It is easy for readers to categorize Jack as a cruel, cold hearted, upper class bigot considering his actions and words. I have to admit I think he comes off that way sometimes. But he also is a lot more than just that. He isn't stupid. In many ways his reasoning about illegal immigrants makes a lot of sense. Illegal immigration does hurt the economy. Illegal immigrants do take away jobs from citizens. But Jack takes it to such an extreme that it is hard for one to feel that his views of illegal immigrants and his sentiments about them are purely a result of his concern about the economy and the state.

"Don't be surprised, because this is only the beginning. We're under siege here-and there's going to be a

But even more than that, Jack represents something on an even larger scale outside of Arroyo Blanco and its surroundings. I think he represents the hypocrisy parts of this country have come to regarding immigrants in general. He serves as an example of all those sheltered people who use immigrants as a scapegoat for the degradation of our society. Consider the fact that he doesn't even consider himself an immigrant.

It's also hard to deny the race issue. The way he is so emotional about the topic of illegal immigrants, it is easy for people to think racism has something to do with it. Some might go as far to say the whole immigration thing is just a cover up so he can vent his racist views (considering that most illegal immigrants are not white). I would not go that far, but I do believe racism plays a factor in his actions. Says Jack, "The ones coming in through the Tortilla Curtain down there, those are the ones that are killing us. They're peasants, my friend. No education, no resources, no skills...".

Now what does he contribute in the larger scheme of the story? Jack serves to change Delany in such a way that by the end of the story Delany is in very many ways the exact opposite of the "liberal humanist" he supposedly was at the start of the story. That's not to say Jack is the only

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Approximate Word count = 875
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)