Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Circuit, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Change and Instability
Immigrants, Discrimination, and Injustice
Childhood vs. Adulthood
Family and Community
Summary
Analysis
When Francisco asks Roberto about his first year at school, Roberto says that he was hit with a ruler because he didn’t follow directions. He says that he couldn’t understand what the teacher was saying, since he didn’t know any English. Roberto sounds angry as he says this, and Francisco wishes he hadn’t asked him. However, Roberto is the only one in the family who has attended school, so Francisco has no one else to ask.
Francisco is excited about starting school, but Roberto’s descriptions dampen his enthusiasm; Roberto had unpleasant experiences at school because of his unfamiliarity with English, and Francisco likely doesn’t speak English either. Roberto’s experience shows that immigrant children are at a disadvantage at school, and that they are even punished for things they can’t control.
Themes
It’s January, and the family has finished working in the cotton fields and has come to the “Tent City” owned by Sheehey Strawberry Farms near Santa Maria. Francisco is to attend first grade starting Monday, and he’s excited but also nervous. He doesn’t know any English, and Roberto’s stories scare him.
Francisco’s family moves around a lot since they are itinerant laborers and follow the harvest. This means that Francisco and his siblings must constantly get used to new places and new accommodations—and now, he has another big life change coming his way as he is starting school.
Themes
On Monday morning, Roberto accompanies Francisco to meet the school principal, Mr. Sims, and helps enroll Francisco in the first grade. Mr. Sims then walks Francisco to his classroom and introduces him to his teacher, Miss Scalapino. Mr. Sims and Miss Scalapino say a lot of things to Francisco, but he doesn’t understand a word. He quietly sits down at the desk that Miss Scalapino leads him to, and he’s happy to see that he has a book, a pencil, and crayons in his desk. Francisco notices a caterpillar in a jar on a shelf right next to his desk, and he thinks that it looks just like the ones he’s seen in the fields.
Since Francisco’s parents are busy at work and also don’t speak any English, Roberto takes on the responsibility of enrolling Francisco in school. Even though he is only four years older than Francisco, Roberto behaves like an adult, since his parents depend on him to help them out. While Francisco feels completely disoriented in his classroom since he doesn’t understand a word of English, he likes looking at the caterpillar because it reminds him of the fields and farms that he is familiar with. The caterpillar also represents unrealized potential, as it may or may not transform into a butterfly depending on how well it’s cared for. In this way, the insect is a symbolic parallel to Francisco, an intelligent little boy who needs patience and compassion to reach his potential in school.
Themes
When the other kids come into the classroom, some of them giggle when they spot Francisco. This embarrasses him, and he stares at the caterpillar to feel better. All day, Francisco doesn’t understand a word that Miss Scalapino says. He tries to pay close attention anyway, but he ends up with a headache. This happens every day, and finally, Francisco learns to pretend that he’s listening—even when he’s daydreaming about “flying out of the classroom and over the fields.”
The other children’s reaction to Francisco shows that he looks different from them—perhaps because of his race, and because he comes from poverty and probably wears worn-down clothing. Francisco is sensitive to this early discrimination and takes refuge in staring at the caterpillar, since the creature is familiar and comforting while everything else is different in this new world. Like Francisco, the caterpillar is a creature that doesn’t belong in a classroom. He longs to “fly” to his old life of “the fields,” since he is more at home in that environment—just like the caterpillar belongs outside and will return there once it has become a butterfly.
Themes
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Francisco slowly learns some of his classmates’ names. Curtis is one of the most popular kids, and he’s also pretty big. Since Francisco is the smallest in class and doesn’t know any English, he’s always picked last when the kids form teams. One of the kids Francisco likes best is Arthur, who knows a little Spanish. However, Miss Scalapino overhears Francisco speaking Spanish once and reprimands him. After this, Arthur avoids Francisco whenever Miss Scalapino is around.
Francisco feels cut off from his classmates since he doesn’t know English—and, as a result, they exclude him. This is a difficult position for anyone to be in, and it is especially hard for a young child. Instead of empathizing with his predicament, however, Miss Scalapino widens the rift between Francisco and his classmates by refusing to allow him to speak Spanish in school. Her behavior sends the message that speaking in Spanish is wrong, while English is the only language that is good enough for school—an attitude that demeans Francisco’s mother tongue.
Themes
At recess, Francisco often stays in the classroom with the caterpillar. He looks through a picture book about caterpillars and butterflies, and although he enjoys the pictures, he is also very curious about what the words say. Francisco looks at the words so intensely and so often that he can recall their exact shape, even though he can’t read them.
Attending school is a big change in Francisco’s life, so he clings to the caterpillar whenever possible, since the creature reminds him of the fields that he is familiar with. Francisco is fascinated by the book about butterflies, and his curiosity and eagerness for knowledge suggest that he has the potential to excel in school. Jiménez uses the metaphor of the caterpillar transforming into a butterfly to parallel Francisco’s own academic journey.
