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30 Best Enrique's Journey Quotes With Image

1. The power of perseverance: Enrique's journey is marked by countless obstacles and hardships, but throughout it all, he never gives up on his goal of reaching his mother in the United States. His determination and resilience serve as a powerful reminder of the human capacity for perseverance.

2. The impacts of immigration: The book sheds light on the struggles and sacrifices faced by immigrants in search of a better life. It offers a rare perspective on the emotional toll of leaving one's home and loved ones behind, as well as the dangers and challenges faced during the journey.

3. The importance of family: Family bonds are a central theme in the book, with Enrique's desire to reunite with his mother driving him forward. It highlights the unbreakable connection between family members and the sacrifices they are willing to make for one another.

4. Societal issues and injustice: Enrique's journey exposes the injustices and social issues faced by immigrants, from poverty and violence in their home countries to the mistreatment and discrimination they encounter along the way. The book raises awareness about these systemic problems and prompts readers to consider the need for change.

5. The human cost of immigration policies: Enrique's Journey serves as a critique of immigration policies and the impact they have on families. It highlights the difficult choices and risks that individuals take in order to reunite with loved ones, and questions the morality of policies that force families apart.

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Enrique's Journey Quotes

She stares awkwardly down at the kitchen counter. Then, quietly, she tells me about four other children I never knew existed. -- Sonia Nazario (Prologue paragraph 5) Importance : Nazario's maid, Carmen, is telling her about the children she left behind when she traveled to the United States in order to make enough money to support them. The mothers don't talk much about the children they leave behind -- the pain and shame of it is too much. When Carmen's son travels to the United States, their story inspires Nazario to write Enrique's Journey.

The train crawls out of the Tapachula station. From here on, he thinks, nothing bad can happen. -- Author (Chapter 1 paragraph 204) Importance : Enrique is setting out on his quest to join his mother in the United States. What propels him forward is a love for her and a deep desire to be with her again. He's naive about the dangers he's about to face on his way to find...

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Quotes from Enrique's Journey: The Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother

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“I figure when I die, I can't take anything with me. So why not give?” ― quote from Enrique's Journey: The Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother

“There is a clear pattern in U.S. history: When we need labor, we welcome migrants. When we are in recession, we want them to leave.” ― quote from Enrique's Journey: The Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother

“Enrique will be left with his father, Luis, who has been separated from Lourdes for three years.” ― quote from Enrique's Journey: The Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother

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Enrique's Journey

39 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Chapter 2

Chapters 3-5

Chapter 6-Epilogue

Key Figures

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

Enrique’s Journey: The Story of a Boy’s Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother is a best-selling nonfiction book by Sonia Nazario , an American journalist best known for her work on social justice. Originally published in 2006, the book is based on Nazario’s Pulitzer Prize-winning “Enrique’s Journey” series, which was written in six parts and published in The Los Angeles Times .

The book, which has been published in eight languages and adapted for young adults in English and Spanish, is the product of extensive research. In addition to conducting detailed interviews with Enrique and his relatives, Nazario traveled to Honduras to recreate what Enrique experienced during his passage to the United States. By digging deep into Enrique’s background, Nazario is able to give a compelling account of both a geographical journey and an emotional one, for Enrique’s enduring feelings of resentment, abandonment, and anger prove to be perhaps as challenging as his journey across the border.

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This summary refers to the 2007 edition published by Random House Trade Paperbacks.

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Enrique’s Journey consists of 10 parts: a Prologue, seven chapters, an Afterword, and an Epilogue. In the Prologue, Nazario explains that she wrote the LA Times articles and book after learning that many single mothers in Central America abandon their children to find work in the United States. By publishing Enrique’s story, she aims to bring attention to the plight of migrants.

Chapter 1 focuses on Enrique’s early life. Enrique is only five years old when his mother Lourdes immigrates to the United States, leaving Enrique and his sister Belky in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The decision to leave is not easy for Lourdes, but she knows she can better provide for her children by working in the US.

