Into the Beautiful North

by

Luis Alberto Urrea

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Into the Beautiful North makes teaching easy.

Atómiko Character Analysis

Atómiko is a colorful figure that Nayeli meets in the dump in Tijuana. He's the self-professed king of the dump and believes he's a samurai. As such, he carries a "samurai staff," which is a six-foot length of bamboo with a gearshift epoxied in one end. It's a lethal weapon, and Atómiko wields it proudly. Atómiko has an overblown sense of his own prowess and importance; he asserts himself in Nayeli's group, demands to accompany them on their quest, and insists that they need a hero such as himself in order to make it to the US. Though Nayeli finds Atómiko generally obnoxious, she sometimes finds his presence comforting, and his skill with his staff comes in handy on several occasions. Irma doesn't like Atómiko at first but decides he'd be a great policeman if she could convince him to return to Tres Camarones. Though Atómiko does return with Nayeli and the other men, he also misses his life in the dump at several points throughout the novel. He took a great deal of care building his shack and his fence, and he made friends with dump dogs.

Atómiko Quotes in Into the Beautiful North

The Into the Beautiful North quotes below are all either spoken by Atómiko or refer to Atómiko. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Borders and Ownership Theme Icon
).
Chapter 22 Quotes

"Welcome to the United States," Velma shouted at them as if they were deaf.

Everyone smiled warmly, wondering if she was mad at them.

Related Characters: Velma (speaker), Nayeli, Vampi, Yolo, Atómiko, Matt
Page Number: 213
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 31 Quotes

"Brother," one of the men said, "take us back to Mexico.

"Please," said another.

The voices rose.

"It is too hard. We want to go home."

"We just need jobs."

Related Characters: Tía Irma, Atómiko
Page Number: 299
Explanation and Analysis:
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Into the Beautiful North PDF

Atómiko Quotes in Into the Beautiful North

The Into the Beautiful North quotes below are all either spoken by Atómiko or refer to Atómiko. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Borders and Ownership Theme Icon
).
Chapter 22 Quotes

"Welcome to the United States," Velma shouted at them as if they were deaf.

Everyone smiled warmly, wondering if she was mad at them.

Related Characters: Velma (speaker), Nayeli, Vampi, Yolo, Atómiko, Matt
Page Number: 213
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 31 Quotes

"Brother," one of the men said, "take us back to Mexico.

"Please," said another.

The voices rose.

"It is too hard. We want to go home."

"We just need jobs."

Related Characters: Tía Irma, Atómiko
Page Number: 299
Explanation and Analysis: