enrique's journey theme essay

Enrique's Journey

39 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 2

Chapters 3-5

Chapter 6-Epilogue

Key Figures

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

There has been an influx of undocumented single mothers from Mexico and Central America to the United States in recent years. What are the factors driving this phenomenon?

Discuss how Enrique and Lourdes’s relationship demonstrates how abandonment and immigration affect families. How does Lourdes view her experiences with migration? How does this differ from Enrique’s perspective of her actions?

What is Enrique’s motivation for traveling to the United States? How does this relate to broader trends in US immigration?

Don't Miss Out!

Access Study Guide Now

Featured Collections

Books on U.S. History

View Collection

Contemporary Books on Social Justice

Immigrants & Refugees

Inspiring Biographies

Politics & Government

Required Reading Lists

Analysis of “Enrique’s Journey” Book Essay

Enrique’s Journey experience brings into view the kind of problems one undergoes in the process of attaining their goals in life (Border Film Project 6). This shows that age is not a factor in achieving one’s dreams and therefore determination wins it all. Life can be filled with several obstacles such as being an immigrant but the need to overcome such problems and excel defines the life and experience of Enrique who has to travel as an immigrant to meet his mother, have a relationship with Maria Isabela (Nazario 230).

After, Enrique’s mother Lourdes leaves for the US to look for money so that she can support her child gain education shows the “hardships” that mothers go through to raise their children (Border Film Project 10).

Overcoming obstacles in life is the most traumatic aspects of the story of Enrique’s Journey. Enrique’s mother chooses to do low paying jobs that are often ignored by the citizens of America to make a living that would enable her child get an education. Through these low paying jobs, they improve the country’s economy since the kind of jobs the immigrants do cannot be accepted by the Americans.

I chose this aspect because Enrique had to overcome several challenges and problems on his way to America so that he can reunite with his mother, the life in America itself is not that promising as many would have thought. Therefore the life of an immigrant remains to be seen as one full of struggles.

He had to be beaten and faced many robberies on the way. However, he is thriving to succeed in his journey to reach her mother is the motivational factor in his success to reach the US. Being determined presents some of the themes in this text and, moreover a reflection of the obstacles Enrique undergoes before reuniting with her mother.

Nazario states that, “she had to work long hours to earn the money” (235). The writer here refers to the time Lourdes would work that demonstrates the hard work of an immigrant and their determination.

In addition, the importance of having hope is the key factor in Enrique’s continued desire to reach the US. Clearly, the contribution of the immigrants such as the likes of Enrique and his mother is great for the economy of the country.

Many immigrants have to survive in all means whatever it takes for them to do so. The method of survival reflects their determination to succeed in life through doing the small jobs and in the end improve the economy of the country.

Lack of finance by Lourdes is a show that she cannot be able to take care of her children and clearly that they are living in poverty. Nazario states that “Lourdes cannot afford to feed and educate her children, so she leaves for El Norte” (139), this show that the immigrants can be able to do any jobs, work extra hard which is beneficial to a country in terms of economy improvement.

“Enrique’s Journey” story make people change how they look at the immigrants and need to offer a helping hand because they too are important to the country (Border Film Story). They can help to offload the “burden” of hard labour which most of the citizens do not want. The determination of Lourdes to make her life better shows the immigrants have a lot of problems and can risk their lives “to make ends meet” (Nazario 200).

The discussion question: Do the immigrants help to improve a country’s economy?

Works Cited

Border Film Project. Border Film Project . 2011. Web.

Nazario, Sonia. Enrique’s Journey, New York: Random House, 2007. Print.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2023, December 19). Analysis of “Enrique’s Journey” Book. https://ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-enriques-journey-book/

"Analysis of “Enrique’s Journey” Book." IvyPanda , 19 Dec. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-enriques-journey-book/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Analysis of “Enrique’s Journey” Book'. 19 December.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Analysis of “Enrique’s Journey” Book." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-enriques-journey-book/.

