Into the Beautiful North

by

Luis Alberto Urrea

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

Tía Irma Character Analysis

Tía Irma, who is also known as “La Osa” (“the she-bear”), becomes the first female mayor of Tres Camarones. She is a Mexican nationalist and believes that women are the future of the country. She was also the Ladies' Bowling Champion in the 1960s. As a young woman, she fell in love with Chava Chavarín, another professional bowler. He introduced her to the cinema, and when he left her for an American woman, Irma became La Osa to deal with her sense of betrayal and grief. In the present, she acts as a mother figure to Nayeli, Yolo, and Vampi, and she organizes and finances most of the girls' trip to the United States. Though she does share the girls' desire to have men save the village, Irma also never speaks well of men and regularly refers to them as dogs and insists they're useless. When she joins Nayeli in San Diego, Irma reconnects with Chava and takes it upon herself to interview the seventy Mexican men who wish to return to Mexico.

Tía Irma Quotes in Into the Beautiful North

The Into the Beautiful North quotes below are all either spoken by Tía Irma or refer to Tía Irma. 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 3 Quotes

Karate, Tía Irma insisted, was good for the legs. Power on the field. But Nayeli was not fooled. To La Osa, life and love were war, and she expected Nayeli to win as many battles as possible.

Aunt Irma wanted her to beat up men.

Related Characters: Nayeli, Tía Irma
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

"We are Mexicans," Irma informed the fruit seller—needlessly, he felt. "Mexicans eat corn and beans. Did you notice? The Aztec culture gave corn to the world, you little man. We invented it! Mexicans grow beans. How is it, then, that Mexicans cannot afford to buy and eat the corn and beans they grow?"

Related Characters: Tía Irma (speaker), Nayeli, Vampi, Yolo
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:

"These illegals come to Mexico expecting a free ride! Don't tell me you don't have Salvadorans and Hondurans in your school, getting the best education in the world! They take our jobs too [...] What we need is a wall on our southern border."

Related Characters: Tía Irma (speaker), Nayeli, Vampi, Yolo
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

"They took my house from me!"

She stood there in her tattered nightgown and curlers.

"Can I sleep here?" he asked.

Irma had only been in charge of the town for scant days, and already the troubles were starting.

Related Characters: García-García (speaker), Tía Irma
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

"You will see," Irma said. "The Americanos are kind. Friendly people. Generous people. They have quaint customs—they aren't really, shall we say, sophisticated like we are. You can't drink the water—it will give you diarrhea. But it's very clean there. Good food. You'll see."

Related Characters: Tía Irma (speaker), Nayeli, Tacho, Vampi, Yolo
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

"You are there to collect Mexicans," Irma reminded her. "Don't fall in love with that missionary!"

"I won't."

"And don't screw him, either. If you give him the milk for free, why would he buy the cow?"

"Tía!"

"Don't bring me any damned American surfers. And don't bring me any American babies. Bring me Mexicans."

Related Characters: Nayeli (speaker), Tía Irma (speaker), Matt
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23 Quotes

Only when she was back in Tres Camarones did Irma hear from Chava's mother that he had impregnated an American woman […] Chava was marrying her.

That was the end of Irma, that day.

La Osa, her alter ego, appeared in all her relentless glory to inspire chagrin and penance in the homeland.

Related Characters: Tía Irma, Chava Chavarín
Page Number: 224
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 26 Quotes

"Men are no good."

"My father is good."

Your father is a dog like all the other dogs."

Related Characters: Nayeli (speaker), Tía Irma (speaker), Don Pepe
Page Number: 265
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

Tía Irma Quotes in Into the Beautiful North

The Into the Beautiful North quotes below are all either spoken by Tía Irma or refer to Tía Irma. 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 3 Quotes

Karate, Tía Irma insisted, was good for the legs. Power on the field. But Nayeli was not fooled. To La Osa, life and love were war, and she expected Nayeli to win as many battles as possible.

Aunt Irma wanted her to beat up men.

Related Characters: Nayeli, Tía Irma
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 5 Quotes

"We are Mexicans," Irma informed the fruit seller—needlessly, he felt. "Mexicans eat corn and beans. Did you notice? The Aztec culture gave corn to the world, you little man. We invented it! Mexicans grow beans. How is it, then, that Mexicans cannot afford to buy and eat the corn and beans they grow?"

Related Characters: Tía Irma (speaker), Nayeli, Vampi, Yolo
Page Number: 35
Explanation and Analysis:

"These illegals come to Mexico expecting a free ride! Don't tell me you don't have Salvadorans and Hondurans in your school, getting the best education in the world! They take our jobs too [...] What we need is a wall on our southern border."

Related Characters: Tía Irma (speaker), Nayeli, Vampi, Yolo
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

"They took my house from me!"

She stood there in her tattered nightgown and curlers.

"Can I sleep here?" he asked.

Irma had only been in charge of the town for scant days, and already the troubles were starting.

Related Characters: García-García (speaker), Tía Irma
Page Number: 57
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

"You will see," Irma said. "The Americanos are kind. Friendly people. Generous people. They have quaint customs—they aren't really, shall we say, sophisticated like we are. You can't drink the water—it will give you diarrhea. But it's very clean there. Good food. You'll see."

Related Characters: Tía Irma (speaker), Nayeli, Tacho, Vampi, Yolo
Page Number: 62
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 18 Quotes

"You are there to collect Mexicans," Irma reminded her. "Don't fall in love with that missionary!"

"I won't."

"And don't screw him, either. If you give him the milk for free, why would he buy the cow?"

"Tía!"

"Don't bring me any damned American surfers. And don't bring me any American babies. Bring me Mexicans."

Related Characters: Nayeli (speaker), Tía Irma (speaker), Matt
Page Number: 168
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 23 Quotes

Only when she was back in Tres Camarones did Irma hear from Chava's mother that he had impregnated an American woman […] Chava was marrying her.

That was the end of Irma, that day.

La Osa, her alter ego, appeared in all her relentless glory to inspire chagrin and penance in the homeland.

Related Characters: Tía Irma, Chava Chavarín
Page Number: 224
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 26 Quotes

"Men are no good."

"My father is good."

Your father is a dog like all the other dogs."

Related Characters: Nayeli (speaker), Tía Irma (speaker), Don Pepe
Page Number: 265
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: