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Cintia Aguiar

Professor Smyrl

ESL 117A.2550

11/29/2023

Between Worlds: Hector's Exploration of Self and Home

Home can be found in so many places, but some people are never able to find it. Some

may call home the city or country they were born in, or maybe home is that little white house

that you were raised in by your parents. Some people love to explore the world, discovering a

sense of home in every place they stay. On the other hand, some never find that sense of home;

they keep searching for a place or perhaps a feeling in their soul to belong somewhere, only to

finally set their minds on a thought: “This is where I belong. These are my people, and it is here

that I want to stay”. Carl Jung believed that archetypes - recurring patterns of human experience

present across cultures, religions, and mythologies - shape our thoughts, behaviors, and

emotions. Among the many types of archetypes, we can find "The Explorer." An explorer has at

their core the need to find out who they are and where they belong through exploring places and

connecting with people. In the novel “The Madonnas of Echo Park,” Brando Skyhorse presents

us with Hector, a character with many flaws and struggles who keeps seeking his place in the

world. In this essay, I will illustrate how Skyhorse portrays Hector as an Explorer through the

thematic perspective of searching for “home” in "The Madonnas of Echo Park."

Skyhorse introduces us to a variety of characters, each with their own unique stories and

challenges. The book masterfully captures the diverse community in Echo Park, showing a

colorful mix of people whose lives come together amidst the neighborhood's transformations.
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Through these characters, Skyhorse explores themes like identity, culture, and the shared human

quest for a place to call home. Hector begins sharing his history in Chapter 1, and his first

dialogue, the initial line in the book, immediately expresses his indignation about life: “We

slipped into this country like thieves, onto the land that once was ours” (1). Hector, born in

Mexico and brought to the USA as a young child, initiates his wandering journey, being taken

too early from his homeland and brought into a foreign country. The author portrays Hector as an

undocumented immigrant working as a day laborer, navigating the streets for employment,

revealing the Explorer’s biggest weakness: aimless wandering, trying to fit in his own

community, but being rejected by not being “Mexican enough.” “When I started as un

trabalhador, the bosses could tell I’d never done any outdoor work. And knowing English on top

of that? I was lucky to last a day. They liked men fresh from the border…”(3). For the explorer,

the fear of aimless wandering is rooted in the idea of not making progress in their journey. It

reflects the concern of never reaching a destination or discovering a sense of purpose, leading to

feelings of uncertainty, frustration, and a sense of being lost, characteristics that the author shows

us in Hector through the many ambiguous choices he had made in his life.

Hector isn't exploring alone; his family and community are part of the journey.

Interactions with others can either help or make it harder for him to find a home. Skyhorse shows

how the immigrant experience is not just personal but also shared with those around him. The

Explorer’s fear of feeling trapped started appearing in his marriage: “How could I be a “real

man” if my life wouldn't have any more surprises or new opportunities, only a swelling of what

was in front of me–more kids, more bills, more fat on Felicia’s body? … Then I got those

pictures in my head. … I knew I was going to cheat on my wife” (10). Looking into the theme of

Home, Skyhorse shows us that Hector’s wife and baby daughter were not enough to him; they
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were a family but weren’t home. The goal of an Explorer is to seek a better and more fulfilling

life, and when he doesn't find it within his family, he pursues Cristina to experience something

new. “Cristina’s apartment was a young woman’s home, full of mystery, thrift, and unblemished

promise” (11). This excitement didn't last long; after a pregnancy scare, he ended things with

Cristina, once again demonstrating his ease in leaving everything behind. He was left with no

wife and a cold relationship with his daughter. The author showcases Hector's tendency to make

impulsive decisions with long-lasting consequences.

Hector's journey is not just a physical one but also a quest to understand his own identity.

Navigating the challenges of being an immigrant involves finding a delicate balance between

preserving cultural heritage and adapting to the expectations of blending in. “It terrifies me

because Mexico doesn’t exist for me. I have no memory of it. I was a few months old when my

mother brought us to Los Angeles from my birth home in Guanajuato” (20). The haunting words

express Hector's profound disconnect from his Mexican roots, intensifying his sense of

wandering and an unrelenting feeling of not belonging. Skyhorse, through Hector's narrative,

sheds light on the complex struggles faced by immigrants who lack a concrete connection to

their homeland. Hector's attempts to fit in are met with resistance, deepening his internal conflict.

The inability to seamlessly integrate into either culture accentuates his perpetual state of

wandering. Mexicans diminish him for speaking English and taking a "soft" job in construction,

earning the nickname "malinchista–traitor" from coworkers (7). A similar outcome occurs when

he works in an American restaurant, always treated as an outsider never fully embraced by the

group.

Hector's story doesn't end well, and it may be fair based on his life choices. He becomes

entangled in a situation where he is paid to dispose of a murderer's weapon. He is then stopped

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by a policeman and decides to confess what he saw; reflecting on his life at that moment, he

says: “Everything I have earned in this life by lying, I have lost. By lying” (23). Our Explorer

gets trapped when he finally frees himself with the truth. He had lived an invisible life with no

roots, always searching for something better and never content with what he had. Being deported

to Mexico, his public defender assures him, “We’ll get you home,” and Hector once more

demonstrates no place in the world and thinks, “But where was home?” (24). Handcuffed in a

bus, he sees from far houses in Los Angeles. In a moment of calm and optimism, he wishes for a

home to fit his “small life” and the hopes he would bring back with him.

Hector's internal struggle may show us the broader challenge of defining oneself within a

new cultural context. Neither wholly Mexican nor fully American, he embodies the struggle of

those caught between worlds. Skyhorse defined Hector as an Explorer, showing us his many

struggles to find his place, seeking for a deeper understanding of himself and the world around

him. His mistakes become crucial stepping stones in his journey toward self-discovery. They

serve as valuable lessons that ultimately guide him through the complexities of identity

formation in a diverse cultural landscape. The theme of ”home” symbolizes the yearning for a

place where one feels a true sense of belonging. Immigrants often grapple with the tension

between preserving their cultural heritage and integrating into their new community. Hector's

quest reflects the universal human desire to find a space where one's identity is recognized and

accepted. Through his journey, Skyhorse invites readers to think about the complex weave of

identity and the strong desire to find a place to call home.

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Works Cited

Skyhorse, Brando. The Madonnas of Echo Park. Free Press Simon & Schuster, 2010.