1. IvyPanda . "Analysis of “Enrique’s Journey” Book." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-enriques-journey-book/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Analysis of “Enrique’s Journey” Book." December 19, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/analysis-of-enriques-journey-book/.

• Immigration in Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario
• "Enrique’s Journey: The Boy Left Behind" by Sonia Nazario
• Los Pichiciegos by Enrique Fogwill
• HIV Epidemic in Enrique’s Native Country
• Themes of Dreaming in Cuban by Cristina Garcia
• “Eating the Landscape” Book by Enrique Salmón
• Views in "A Dove in Santiago: Anovella In Verse"
• Newlywed Conflict on Expectations and Duties
• The Symbolism of Mermaid in the Book Galang’s “One Tribe”
• People With Disabilities and the Hotel Industry
• Reflective Entry: “Push” by Sapphire
• Nazi Deception and the Demoralization and Dehumanization of Eliezer and His Fellow Prisoners
• Journal for Chronic City by Jonathan Lethem
• Review of Another Bullshit Night in Suck City
• Night by Ellie Wiesel

Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Enrique's Journey — Analysis Of Enrique’s Journey From A Sociological Perspective

Analysis of Enrique's Journey from a Sociological Perspective

• Categories: American Literature Enrique's Journey Sociological Perspective

About this sample

Words: 2500 |

13 min read

Published: Aug 9, 2021

Words: 2500 | Pages: 5 | 13 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, social problems, sociological theories, possible solutions, cited sources.

• Nazario, Sonia. (2014). “Enrique's Journey: the Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother.” Random House Trade Paperbacks.
• Hardoy, Jorgelina. (2011). “Poverty in Latin America.” JSTOR, International Institute for Environment and Development, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep01278.5.pdf?ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search%2Fcontrol&refreqid=search%3Aec5b6118f7feb3f44b7cf2ef5551d40b.
• Aznar, José María. (2013). “Mapping a New Era for Latin America, the United States, and Europe.” JSTOR, Atlantic Council, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/resrep03577.9.pdf?ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search%2Fcontrol&refreqid=search%3Aa09bb6f0f2dd136b36e02972ff81a633.
• Brown, Hana E. (2018). “The Racialization of Latino Immigrants in New Destinations: Criminality, Ascription, and Countermobilization.” JSTOR, Russell Sage Foundation, www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.7758/rsf.2018.4.5.06.pdf?ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search%2Fcontrol&refreqid=search%3Ab5cefa6f859c9592243ebb9402e74283.
• DONATO, KATHARINE M. (2016). “Twenty-First-Century Globalization and Illegal Migration.” JSTOR, Sage Publications, Inc. in Association with the American Academy of Political and Social Science , www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24756125.pdf?ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search%2Fcontrol&refreqid=search%3A6138bab167bb4a9a7a7479c008b7f857. 

Cite this Essay

Let us write you an essay from scratch

• 450+ experts on 30 subjects ready to help
• Custom essay delivered in as few as 3 hours

Get high-quality help

Dr. Karlyna PhD

Verified writer

• Expert in: Literature Sociology

+ 120 experts online

By clicking “Check Writers’ Offers”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy . We’ll occasionally send you promo and account related email

No need to pay just yet!

Related Essays

6.5 pages / 3030 words

3.5 pages / 2123 words

7 pages / 3092 words

2 pages / 964 words

Remember! This is just a sample.

You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers.

121 writers online

Still can’t find what you need?

Browse our vast selection of original essay samples, each expertly formatted and styled

Related Essays on Enrique's Journey

The Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario is primarily the authors perspective on the experiences of kids left by their parents ate a young age. Essentially, the author was describing how Enrique’s, Lourdes, as a struggling parent [...]

Each year, hundreds of people from Central America decide to migrate on a dangerous journey through Mexico to the United States. Every migrant who decides to travel to the United States goes knowing their life is at risk. They [...]

