Signs Preceding the End of the World

A white family—a mother, father, son, and daughter. They used to live in the house whose address Makina gets from a woman who works in a restaurant with the boy from the bus. This woman sent Makina’s brother to work for the anglo family—in fact, what they wanted was someone to ship out to war in place of their son, who hastily signed up for the Army and could not undo his decision. Because Makina’s brother is vulnerable and has no papers, the family convinces him to pose as their son and go off to war. Believing he will die, the family promises him their son’s identity and a large sum of money they assume they will never have to deliver. When Makina’s brother survives and returns from the war, the family is divided over whether or not to follow through on their promise—they ultimately give him some money (far less than promised) and let him keep their son’s identity. This family’s treatment of Makina’s brother is an allegory for the devil’s bargain of joining American society as a person of color: one must both endure racist discrimination and work tirelessly, even risking one’s life, on behalf of prejudiced people. It is also a reference to the American government’s discrimination and pressures against poor and minority groups. Because the poor have no economic options or stability, they can be easily persuaded into signing up to defend American imperial interests abroad. Military service replaces the welfare state: like for so many poor Americans, for Makina’s brother, the Army is his only opportunity at advancement in society—regardless of whether he agrees with its imperialist goals.