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
Jorge continues to antagonize Matt into confessing his supposed crimes. Matt imagines he is faraway in Celia’s apartment with her and Tam Lin. Jorge becomes frustrated and turns to Fidelito. He says he must punish Fidelito because just punishing Matt does not seem to be correcting his behavior. Matt realizes Jorge will not allow him to take Fidelito’s punishment this time, so Matt attacks Jorge himself. Chacho jumps in, punching Jorge as the rest of the boys cheer. Matt stops Chacho before he kills Jorge.
The past kindness of Celia and Tam Lin have given Matt the strength to cope with abuse, demonstrating the power of love and human connection to imbue people with morality and strength. Jorge’s extreme cruelty, as shown by his attempt to beat the innocent, weak Fidelito, becomes his downfall, as this is what causes Matt to finally physically fight back. This suggests that the cruelty of abusive regimes will ultimately be the regimes’ own downfall. Matt makes the moral choice to stop Chacho from killing Jorge, further showcasing his deviation from the moral corruption of El Patrón.
Themes
Twenty keepers with stun guns come into the room. They tie Matt and Chacho up as Carlos threatens to punish them tomorrow. Flaco defends Matt and Chacho by saying Jorge was planning on killing Fidelito. Jorge denies this, but Flaco says all two hundred Lost Boys witnessed incident. Both Matt and Carlos realize Flaco is threatening the Keepers with the mob of boys. Carlos attempts to leave, but Flaco stops him. Jorge accuses Matt of corrupting all the boys. Jorge reveals that Luna saw the writing on Matt’s foot, which means he must be an escaped eejit.
The initial success of Flaco’s threats suggests that if the oppressed unite against the oppressors, they may succeed in overthrowing abusive regimes. However, Jorge shows how the oppressed can be prevented from rising up if the authority figures create division among the masses, as he does by accusing Matt of being an escaped eejit, something against which the Lost Boys discriminate despite their own low standing in society.
Themes
When the boys see the writing on Matt’s foot, they stop defending him. Suddenly, Ton-Ton speaks up, saying it is not Matt’s fault he was enslaved by the Dreamland, not anymore than it is all the Lost Boys’ parents’ fault that they were turned into eejits. Flaco denies that his parents are eejits, but Ton-Ton insists upon the truth, saying that being an eejit does not make someone immoral. Jorge calls Ton-Ton stupid and the rest of the boys turn away from him and Matt. The Keepers lock up Matt and Chacho.
The Keepers succeed in using internal division to squash rebellion among the oppressed. However, Ton-Ton, although he is an outsider hated by others, shows he is the most moral, because he sees the injustice of hating against eejits for their oppression. This echoes Matt’s own empathy for eejits as a child when he realized that his Teacher was one of them. Still, this revelation is not enough to overcome the Keepers’ abusive power.
Themes