The fear of a dystopian future that is explored in both Fritz Lang’s film Metropolis and George Orwell’s novel Nineteen Eighty Four is reflective of the values of the societies at the time and the context of the authors. As [...]

The power of words is enough to control an entire nation. Although many would consider physical power and brute force to be absolute power, George Orwell’s 1984 demonstrates a dystopian society where language is the ultimate [...]

In order for one to exist in a totalitarian society whose government is successful in its control, one must deal on a day-to-day basis with strong persuasion and propaganda. These totalitarian societies have an iron grip on [...]

Problems faced by characters in literature often repeat themselves, and when these characters decide to solve these standard problems, their actions are often more similar than they first appear. This idea is evident when [...]

Related Topics

By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement . We will occasionally send you account related emails.

Where do you want us to send this sample?

By clicking “Continue”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Be careful. This essay is not unique

This essay was donated by a student and is likely to have been used and submitted before

Download this Sample

Free samples may contain mistakes and not unique parts

Sorry, we could not paraphrase this essay. Our professional writers can rewrite it and get you a unique paper.

Please check your inbox.

We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Let's fix your grades together!

Get Your Personalized Essay in 3 Hours or Less!

We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy .

• Instructions Followed To The Letter
• Deadlines Met At Every Stage
• Unique And Plagiarism Free

• 1(877)219-7556 1(877)733-3925

Fully unique works only

Your privacy is our concern

Writing that is plagiarism free

Free Enrique’s Journey Essay Sample

Determination and desperation.

Enrique’s Journey is an outstanding work written by Sonia Nazario. The author gives an account of a seventeen year old boy who makes a harrowing attempt to find his mother in America who has spent twelve years in foreign lands seeking for means for better lives for her children. The story is characterized by determination and desperation as the main character goes through gripping hardships and inhuman conditions while attempting to make her dreams come true. For example, Enrique’s mother opts for the hard way of abandoning her young children in Honduras to sneak to America in order to work hard and obtain money and come back to take care of her starving children. She is a determined woman willing to go against all odds to feed and dress her children and provide them with decent education. She shows determination by taking a risk of immigrating to America illegally. Having spent twelve years in America, she is still optimistic about making a difference in her life by earning money hoping to go back home to her children in Honduras. Lourdes situation in America is a desperate one because she has been force by circumstances to remain abroad against her will and sneak back after a short stay.

Nazario’s story of the young boy who makes disparate attempts to find his mother is a great example of determination at times of desperation. Twelve years after his mother left the family; his isolation becomes even more disparate prompting him to take the risk of coming to the United States illegally in search of his mother. His journey entails riding on tops of freight trains around Mexico where they are pursued by gangsters who control these areas. Also, they are forced to deal with the corrupt Mexican officials who demand bribes from them otherwise immigrants are to be deported back to Honduras. During the journey, the young illegal immigrants have to cope with a number of disparate conditions demanding dire determination from those who take the risk.

Enrique together with other illegal immigrants gets mutilated along the way, making others loose their minds. Enrique travels from Tegucigalpa only with a telephone number of her mother in North Carolina. He has no money and has to take dangerous and illegal actions that are likely to complicate his travel around Mexico while clinging on the sides and atop of trains and buses. Enrique’s journey is filled with bravery and sufferings making the story even more interesting. It is filled with sheer strength of the spirit and desperation that is seen to play a significant role in guiding the lonely wanders who seek to achieve specific purpose in their lives. Enrique’s desperate risks involved in the illegal immigration and his simple thoughts about his mother by his side gives him needed determination to overcome the hostile and unknown worlds. The journey to America entails a number of disappointments as migrants are robbed and killed by robbers and bandits who want to benefit from vulnerable immigrants. Enrique is aimed to succeed in pushing each inch ahead by using his courage, wit as well as kindness offered to him by strangers.