Although Lourdes has legitimate reasons for leaving, her absence greatly distresses Enrique. Lourdes never gave Enrique a proper goodbye before leaving, as it was too painful for her. For many years, Enrique wonders about what Lourdes is doing in the US, why she had to leave, and when she will return. As the years drag on, Enrique loses hope that Lourdes will return. Enrique’s father abandons him as well, after remarrying and starting a new life with a new family. Overcome with anger and frustration, Enrique rebels and starts experimenting with drugs, developing an addiction. After he’s caught trying to steal jewelry to fuel his addiction, Enrique decides he must leave Honduras and travel to the US to find his mother. He will be leaving behind his girlfriend María Isabel , who is pregnant, though they don’t realize it until after Enrique’s departure.

Chapter 2 describes Enrique’s seven failed attempts to migrate to the United States, stressing the dangers he encounters along the way. The journey is long and treacherous. To reach the US, Enrique must travel through many regions of Mexico controlled by gangs, where he faces risk of arrest by immigration officers. Perhaps the most harrowing of Enrique’s experiences are those days spent riding atop trains heading toward the US-Mexico border. Hopping across trains is the only hope of avoiding detection by immigration officers or other law enforcement. Those bold enough to travel by such means face the risk of being crushed to death if the trail derails or if they fall off its side.

Chapters 3 and 4 address Enrique’s successful trip north. The former focuses on his time in Chiapas, Mexico, while the latter describes his encounters with kind strangers in Veracruz. Chapter 5 centers on Enrique’s experiences in Nuevo Laredo on the US-Mexico border. Chapter 6 describes Enrique crossing the Rio Grande into the United States with the help of a coyote . In Chapter 7, Enrique arrives North Carolina, where he and Lourdes reunite. However, the reunion does not live up to Enrique’s expectations, and he relapses. Having left his pregnant girlfriend in Honduras, Enrique must now earn money to send back to her. As his relationship with Lourdes deteriorates, Enrique must overcome his feelings of disappointment to fulfill his familial obligations. After a while, María Isabel secures passage across the border, leaving her and Enrique’s daughter Jasmín behind in Honduras, echoing the situation at the beginning of the story.

In the Afterword, Nazario outlines the two sides of the immigration debate and presents foreign aid as a primary solution to the problem of illegal immigration. The Epilogue, which describes María Isabel’s journey north, describes the cyclical nature of child abandonment.

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Enrique's Journey

By sonia nazario, enrique's journey summary and analysis of the girl left behind and the epilogue, the girl left behind.

Tensions between Enrique and Lourdes begin to rise. Enrique resents his mother for having left him, and says that “money does not solve anything” (197). He accuses her of loving Belky more than she did him, arguing Belky got a good home while he was left with an irresponsible father. He tells Lourdes that he considers his grandmother, Maria, to be his real mother. Lourdes tells Enrique that he should blame his father for leaving, and his grandmother for making him sell spices on the streets when he was a child. Lastly, she says he should blame himself for spending the money she sent him on drugs.

Mother and son become estranged. Enrique drinks more, and spends most of his money at topless bars. He does not send enough money to Jasmín . María Isabel waits for his phone call each Sunday, and is sometimes too emotional to speak over the phone. Enrique’s family in Honduras, including his grandmother, sister, and three aunts, constantly criticize María Isabel's mothering. They say the baby is dirty, badly dressed, and too thin. They accuse María Isabel of misspending the money Enrique sends by buying her mother heart and asthma medicine, and by buying herself hair dye. María Isabel, having lived most of her life in complete poverty, feels justified in spending a bit of money on herself and her mother. She begins to deeply resent the interference of Enrique’s family.

In the meantime, Enrique drinks more, and begins smoking marijuana again. He is caught speeding, and spends over a thousand dollars in court fines. He is not saving his money, although he wants to bring María Isabel north. Feeling desperate and depressed, Enrique begins to huff paint thinner. When Lourdes catches him in the act, she threatens to kick him out of the house. Enrique stops huffing paint thinner because it brings him extreme headaches - probably by exacerbating his injuries from the train beating - and not because his mother insists on it.

