Futility, Chance, and Loss Theme Analysis

Throughout The Book of Unknown Americans, Cristina Henríquez continually forces her characters to reckon with losses small and large, and to consider the futility of their actions in trying to prevent, combat, or soothe those losses. The Riveras work hard to obtain visas to come to the States legally, give up everything they know in leaving Mexico, and struggle daily in their new lives in America only to have their dreams crushed, their legal status stripped away, and their patriarch, Arturo, killed in a shooting which could have been prevented entirely. Micho Alvarez, a photographer from México, works tirelessly for immigration legislation reform but knows deep down that the tides may never turn when it comes to American prejudice against immigrants. Mayor Toro woos Maribel Rivera over the course of nearly a year, believing all the while that they are “meant” for one another, until she returns to México and he is left only with the selfish but pained thought that “the only girl who had ever liked [him]” was forever “lost” to him. As the characters within the novel wrestle privately with the futility of their actions, Henríquez actually makes the argument that nothing, really, is ever in vain—though her characters are often overwhelmed by the futility of their lives, most of them come to accept that chance plays an enormous role in disappointment and loss, and that a random accident, firing, or act of violence does not invalidate their hard work or their hope for a better life.

Maribel’s accident is the novel’s inciting incident, as it leaves her injured and transformed and her parents are devastated and desperate to get their daughter “back.” When Alma decides that the right course of action is to bring Maribel to the States for more specialized schooling, Arturo attempts to point out the futility of the move—Maribel’s doctors have told them that their daughter may never return to being the impetuous, rebellious spirit she was before the fall—but Alma refuses to hear it, believing that a change in circumstance will bring her daughter back to her. At the end of the novel, after Arturo has died and Alma and Maribel have been forced to return to México due to their lapsed visa status, Alma realizes that while Maribel has made undeniable progress due to her new school and new relationship, Maribel was herself all along—Alma was just so consumed by the futility, banality, and sadness of what she perceived as the “loss” of her daughter to really try to see past Maribel’s brain injury. Rather than feeling angry at the arguable futility of this discovery—her family has had to lose so much in order for her to recognize something so small—Alma chooses to embrace the journey she and Maribel have been on, and resolves to stop “moving backward.”

Both Rafael Toro and Arturo Rivera face the loss of their jobs over the course of the novel—it is 2008, and the financial crisis is at a fever pitch. Both men are affronted and devastated by their firings, and both consider the futility of their lives and choices when the news of their being let go comes to light. Rafael sees himself as the provider for his family, and becomes enraged any time his wife Celia offers to get a job or to contribute in any other way to their well-being. The futility of such a staunch approach to being the patriarch of his family becomes apparent when Rafael loses his job, and he is forced to realize that the loss would have been less severe if he had relented—his need to be seen as the sole provider was counterproductive all along. Arturo, meanwhile, reckons with the futility of his efforts in a different way when he loses his job—he is let go from the mushroom farm which sponsored his and his family’s visas over a minor infraction, but he hears gossip that the farm is firing documented workers in order to hire undocumented workers who can be paid less. Arturo considers the futility of his entire effort to move his family to the States—he worked so hard to do things the “right way” and secure documentation, and now is faced with losing legal status. Both men are forced to confront the futility of planning to avoid loss, and the powerful, disheartening role of chance. While Rafael is ultimately able to find another job, Arturo is not, and he is eventually killed in a devastating, unpredictable encounter. By choosing two opposing outcomes for Rafael and Arturo, Henríquez plays with the ways in which futility can play out across a life. Rafael is delivered, but Arturo is not—however, Arturo’s death is not in vain, since—as previously mentioned—it presents an opportunity for his wife and daughter to rediscover one another, and for them to allow his loss to propel them toward richer, more hopeful lives.

Despite the setbacks and disappointments her characters face, Henríquez draws her characters’ lives with compassion. She acknowledges the pain of realizing that one’s actions have all been (seemingly) for nothing or that the reason for a devastating loss can be traced back to one’s own chance choices. However, Henríquez never points fingers or pokes fun at her characters’ suffering, and she imbues the narrative with grace and understanding. Feelings of futility can cloud one’s judgment or perception, she admits, but she also demonstrates the ways in which futility and loss are inevitable—and that surrendering to the futility of certain actions within or aspects of one’s life rather than persevering in spite of it is what renders a life futile.