In conclusion, the desperate and epic journey around the land of villains and monsters in a disappointed attempt to find his lost mother in the mysteries of north is a clear depiction of a dangerous travel that illegal migrants go through to achieve desires of the hearts. Lourdes is determined to provide her son and sister with needed means for living back in Honduras while Enrique goes through desperate situations in order to find her mother and have her by his side. The inhuman and dangerous escapades in El Tren de la Muerte or The Train of Death serve as justification that Enrique’s journey is the one full of determination and desperation.

Have NO Inspiration to write your essay?

Ask for Professional help

Search Free Essay

Please note!

Some text in the modal.

Enrique’s Journey

Sonia nazario, everything you need for every book you read..

At the age of five, Enrique watches his mother, Lourdes , leave their doorstep in Honduras. He does not know that she will not return. Lourdes is heading to the United States in search of work so that she can send money home to her two children, Enrique and Belky . Her experience in America is not easy; she becomes pregnant and works many different jobs. She wires money back home, but feels guilty and sad at the thought that her children are growing up without her. Meanwhile, Enrique struggles through his childhood and wishes for his mother's return. After many false promises, he begins to realize that she may never come home. He becomes lonely and angry, and turns to drugs when he becomes an adolescent. He moves from house to house under the care of different family members. When he is seventeen, he knows that he cannot continue his life in Honduras without the love of his mother. He sets out to find his mother in the United States, determined to make the difficult journey through Guatemala, up Mexico, and across the river. With hardly any money and few belongings, he leaves his hometown of Tegucigalpa and travels north.

Enrique must cross thirteen of Mexico's thirty-one states and traverse over 12,000 miles to reach his mother. He is one of many children who make a similar journey in search of a parent. The journey is extremely dangerous—he must face the depredations of bandits, gangsters, immigration officers, and corrupt police. Every region is different, and he must learn what to look out for and guard against through multiple trials. He attempts the journey from Honduras seven times. Much of the trip is made atop freight trains, where the chances of getting severely wounded and even dying are high. He survives the trip because of his perseverance, luck, drive, and above all, with the help of others. On his way, he meets fellow migrants with whom he shares stories and common experiences. In spite of the harsh circumstances and the ruthless people who target migrants, Enrique also encounters generous, kind, and compassionate people who offer their help at the risk of their own punishment. Although he makes much of the journey alone, crossing the river is too risky on his own. After getting in touch with his mother, he is able to secure a smuggler, his protector El Tiríndaro , to help him cross the border. Finally, on the eighth journey, after an arduous and long trip, he finds himself in the hands of his mother.

Their reunion, at first, is happy. Lourdes has established a good life in North Carolina with her boyfriend and daughter, Diana . Enrique is glad to be with his mother, but soon the complicated feelings of abandonment and anger come out. He and his mother begin to argue, and their relationship becomes tense. Back home in Honduras, Enrique's girlfriend, Maria Isabel , gives birth to their daughter, Jasmin . Enrique longs to bring his family to the United States, but continues to struggle with drug addiction and emotional problems. He sends money back to Maria Isabel as often as he can, but their relationship becomes strained. Maria Isabel receives criticism from Enrique's family members about how she is raising Jasmin and spending Enrique's money. Maria Isabel grows closer to Jasmin and has trouble deciding what will be best for her child. Finally, she decides to go to the United States to join Enrique. If she leaves now, the chances that her daughter will be able to come to America and grow up with both her parents will be higher. The book ends much in the same way that it begins: with a mother leaving behind her young child, unable to say goodbye.

Enrique's Journey

By sonia nazario, enrique's journey summary and analysis of on the border.

