Response to The Circuit

I really enjoyed this book, even with how sad much of it is. I feel like even through the sadness, there is a ray of hope that constantly shines through. Maybe it’s because the father really does believe there is a better life that they are working toward, or maybe it’s because there are characters throughout the book with whom we sympathize, but mainly I think it’s because the main character does not seem to hold any animosity toward the life he lives. There are moments of sadness and misery, of course, but it seems that few of them actually have to do with their lot in life. The sadness comes when the bird dies or when he tries to help pick cotton but ends up destroying it or the fact that he is nervous about reciting the Declaration of Independence (more on that later). But never, to my recollection, does he say things like, “I wish we weren’t so poor” or “Why did God give us this crappy life?” There is no “woe is me” in regard to the life they lead, and that makes the reader sympathize with their plight much more easily.
The beginning of the book was a little hard to read for me because the family has grand ideas of moving to California for a better life, but right away we know what likely awaits them, and we know that it is no better. I think the father knows it immediately, and maybe even knew it before, when they arrive and are told they cannot start work for two weeks and they will all stay in a little tent. We wonder right away if they would have been better off just staying in Mexico. But also in the first chapter we see the unbridled optimism that the boys have. When the train conductor drops a bag of food for them, Roberto exclaims, “See, it does come from California!” (7). Even with the life they now lead, the boys are holding onto the idea that there is a California out there somewhere that is a land flowing with milk and honey. They refuse to believe that this is the end of their journey.
Two specific spots in the story really stuck with me. The first is the game of kick the can in the chapter “Learning the Game” when Panchito refuses to play unless Manuelito is also allowed to play. I love that this story is woven into the story of Gabriel, who refuses to do the work of an animal and is fired and deported. The injustice of Gabriel’s story sits in stark contrast to what Panchito decides he must accomplish. It is one small moment, in one small field, with a few young children, but in that moment, justice was served and discrimination was destroyed because one small boy took a stand against something that he knew was not right. World changes begin with moments like that.
The second part that struck me was the ending. I loved the buildup of trying to learn the Declaration of Independence to recite it in front of the teacher, especially the repetition of the famous words of equal creation. Before the recitation comes, however, Panchito is taken away by what I assume is the INS. The fact that the teacher is making the students memorize these words and then turns in Panchito is, for me, at the same time very aggravating but kind of understandable. We want Panchito to succeed, and we want to believe that everyone has the right to freedom and happiness, but at the same time he is here illegally and the laws of the country must be upheld or there would be total chaos. So it creates a moral dilemma of helping the child but submitting to authority. Tough.