The Influence Of The Underworld - 1639 Words

April Sigrest Professor Lenoir English 102 23 October 2017 The Influence of the Underworld In Yuri Herrera’s Signs Preceding the End of the World, a number of the ideas discussed contribute to the themes Herrera is trying to communicate; one of those ideas is the underworld. Throughout the novel, several underworlds are described, such as the physical underworld mentioned in the beginning when a sinkhole opens up in a city and brings destruction, but a main underworld that we do not often consider is the criminal underworld. Featuring what Herrera labels as the â€Å"top dogs,† the criminal underworld described in Signs Preceding the End of the World showcases all of the bad things that happen or, put simply, where crimes occur (Herrera 12).†¦show more content†¦Each one exhibits qualities that can be seen as conniving, and we find that two of them really are. With both of them, we also find that their actions were truly intentional all along. With Mr. Aitch, there was no land for Makina’s brother, and with Mr. Q, he never intended on having Makina come back to Mexico; he planned for her to stay in the United States, giving her everything necessary to stay there. These two characters are accurate representations of influences in the criminal underworld. They both impact Makina and Makina’s brother to the point where they both find themselves residing in a different country, even though they both had intentions on returning back to Mexico. In fact, one of the first mentions of Makina’s brother describes how he was determined to return. We do not see much of Makina’s brother too early in the story, but we do get a little background information on him. With this background information, it becomes clear to the audience how easy it is to have our minds changed by the criminal underworld. Herrera describes that because Makina’s brother learned of a possible land that his family owned, he gathered up a few things, insisting â€Å"someone’s got to fight for what’s [their own]† (Herrera 29). We find out with this information that one of the top dogs, Mr. Aitch, was the reason Makina’s brother ventured to America. Had it been a reminder they had land in America, the promise might not have influenced Makina’s brotherShow MoreRelatedComparing The Iliad And The Odyssey905 Words   |  4 Pagesresponds to Chryses’ appeal to strike the Greek armies with plague. In conclusion, five traditional epic characteristics that are evident in both the Iliad and the Odyssey have been identified in the paragraphs above. 2. Scholars claim Homeric influence present in Vergil’s Aeneid. This short essay will cover five instances that justify this claim. 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