An American Border Patrol agent yells into his bullhorn, “You are in American territory. Turn back. Thank you for returning to your country” (137). Enrique is stymied. He has been in Nuevo Laredo, living in an encampment on the banks of the Rio Grande, for days. He has no idea if is mother is still in North Carolina. He does not have her phone number or enough money to call her. He knows his mother must have learned from relatives that he is gone. He decides to earn money to buy phone cards, so that he can call his former employer in Honduras (he remembers that number), to try and obtain his mother's number. Each card costs fifty pesos each; he decides to wash cars to earn it.

Enrique stays at an encampment for migrants, coyotes, drug addicts, and criminals. It is hidden from the U.S. immigration authorities by high reeds, thereby enabling the migrants to watch the agents and their sports utility vehicles. Enrique knows he will have to cross the river in order to get to the U.S., but so far has no idea how to achieve this. Some migrants swim over, while others use inner tubes.

Each evening, Enrique takes a bucket and two rags to a popular taco stand. There, he attracts potential costumers with a red rag. He earns very little money. Luckily, two local parish centers offer free meals to migrants. Though overcrowded, Enrique benefits from the charity, and meets other children who have similar stories to his own.

The encampment is run by a man called El Tiríndaro , a patero who smuggles people into the U.S. by pushing them across the river in an inner tube. He is a heroin addict who finances his drug use through tattooing people, petty theft, and smuggling. In Mexico, heroin is called la cura (the cure).

Enrique, known in the encampment as El Hongo (the mushroom) because of his shyness, continues to explore options as he lives under the protection of El Tiríndaro, who considers him a potential customer for smuggling. For $1,200, El Tiríndaro can not only get a migrant across the river, but also set him up with a smuggling operation that will get him further into the country. Luckily, many migrants in the camp look after him because of his age, which allows him to explore options. Each night, when he leaves to wash cars, he is scared to be outside of their protection.

Unfortunately, Enrique is not making enough money for phone cards, and feels guilty when he uses his meager savings on food. El Tiríndaro helps Enrique by taking him to sell the clothing left behind on the riverbank by migrants. Finally, Enrique saves enough to buy two phone cards. To celebrate, he gets a tattoo which reads “EnriqueLourdes” across his chest. He knows his mother will not be pleased. The next day, hungry, he trades one of his phone cards for money to buy food. He begins to sniff glue again, to battle his hunger, fear, and loneliness. Then, someone steals his washing bucket, and he must beg to make money for another phone card.

Enrique considers crossing the river by himself, but he cannot swim and if he were caught, he would be deported. Trains going from Mexico into Texas are out of the question, as they are searched several times and scanned with infrared telescopes to sense body heat. He also cannot walk through Texas, as he is unfamiliar with the terrain. Migrants have been known to die of dehydration in 120 degree weather, or to end up shot by Texan ranchers.

Nazario discusses the extent of security at the border. The INS has hired 5,600 additional agents since 1993 to staff the border. Some agents can track the footprints of migrants as they walk through the Texas desert. Others can tell how old the footprints are and in which directions the migrants are headed. Agents are paid to bring migrants in, and are given a bonus for catching them. They also insist that they actually work in the best interest of migrants, since migrants are too often wounded or killed by rattlesnake bites, train injuries, dehydration, or animals like coyotes and bobcats. In the depressing, difficult terrain, many migrants are thankful when apprehended.

Enrique decides to hire a smuggler, and chooses El Tiríndaro because of his high success rate. Before he can call his family in Honduras, someone steals his right shoe in the middle of the night. Enrique is furious; shoes are almost as important as food in the encampment. He has gone through seven pairs during his journey north. Desperately, he searches for a shoe and finds one on the riverbank - unfortunately, it is a left show, and so now he has wears two left shoes.

On May 19th, Enrique visits Padre Leo , a local priest and advocate for migrant care. Padre Leo is a disheveled but lovable man who rides a blue bicycle. Migrants call him their "champion" because he literally gives them the shirt off his back and the shoes from his feet (175). He also allows the migrants to use the church phone, which Enrique does to call his old boss, who eventually connects him with his relatives, who in turn give him Lourdes 's phone number. He next calls Lourdes collect, and they begin preparations to hire a coyote for $1,200.

