coyote

They are trying to keep the coyotes out, just as they are trying to keep all the illegal aliens out of Arroyo Blanco. They want to keep the intruders out. Boyle also uses the coyote as a symbol to parallel with the illegal aliens. Delaney Mossbacher writes a monthly column in the paper that is about nature. In one of his columns he talks about how the coyotes live compared with the illegal Mexicans. " One coyote, who makes his living on the fringes of my community has learned to simply chew his way through the plastic irrigation pipes whenever he wants a drink." (Pg 212). This is one of the quotes from Delaney's column. In this quote Delaney is talking about how the coyote lives just like the illegal Mexicans. This is a definite parallel to Candido. Candido is an illegal Mexican who is living in the hills trying to live off the land. This is very much like the coyotes life. He too lives off the land. Delaney also talks about having the Los Angeles county animal control "trap and euthanize" the coyotes. This is very much like the la migra coming to pick up all the illegal immigrants standing on the corner waiting for work. Boyle uses the coyote to symbolize how they live and how Candido lives. Both are very similar. Boyle points out that coyotes live off the land, as does Candido. Candido is just like the coyote because he too is living off the land and is using other people's stuff to survive. Both Candido and the coyote are intruding on other people's property taking whatever they feel is necessary to survive. Another person the has the resemblance of the coyote is Jose Navidad. Like the coyote, Jose Navidad is also an intruder. He is described as a tall pale man with between yellow and red eyes. Candido spots Jose at the top of the trail coming down into the canyon. They exchange a few words and Jose leaves. Candido feels that Jose is intruding on his space. "Now he had to worry about this stinking crack-toothed pendejo nosing around down in the canyon, as if he didn't have enough problems already.