The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child

Fiction | Short Story Collection | Middle Grade | Published in 1997

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Stories 1-4

Stories 5-8

Stories 9-10

Stories 11-12

Key Figures

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Themes

The Value of Family

Although Francisco experiences many hardships in his childhood, he is fortunate in his family. They are the loving, supportive constant in his otherwise changeable life. In The Circuit, the strength of family bonds teaches young Francisco personal values and helps him cope during difficult times.

Mamá and Papá are dedicated to providing a better life for the family. Even when their hopes fail to come true, they sacrifice their comfort and health, working ceaselessly to provide food and shelter for the children. Mamá and Papá have a strong marriage: Their love for each other is evident in the tenderness and terms of endearment they use, calling each other viejo (“old man”) and vieja (“old woman”). Their affection extends to their children: They listen to corridos together in the car and share jokes. Mamá tenderly watches over the infants and looks out for Francisco, hugging him when the thought of la migra frightens him, and “winking” at him when she conspires to get Papá to return to Santa Maria and Francisco back to school.

The family wholeheartedly supports each other through difficult experiences. The family rallies to support Torito with prayer during his illness, showing their unbreakable faith and love for each other. Papá identifies as the hardworking provider; when his physical body betrays him and he cannot pick in the fields because of his pain, he frets about how this will impact the others: “I can’t feed my family; I can’t even protect you from la migra” (116). Roberto and Francisco step up and work when Papá cannot, caring for him as he has done for them in the past. Roberto and Francisco console each other when times are hard, showing their strong brotherly bond: Roberto reassures Francisco after his disappointment with the shoe store interview, saying he will secure a year-round job. Mamá works in the fields when she can and earns money in other ways, serving lunches and dinners to field hands. Mamá’s olla, her big cook pot, represents the nurturing aspect of her personality, such as when she cooks a special celebratory meal of carne con chile on the first day Francisco, Roberto, and Papá pick grapes for Mr. Sullivan.

Both parents actively work to instill core values in their children: honesty, respect, the importance of education, perseverance, faith, and above all, the importance of family. Papá’s actions help show Francisco what is right and wrong, such as when he reprimands Francisco for adding dirt to his cotton piles and confirms that Díaz’s actions toward Gabriel were unjust. Mamá teaches Francisco that family love matters more than anything, urging him to value his sister over his penny collection, and to be thankful that the family survives the fire, even though his librito does not. Through his experiences with his loving parents and siblings, Francisco learns to appreciate the value of family, recognizing it as a priceless possession in the midst of poverty and hardship.

The Challenges of the Immigrant Experience

The Jimenez family go to the United States in the hopes of building a better life for themselves. Hard work and hope fuel the family’s determination to break out of poverty. However, the California dream soon dissolves into a harsh reality: The family becomes trapped in the circuit and its cycle of poverty, constantly battling instability and discrimination. The Circuit explores the many challenges that confront them as they struggle to adjust to their new life.

The family’s poverty is acute. On first arrival, they must hunt and forage for sustenance. They work from dawn to dusk but sometimes cannot even afford food or clothes. Although the wealthy landowners and sharecroppers provide “housing” for their workers, it is often dangerous, unhealthy, and inhumane. Francisco’s family has limited access to basic services and needs, while following the circuit in search of wages causes chronic instability: The family does not stay in one place long enough to put down roots or to feel a part of the community outside their migrant camp. Even though the family returns to some areas like Fresno and Santa Maria, they have no sense of permanence or security. The fear of la migra and threat of deportation adds to their sense of instability.

Due to their constant movement, Francisco has few close friends. He experiences loneliness and a series of losses that make him feel isolated and dispirited. Leaving fourth grade after only attending for three weeks, Francisco waves at the kids on the playground as the family drives away, but comments simply, “they did not see me” (53). He makes a good friend in Carl but the family moves, and Francisco never sees him again. Other migrant workers and their children also leave the camps, creating more broken connections. The family’s instability also robs Francisco of opportunities: He struggles to keep up in school because his attendance is interrupted so frequently, while his English, unpracticed outside of school, suffers.

As Francisco gets older, he notices the differences between migrant workers and the English-speaking world around them. Francisco’s accent and difficulty with English label him as “other” and therefore, lesser; it marks him as coming from a lower social and economic class. He sees the contrast between the “neatly dressed boys” (79) who get off the school bus and himself, sweaty, filthy, and exhausted, hiding in the vineyards so he will not get caught working and skipping school, which could lead to deportation. The Mexican workers are also exploited shamelessly in the fields: The workers, dependent on the jobs for survival or money to send home to families, have little recourse in the face of abuse. Gabriel gets fired and deported for standing up for his rights, teaching Francisco the adult lesson of racial discrimination. The message of difference and inferiority is driven home again when Francisco is taken into custody before his Declaration of Independence recitation.

Despite the inequities and discrimination that Francisco and his family face, they do not lose hope. Wherever they go, they strive to make their house a home, scavenging the dump for materials to improve it. Everyone in the family contributes by working hard: Even at four years old, Francisco cares for the infant Trampita. Their efforts show the family’s determination to make the best of things, revealing their inner strength and dignity. Francisco takes these lessons to heart, devoting himself to earning as much as he can to help the family and working his way through school. The Circuit thus both exposes the many challenges the immigrant experience brings, while also celebrating the resilience of the immigrant spirit in overcoming them.

The Importance of Education

Education is a central theme in The Circuit. Throughout his stories, Francisco learns important lessons from his parents, but also shows his determination to get a formal education. He faces many hurdles. The family’s constant movement interrupts his schooling, while Francisco’s need to work and help the family means he starts classes late and is constantly behind his classmates. His challenges with the English language also affect his learning. Francisco perseveres regardless, knowing that education is the key to leaving the circuit and breaking the cycle of poverty.

Francisco is “excited” to go to school for the first time, despite hearing about Roberto’s grievances. He is however, “embarrassed and nervous” at school when students giggle at him (17), being the smallest student and only speaking Spanish. His lack of English is a barrier to education and to social interaction: It factors into Curtis picking him last for teams, and their fight over the coat. Kids continue to make fun of Francisco’s “thick accent” into eighth grade, and he is self-conscious about “being laughed at because of [his] Mexican pronunciation” (129). Nevertheless, Francisco is determined to learn English and covets the knowledge he is sure English books contain: “I tried to figure them out by looking at the pictures. I did this so many times that I could close my eyes and see the words, but I could not understand what they meant” (20). Francisco also collects books, “hoping to read them once [he] learned how” (30). Francisco expects and believes that he will learn English and read widely—his commitment to education is evident in these optimistic expectations.

Francisco bravely continues with school despite feelings of awkwardness and inferiority. Writing his hard-won knowledge in his librito, and later writing more precious information in his black notebook, Francisco shows his determination to learn. Francisco largely directs and implements his own learning. He has an autodidactic streak, studying by himself—largely by necessity as he works in the fields—focusing, and setting individual goals. His tireless drive to learn becomes a way of life. School, paradoxically, gives Francisco stability: Even though his attendance is irregular, he observes that the knowledge he gains is permanent, something he can “have and hold” for the rest of his life.

When Papá laments that he and Mamá did not go to school, Francisco exclaims, “But you’ve taught us a lot, Papá” (130). Papá’s response, “education pays off” (130), summarizes the high value the Jimenez family and Francisco himself place upon getting an education: It is formal education that frees Roberto and Francisco from the circuit, enabling them to pursue new dreams in the United States.