From the banks of the Rio Grande, the overwhelming sight of the United States represents not only the illusive imagery of the American dream, but also the culmination of Enrique’s journey. His mother feels nearby, although he has no idea whether she is still in North Carolina and has no way to reach her. The promise of the U.S. stands in stark contrast to to the harsh poverty of Nuevo Laredo, where Enrique thanklessly washes cars but can barely save anything.

One of the photographs by Don Bartletti, included in Enrique’s Journey , shows Enrique washing cars at night. Nazario first met Enrique in Nuevo Lardeo during this time period. Her personal insight into the encampment, the stories of other child migrants, and the information she relates about the U.S. Border Patrol all work together to provide a well rounded and insightful image of what life is like for Enrique without compromising the narrative. Bartletti’s photographs further enhance the overall story, giving faces to the names, which naturally underscores the reality of Enrique’s situation.

Nazario's authorial interjections do not detract from Enrique's position as a protagonist. It is an exciting development from a narrative standpoint - our hero has almost reached his goal, but suddenly finds himself facing a new set of overwhelming odds. We continue to root for him, even as setbacks like losing a shoe make his success seem impossible. The chapter ends with something of a cliffhanger - he will get the money! - but clearly, there are more challenges to face.

The phone cards serve as physical representations of Enrique's hope. When he trades one of them for food, it is a visceral reminder of the poverty that grounds him even at his strongest. Were he to fail now, he would have to start over for a ninth time. Two symbols are juxtaposed in this section to exhibit his conflict - his tattoo expresses his unshakeable hope, while the phone card, which he sells the next day, represents the inescapable demands of money and food. These are the forces that compete throughout the story, and no matter how close he gets, the conflict continue to resonate.

Other mothers in the encampment are less enthusiastic or hopeful. As Mother’s Day passes, the young women Nazario speaks to relate how worried they are for the children they have left behind. Mother’s Day is a harsh reminder of the distance between themselves and their children. These mothers pray for their children’s safety, too. One mother says she fears she will lose the love of her children if she stays too long in the United States. On the other side of the Rio Grande, Lourdes worries for her son and prays to St. Judas, patron saint of those in need as well as those who are lost.

Drug use, a distressing but dominant motif within the text, reappears at the end of “On the Border” when Enrique begins to sniff glue again. What is heartbreaking is that we understand the forces that lead him in that direction - his fear, his hunger, his loneliness - but also know that such activity could compromise his mission. His love for her has not faltered, but it now competes with his more physical pain. Narratively, the book stays intriguing as we wonder not only whether Enrique will make it to the U.S., but also whether he will be able to find personal happiness there.

Enrique’s Journey Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Enrique’s Journey is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

WHAT IS ENRIQUE FORCCED TO DO UPON RINALY REACHING THE AMERICAN SIDE OF THE RIO GRANDE

In order to remain undetected, Enrique and the others must wait for an hour in a half in a freezing creek into which a sewage treatment plant dumps refuse.

Why is crossing the river so difficult?

For Enrique, crossing the river by himself is dangerous. He cannot swim and if he's caught, he will be deported.

They are put in detention centers and sent back. The detention centers ar cramped full of crooks and people that exploit them.

Study Guide for Enrique’s Journey

Enrique's Journey study guide contains a biography of Sonia Nazario, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Enrique's Journey
• Enrique's Journey Summary
• Character List

Essays for Enrique’s Journey

Enrique's Journey essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario.

• Criticism, Sympathy, and Encouragement: Depicting the American Dream in 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Enrique's Journey'

Lesson Plan for Enrique’s Journey

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Enrique's Journey
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Enrique's Journey Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Enrique’s Journey

• Introduction
• Don Francisco Presenta Reunion
• Recognition
• Sonia Nazario