Essay Questions

Why does the Jimenez family migrate to the United States?

The idea of the American dream, the hope for a better life in the United States becomes one of the central reasons why the Jimenez family move from their homeland in Mexico to the United States. The family’s wind of better living conditions as well as promising employment in California, the United States encourages them to move as this would be their way of improving their life, a shot at what can be termed as a new lease of life—the ultimate American dream.

How difficult does life prove to be for the narrator of the story?

The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child is narrated employing the point of view of the young narrator and protagonist, Francisco Jimenez. Having moved from his homeland in Mexico, the narrator has trouble learning English, the language spoken by the people of the country where his family moves—the United States. This difficulty in learning is made even more difficult through the constant migration of the family from one part of the country to another in working multiple jobs. Following this movement, the narrator has to constantly miss his classes, further complicating his learning process. However, through determination, the character manages to pull through.

What is The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child about?

The Circuit: Stories From the Life of a Migrant Child is a work that follows the life of the child protagonist, Francisco Jimenez, and explores his life which is used by the writer as a backdrop to present the difficulties faced by migrant children as well as families. The work explores such themes as migration, impoverished family life, the concept of family, and racial prejudices. Through this work, the writer, Francisco Jimenez is able to present in concrete and tangible terms, the plight of migrants as well as their families.