Into the Beautiful North: Chapter 7 Summary & Analysis

That night, Nayeli wanders around her mother's dark house and thinks about poor orphaned Vampi. Vampi's parents died in a bus accident: the driver fell asleep and drove off a cliff, killing all the passengers but not himself. Vampi is able to get away with her goth phase because her grandmother is too tired to fight her.

Nayeli approaches her mother's small altar to Don Pepe. A few candles surround a framed photo of him in his police officer's uniform. Nayeli smiles as she remembers how he used to set up bottles and let her shoot at them with his pistol. Even though Don Pepe loved his daughter, Nayeli could always tell that he wanted a son. Nayeli thinks about the day he left and how he simply couldn't earn enough money as an officer to take care of her and her mother. He had been a philosopher and a fatalist—on his postcard from Kankakee, Illinois, he'd written his favorite phrase, "Everything passes." Nayeli knows that this means that joy, as well as sorrow, will pass, and times will change.

The next day, news spreads that García-García's cinema will stage a film festival, with Nayeli's mother as the new projectionist. García-García orders Yul Brynner movies to appease Irma. For the first film of the double feature, García-García decides to show a German-dubbed version of Westworld that has Spanish subtitles. Then, because he is the self-proclaimed biggest Steve McQueen fan in Mexico, García-García decides to show one movie that features both Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen: The Magnificent Seven.

García-García's cinema, the Cine Pedro Infante, fills for the festival. Nayeli attends with Tacho and shouts at Vampi and Yolo across the theater. The entirety of Tres Camarones comes, even Pepino, the "town simpleton." Nayeli and Tacho sit behind Tía Irma, who snaps at them to not say stupid things during the movie. Nayeli purchases a soda from Pepino, declines his offer of marriage, and whispers to Tacho that she hates Yul Brynner. Tacho agrees.

García-García shows cartoons first, and the laughter from the moviegoers is so loud that the bats leave their perches. Irma puts her lighter in the air to scare them off, and then Westworld begins. Nayeli and Tacho groan and giggle, and Irma glares at them. At one point, Irma remarks that Brynner's accent is so slight, you can hardly tell he's Mexican.

During intermission, Nayeli lounges with her friends in the aisles as a band plays. Father François tells Nayeli about The Magnificent Seven and explains that it's based on another film called The Seven Samurai. He attempts to explain the premise, but Yolo keeps blurting rude interjections, and Father François gives up. Nayeli follows him back to his seat and he finishes telling her about how, in the film, the villagers go to the US to find seven gunmen to fight off bandidos that threaten their village. Nayeli feels tingles and returns to her seat.

When the movie begins, Nayeli feels more tingles. Irma and García-García engage in a shouting match over who is better, Yul Brynner or Steve McQueen, during a particularly exciting scene, but nobody else in the theater seems to feel the same kind of excitement Nayeli does. When the movie is over, Nayeli pulls out her postcard and drifts out the door. Yolo and Vampi attempt to grab Nayeli, but Nayeli is lost in thought. The girls follow Nayeli to the town square, where she sits down and thinks for a moment.

Finally, Nayeli says, "The Magnificent Seven." Yolo and Vampi just stare. Nayeli declares that they have to go to the US and bring home seven men, as the bandits are coming, and there's nobody to protect Tres Camarones now that there aren't any cops. Yolo suggests that they bring home only cops or soldiers, and Vampi complains that this will ruin her week's plans. Finally Vampi agrees and suggests that Nayeli can find her father while they're there. All three girls sit, stunned by the plan. They decide that they'll only stay as long as it takes to find the men, and reason that the Americans will be thrilled to have them.

Nayeli whispers that they'll finally have boyfriends, babies, and no bandidos, and they could even find one gay boy for Tacho. Vampi suggests they take Tacho, and Nayeli says that they're on a mission from God to repopulate the town and save Mexico. The girls give each other high fives and argue about whether to tell Tía Irma.

Late that night, Irma wakes up to a knock on her door. It's García-García, and he has a black eye. He explains that the bandidos came to his house and threw him out. He asks to sleep at Irma's house. Irma agrees but slams the door after he enters.