The Circuit

by

Francisco Jiménez

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Themes and Colors
Change and Instability Theme Icon
Immigrants, Discrimination, and Injustice  Theme Icon
Childhood vs. Adulthood Theme Icon
Family and Community Theme Icon
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Circuit, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Childhood vs. Adulthood Theme Icon

Francisco (the protagonist of The Circuit) and his family illegally cross the border from Mexico into California when Francisco is a young child, and he views the event as an exciting adventure. Through the course of the novel, Francisco grows into a teen who better understands the precariousness of his family’s situation as undocumented immigrants. Like his father, whom he calls Papá, and his older brother, Roberto, Francisco begins to feel a gradual but deepening dissatisfaction with the constant hardships in their lives. Through this, the novel argues that growing up means gaining a clearer understanding of the world. This often comes with the knowledge that life isn’t always easy or fair, especially for people like Francisco and his family, who lack social and economic power. 

In the novel’s early stories, Francisco is young and is often confused when he sees that his parents are worried or sad, because he cannot grasp the seriousness of the problems they face. For instance, in the short story “Soledad,” Francisco is around five or six years old and hates being left behind when his parents and Roberto go to work in the cotton fields. To prove that he, too, is capable of the work, Francisco works hard one day to pick a pile of cotton while they are away in the fields. However, since he is disappointed with the small amount that he ends up with at the end of the day, he mixes some dirt in with the cotton to make the pile look bigger. When his father, Papá, sees it, he is amused at Francisco’s effort and begins to add Francisco’s cotton pile to his own—but Papá quickly turns angry when he sees that Francisco has mixed in dirt clods with the cotton. He says that Francisco should be ashamed of what he has done, since they could be fired for adding in dirt with the cotton. Papá’s reaction hurts Francisco, but Francisco doesn’t grasp the seriousness of the situation and the constant stress that the adults in the family deal with since their every little misstep could have dire consequences. Papá knows that a small error—like mixing dirt with the cotton—could mean the loss of income for the entire family, but Francisco is too young understand this. 

As Francisco grows up, he is forced to deal with disappointment and loss, which teaches him that life is a constant process of overcoming challenges. His family frequently moves around in search of work, and this is very disruptive to Francisco’s happiness and security. For instance, just as Francisco makes plans with a classmate named Carl to show him his coin collection, his family suddenly decides to move, and he ends up never seeing Carl again. Likewise, Francisco feels very attached to his sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Lema, who tutors him during their lunch breaks and promises to teach him to play the trumpet. However, even before their first trumpet lesson, Francisco’s family moves once again, and Francisco doesn’t even have the chance to say goodbye to Mr. Lema. Francisco’s life is so unpredictable that he doesn’t have the luxury of planning anything, since he never knows where the next day will take him. As he grows older, he becomes increasingly frustrated with this. In addition to losing touch with people who matter to him as a result of the constant moving, Francisco also deals with losing treasured items in the course of the novel: a beloved pet, his favorite notepad, his most precious coins from his coin collection. These losses teach him that difficulties are a part of life, and that a person has no choice but to deal with them with as much resilience as they can muster.      

While Francisco is spared some hardships because of his age, this isn’t the case for his Roberto and Papá, who bear the bulk of the family’s worries and come close to being broken by the adversities they face. Roberto is four years older than Francisco, and as a result, he understands more about the family’s situation than Francisco does—and as the oldest child, he often assumes a position of responsibility. Often, when Francisco and his younger siblings go to school, Roberto works in the fields, since he is a strong worker and the family needs the extra money. Roberto is very responsible and endures the hard work without complaint. However, toward the conclusion of the novel, when he is desperate to find a full-time job, Francisco sees Roberto cry as he gives in to his extreme disappointment and anxiety. Throughout the novel, Roberto has been calm and logical, and his emotional outburst at the end shows how the grueling, ceaseless hardships of his life have worn him down. Similarly, Papá, the family’s chief breadwinner, is constantly anxious in the novel as he works himself to the bone and worries about what the family’s next source of income will be. As a result, he seems to have no time for humor and laughter, and he’s always trying to numb physical pain aspirin and mental stress with cigarettes. By the end of the novel, he is so worn out from the constant hard labor that he can’t even sit up in bed or drive a car.

The conclusion of the novel strikes a somber note, as Francisco is caught and taken away by immigration officials. This is especially poignant since Francisco’s life finally seems to be turning around—the family has decided to settle down in one place instead of moving around, like he had always dreamed they would. But he ends up encountering the worst problem of his young life, which is being caught by the immigration authorities. Since the novel is autobiographical, meaning that Jiménez actually lived through these events, this conclusion emphasizes the notion that life is relentlessly harsh, especially for those who are socially disadvantaged.