Themes
One cold morning, Francisco is shivering in the playground without a coat. Mr. Sims notices and takes Francisco to the office, where Mr. Sims gives him a green coat from a box of used clothes. Francisco is excited about this, and his parents are happy when he shows it to them that evening. However, the next day at school, Curtis spots him wearing the coat and starts fighting him. He yells something at Francisco, but Francisco can’t understand what he is saying. Finally, Miss Scalapino breaks up the fight. Later, Arthur explains to Francisco that Curtis had said that the jacket was his, and that he’d lost it at the beginning of the year.
While Mr. Sims means well and intends to help Francisco, his gesture ends up causing Francisco a lot of trouble. Jiménez is showing readers that people in Francisco’s situation—those without a voice or any social clout—often end up being victims of discrimination and injustice. In this instance, Curtis quickly assumes the worst of Francisco and thinks that he stole the jacket. Francisco is completely innocent, but he lacks the language skills to explain himself.
Themes
Miss Scalapino tells Francisco and Curtis that as a punishment for fighting, they will have to sit on a bench during recess for the rest of the week. Francisco is also forced to give the coat to Curtis. Francisco is so embarrassed by these events that he lays his head down on his desk and pretends to be asleep for the rest of the school day. When the kids go out for recess, Francisco checks on the caterpillar and discovers that it has spun a cocoon around itself. Francisco strokes it gently and thinks that it must be sleeping peacefully.
Miss Scalapino punishes Francisco for no fault of his, and since Francisco doesn’t know any English, he is unable to defend himself. Even worse, Miss Scalapino forces Francisco to return the coat to Curtis, even though Francisco treasures it, since it is the only coat he has. This upsets and humiliates Francisco, and he seems to wish that he, too, could retreat from the chaos of school and sleep—just like the caterpillar is safe and isolated in its cocoon.
Themes
When Francisco tells his parents about the fight at school, they are “very upset but relieved that [he] did not disrespect the teacher.” Francisco struggles to go back to school after this incident. However, things slowly get better. With time, he even picks up some English words.
Francisco’s parents’ reaction highlights the insecurity and fear that undocumented immigrants live with, which makes them fearful about protesting any injustices they face. They do not want to draw attention to themselves or ruffle anyone’s feathers. Though Mamá and Papá understand that the situation at school was unfair to Francisco and are upset by this, they are also happy that Francisco did not “disrespect the teacher,” even though Miss Scalapino disrespected Francisco.
Themes
Toward the end of the school year, Miss Scalapino makes an announcement in class and says Francisco’s name. In one hand, she holds up a drawing of a butterfly that Francisco made, and in the other, a blue ribbon that has the number one printed on it. Francisco understands that his art has won a prize, and he’s so proud that he feels like he’s “bursting out of his skin.”
Despite all of Miss Scalapino’s blunders with regard to Francisco, she does seem to mean well and understand that winning a prize for his art will mean a lot to Francisco. She is certainly right about this—it is the turning point in Francisco’s academic life, since he feels appreciated and successful for the first time at school. Jiménez uses the words “bursting out of his skin” to describe Francisco’s sense of pride, which suggests that this is the moment in which Francisco undergoes a kind of metamorphosis and begins to realize his potential. This symbolically connects to his drawing of the butterfly, as the caterpillar in Francisco’s classroom will similarly transform into a butterfly and burst out of its cocoon.
Themes
That afternoon, Francisco notices that the cocoon in the jar next to his desk is cracking open, and he calls his classmates over to look. The children are excited to watch the butterfly emerging. Later, Miss Scalapino takes the jar to the playground. Francisco’s classmates crowd around her and he can barely see what she is doing. However, she calls Francisco up front to open the lid of the jar, since he was the one who spotted the butterfly first. They all watch as the butterfly flies into the air.
The caterpillar (now a butterfly) in the jar mirrors Francisco’s emotions: on the day when Francisco feels celebratory and happy, the butterfly emerges from its cocoon. When Francisco is once again sidelined by his more assertive classmates, Miss Scalapino takes special care to call him up front to open the jar, which seems to imply that Francisco’s days of existing in the shadows are now behind him. The butterfly flies free, symbolizing that Francisco, too, now feels triumphant and joyful.
Themes
After school, Curtis points to Francisco’s drawing and says something that Francisco doesn’t understand. Arthur translates that Curtis really likes Francisco’s drawing of the butterfly. Francisco says, “It’s yours,” and gives it to Curtis.
Francisco’s final gesture highlights his generosity. When Curtis spotted Francisco wearing his coat, he fought him to get it back, even though he already had a new coat and didn’t really need his old one. Francisco, on the other hand, is generous and gives away his artwork to Curtis, even though it is one of the few things he owns. Francisco’s background of scarcity and hardship perhaps makes him more empathetic and generous than others.
Themes
