The Tortilla Curtain

by

T. Coraghessan Boyle

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Tortilla Curtain makes teaching easy.

Kenny Grissom Character Analysis

A car salesman, visited twice by Delaney: first, after he hits Cándido with his car, and second, after his car is stolen. Kenny is goofy and focused almost exclusively on making sales. Like almost every other white character in the novel, Kenny is casually racist. When Delaney’s car is stolen, Kenny tells him: “Don’t get me wrong—I’m not blaming it all on the Mexicans. […] It’s everybody—Salvadorians, I-ranians, Russians, Vietnamese.”
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Kenny Grissom Character Timeline in The Tortilla Curtain

The timeline below shows where the character Kenny Grissom appears in The Tortilla Curtain. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 1
Anger, Hatred, and Bigotry Theme Icon
Fate, Luck, and Egotism Theme Icon
...to throw themselves under the wheels of his car.” Later Delaney takes his car to Kenny Grissom’s dealership, where he claims to have hit a dog. Privately, Delaney calls his wife,... (full context)
Part 2, Chapter 1
Anger, Hatred, and Bigotry Theme Icon
Fate, Luck, and Egotism Theme Icon
Belonging and the American Dream Theme Icon
The narration shifts to Delaney’s perspective. His car having been stolen, Delaney is back at Kenny Grissom’s dealership. Grissom tells Delaney that car theft “happens all the time,” and Delaney thinks:... (full context)
Anger, Hatred, and Bigotry Theme Icon
Delaney buys a new car from Kenny and heads to his lunch date with Kyra. When he arrives at the restaurant and... (full context)