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Childhood vs. Adulthood ThemeTracker

The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Childhood vs. Adulthood appears in each chapter of The Circuit. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Childhood vs. Adulthood Quotes in The Circuit

Below you will find the important quotes in The Circuit related to the theme of Childhood vs. Adulthood.
Soledad Quotes

“You should be ashamed of yourself. We could be fired for this,” he said. “Besides, your job is to take care of Trampita. Is that clear?” he continued, placing both hands on his belt buckle.

Si, Papa,” I answered timidly. I was hurt and confused.

Related Characters: Francisco (speaker), Papá (speaker), Roberto, Trampita
Page Number: 13
Explanation and Analysis:
Miracle in Tent City Quotes

When I saw Mama and Papa without Torito, I panicked. “Is he dead?” I cried out. […]

“No, he isn’t,” Mama snapped. “God won’t let him. You’ll see,” she added in a harsh tone. Her face was flushed and her dark eyes were full of tears. I was surprised and puzzled. Why would she be angry at me?

Related Characters: Francisco (speaker), Papá, Mamá, Torito
Page Number: 38
Explanation and Analysis:
Christmas Gift Quotes

Searching for words to tell Mama how I felt, I looked up at her. Her eyes were full of tears. Papa, who was sitting next to her on the mattress, lifted its corner and pulled out from underneath the white embroidered handkerchief. He tenderly handed it to Mama, saying, “Feliz Navidad, vieja.”

Related Characters: Francisco (speaker), Papá (speaker), Mamá
Page Number: 56
Explanation and Analysis:
Death Forgiven Quotes

[Papa] had been in a terrible mood the last few days because he was not sure where we would work now that the grape season was almost over. Covering his ears with his hands, he bolted to the corner of the garage, grabbed the broom, and swung with all his might at my friend who was perched on the wire. Red, green, and yellow feathers scattered everywhere. El Perico hit the dirt floor like a wet rag. Instantly Roberto, Mama, and I started wailing. My
father shouted at all of us to stop.

Related Characters: Francisco (speaker), Roberto, Papá, Mamá, El Perico
Page Number: 59
Explanation and Analysis:
Cotton Sack Quotes

The pounding of the rain on the roof woke me several times during the night. Every time I opened my eyes, I saw the burning tip of Papa’s cigarette glowing in the dark; other times I heard the rattle of his aspirin bottle. I did not mind the rain because it meant I could sleep in the next morning. The
cotton would be too wet to pick. Because we got paid three cents a pound, most ranchers did not let us pick cotton when it was wet.

Related Characters: Francisco (speaker), Papá
Page Number: 64
Explanation and Analysis:

I could not go on. Frustrated and disappointed, I walked over to Papa. He straightened up and looked down at me. His eyes were red and watery from the cold. Before I said anything, he looked at Roberto, who bravely kept on picking, and told me to go over to the fire. I knew then I had not yet earned my own cotton sack.

Related Characters: Francisco (speaker), Papá (speaker), Roberto
Page Number: 72
Explanation and Analysis:
The Circuit Quotes

It was Monday, the first week of November. The grape season was over and I could now go to school. I woke up early that morning and lay in bed, looking
at the stars and savoring the thought of not going to work and of starting sixth grade for the first time that year. […] I sat at the table across from Roberto, but I kept my head down. I did not want to look up and face him. I knew he was sad. He was not going to school today. He was not going tomorrow, or next week, or next month. He would not go until the cotton season was over, and that was sometime in February. I rubbed my hands together and watched the dry, acid stained skin fall to the floor in little rolls.

Related Characters: Francisco (speaker), Roberto
Page Number: 80
Explanation and Analysis:
Learning the Game Quotes

The contratista walked up to Gabriel and yelled in his face, “Well this isn’t your country, idiot! You either do what I say or I’ll have you fired!”

“Don’t do that, please,” Gabriel said. “I have a family to feed.”

“I don’t give a damn about your family!” the contratista replied, grabbing Gabriel by the shirt collar and pushing him. […] As he hit the ground, the contratista kicked him in the side with the tip of his boot. Gabriel sprung up and, with both hands clenched, lunged at the contratista. White as a ghost, Diaz quickly jumped back. [...]

I felt scared. I had not seen men fight before. My mouth felt dry and my hands and legs began to shake.

Related Characters: Francisco (speaker), Mr. Diaz (speaker), Gabriel (speaker)
Page Number: 91-92
Explanation and Analysis:
To Have and to Hold Quotes

[…] Carl said, “When can I come to your house and see your collection?” His question took me by surprise. I never thought he would want to visit me at our home. And after seeing his house, I was not sure I wanted him to see where I lived. […]

After thinking of possible excuses, I finally said, “I live too far. I’ll bring my collection to school.” […]

I never got the chance to show Carl my collection. That weekend we moved to Five Points, and I never saw my friend again.

Related Characters: Francisco (speaker), Carl (speaker), Mr. Lema
Page Number: 101
Explanation and Analysis: