The Barbarian Nurseries

Immigration in America is a major theme all throughout the novel, and the author examines it from many different angles and perspectives. Tobar explores the fact that immigration is an extremely polarizing subject in the US today with seemingly no middle ground. When Maureen and Scott call the police to report their missing children, most of the authorities immediately believed that, because Araceli is an illegal Mexican immigrant, her motives must be nefarious. The story gains momentum in the news, suggesting that the public is full of similarly-minded individuals, regardless of truth. This would almost certainly not have been the case if the housekeeper was white or, just as crucially, if the parents were not white.

The faction of people who believe that illegal immigrants pose a threat to America is best represented by the characters of Ian Goller and Janet Bryson, who consider Mexicans “a wild invasive species” (290). They fear this culture they do not understand and make no effort to understand to the point that Goller proceeds with pressing charges he knows are false.

The book stands as an answer to this very real group of people. Tobar presents Araceli’s side of the story in equal part with the Torres-Thompsons.