Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The House of the Scorpion, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Free Will vs. Predetermination
Scientific Ethics and Abuse
Language, Law, and Dehumanization
Abuse of Power and Corruption
Summary
Analysis
Daft Donald holds Matt down while Tam Lin ties him up. Tam Lin puts Matt on a horse and tells the army guards outside he is going to kill the clone by leaving it out by the eejit pens. Matt realizes he’s not on a Safe Horse. He feels rage when he realizes Tam Lin plans to kill him by drowning him in the chemicals by the pens. Matt struggles to free himself from Tam Lin when they finally stop riding. Matt realizes Tam Lin has taken him to the oasis.
Matt’s continued struggling shows he has maintained his will to survive and his desire to escape. His struggle also shows his anger over Tam Lin’s betrayal, heightened by the fact that Tam Lin appears to want to kill him in an especially awful way. His anger reveals how much he looked up to and depended upon the man who now betrays him.
Themes
Tam Lin unties Matt and asks him to let him explain. Matt attempts to escape from him and says he will never trust a man who killed 20 children. Tam Lin appears remorseful and Matt feels a little bad for him. Tam Lin begins to walk up the mountain trail and Matt decides to follow him, hoping he can trust Tam Lin after all.
Tam Lin’s sadness shows he is still remorseful for his past actions, contrasting with the cruel coldness he displayed in order to trick Mr. Alacrán. Him allowing Matt to choose whether or not to follow proves that he does, in fact, respect Matt’s free will to decide his own fate.
Themes
Tam Lin pauses at the pond and tells Matt about how if he had never found the oasis, he would have gone crazy a long time ago working for El Patrón. He only came to work for El Patrón because he accidently killed the children in the bombing, which is how he got his scars and also why Daft Donald can’t speak. Tam Lin says he was drawn to El Patrón’s power and it wasn’t until Tam Lin met Celia that he decided to change his violent ways.
Celia is a moral influence over Tam Lin, just as she is Matt, proving how personal relationships can influence one’s decisions, for better or worse. This draws parallels between Tam Lin’s moral journey and Matt’s, and offers hope that even an adult who has gone down an immoral path can transform themselves morally.
Themes
Tam Lin tells Matt that he hid Celia in the stables with Rosa so she wouldn’t be turned into an eejit. Matt apologizes for doubting Tam Lin before. Tam Lin explains that Matt must travel over the mountains into Aztlán. Tam Lin says he cannot come with Matt, because he must face the moral consequences of what he has done. He gives Matt a backpack full of supplies and tells him to say he is a refugee whose parents were arrested by Farm Patrol. Matt worries how the people of Aztlán will treat a clone. Tam Lin tells him no one will be able to tell he’s a clone, because there is no actual difference between a clone and a human.
Tam Lin insistence that Matt travel alone through the mountains implies that he has been preparing Matt for his escape ever since he first began teaching Matt outdoor survival skills. Tam Lin shows his strict moral philosophy by saying he must be punished for his past mistakes. Tam Lin reveals that the difference between humans and clones is completely made up by society, because no one would be able to tell the difference unless they were previously told.
Themes
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Tam Lin tells Matt to leave first thing in the morning, while all of the Farm Patrol agents are at the funeral. He tells Matt that El Patrón kept everything in Opium frozen in history, even the TV shows, so Matt will probably be confused by all the technology in Aztlán. Once Matt gets to Aztlán, he must travel to the city of San Luis and find María’s convent.
El Patrón’s desire to keep Opium in the past shows the intensity of his obsession with youth and his childhood tragedy. The warning of differences between Opium and Aztlán suggest Matt is going to enter an entirely new country and a new life.
Themes
Tam Lin tells Matt the painful truth that they will never see each other again. Matt is the only possession El Patrón will ever lose. He instructs Matt to go find María and her mother, because Esperanza is a strong person he wants on his side. Then Tam Lin leaves and doesn’t look back at Matt.
Tam Lin’s strict moral code will not allow him to lie, even when it would be convenient. This is a stark contrast from the rest of Matt’s society, where people lie all the time. Tam Lin’s decision not to look back shows his resolution to whatever fate lies ahead for him, suggesting that although he believes it is possible for Matt to carve out a moral path, Tam Lin does not hold the same belief for himself.
Themes
