family. Many stay, but many also go back to Mexico. The second time Ricardo returned to the United States, he said that he came back because he wanted to find work. While he was in Mexico, he did work, but the pay was poor and the conditions were harsh. Therefore, he decided to return to the U.S. to work and send his money back to his family. He was asked about the possibility of investing in a Mexican company and using it to build his life there. His response to that was simple as well. Very honestly, he said that he just did not have the knowledge of how, where or why to create or manage a business. So, he prefers to stay in the United States. Works cited Crosthwaite, Luis Humberto. “The Moon Will Forever Be a Distant Love”. Cinco Punto Press, 1997: El Paso, TX. Print. Mhking (2005). “Vicente Fox”. Mexicans Do Jobs Not Even Blacks Will Do. Web. 06 April, 2011. Print. Rodriguez-Scott, Esmeralda (2002). “Center for International Studies”. University of St. Thomas: Houston, TX. Web. 06 April, 2011. Print. Rosenburg, Matt (2011). “Maquiladoras in Mexico”. Export Assembly Plants for the United States. Web. 06 April, 2011. Print. Torres, Hugo (2010). “Entrevista: Los Migrantes Michoacanos”. Presento Una Entrevista Con Un Migrante Michoacano. Web. 06 April, 2011. Print. University of California, (2000). “REgenerations Oral History Project”. Vol. 1, Chicago Region. Web. 06 April, 2011. Print. Wikipedia (2011). “Illegal Immigration to the United States”. Web. 06 April, 2011. Print. Read More

 

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