Back in Honduras, to escape the scrutiny of Enrique's family, María Isabel moves from her aunt Gloria’s home to the home where her mother, Eva, lives. Eva's house is a hut on the side of a mountain in the small town of Los Tubos, but it has some conveniences that Gloria's did not. María Isabel gets a new job at a children’s clothing store at the Mall Multiplaza, through which she earns $120 a month. Jasmín begins to put on more weight, and she speaks to her father over the phone for the first time on her second birthday.

Enrique has been in the United States for over two and half years. He resolves to do better, and wants to stop drinking. He does not want his daughter to grow up the way he did, always worried about money. He begins to work seven days a week, hoping to quickly earn enough money for a smuggler to bring María Isabel to the Untied States. His ultimate plan is they could raise money faster together in order to bring their daughter to them.

Lourdes' sister, Mirian , soon comes to the United States to live with them. She leaves her own three children behind in Honduras, but insists she will return as soon as she saves some money. Upset by the cramped conditions of his mother’s apartment, Enrique moves out. Now, most of his money is budgeted for rent, car insurance, cell phone bills, and food.

Enrique sends less money to Honduras, but does not level with María Isabel about his difficulties. Her family encourages her to move on, to find someone else. Others tell her to go to the United States, while she is still young. In Honduras, middle-aged women have a hard time finding work that pays well, often settling for jobs that pay $50 to $90 a month. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch caused great devastation in Honduras, and caused an increase in unemployment that has only worsened. María Isabel understands both the benefits and dangers of leaving her native country, but most of all fears losing the love of her child.

Lourdes and her family, including Enrique, move to Florida to find better jobs. Enrique works as a painter, Lourdes as a maid. The arrangement does not work out for Enrique, and he soon returns to North Carolina to work with his friends. Lourdes is now able to afford an apartment alone with her boyfriend and Diana . While away from his mother, Enrique learns to empathize with her difficulties. He misses her, and returns to Florida to be with her. Although he does not entirely forgive Lourdes, Enrique has decided to stop living in the past, and to move on with his life.

Now, he saves in earnest for María Isabel to join him in the United States. In the spring of 2004, after four years in the United States, Enrique calls María Isabel and asks her to come north. He has saved enough money for a smuggler. Although María Isabel hesitates with her decision, she eventually leaves Honduras. She and Enrique will work together to create a better life for their daughter. The day María Isabel leaves with her smuggler, Jasmín cries “Adiós mami” , but has no idea that her mother will not be coming home (240).

The Epilogue

María Isabel travels through Mexico by bus with the help of her smugglers, who bribe Mexican law enforcement officers to let them pass. She safely arrives in Florida after a few weeks of travel. Jasmín has been left with Enrique’s sister, Belky, who tells her plainly that her parents are not coming back, but hope to bring her to the United States one day. Enrique and María Isabel call their daughter once or twice a week, but Jasmín thinks of Belky’s common-law husband as her father. Belky gives birth to a baby boy on July 31, 2006. She names him Alexander Jafeth.

The popular TV show Don Francisco Presenta features Enrique, Lourdes, and Sonia Nazario in one episode. Don Francisco surprises Lourdes by reuniting her with Belky, who has come to the United States on a temporary visa. It is the first time in eighteen years that Lourdes, Enrique, and Belky are together. It is also the first time that all three of Lourdes’ children are in the same room, as Diana is in the audience. Belky leaves the United States eight days later to return to Honduras and her son.

The theme of family drives this chapter, particularly in terms of the many miscommunications that occur between mother and son. Lourdes and Enrique cannot reach common ground, because neither can truly understand the other one's perspective. Lourdes will not apologize for her decision, because it was hard for her and was made for her children. Enrique will not appreciate her decision, because he feels betrayed. Enrique has successfully created a new life for himself in the United States but is it the life he has always wanted?

Enrique’s new journey is one of self reflection. His drug use, harsh attitude, and resentments have created a divide in their relationship. Cramped living situations do not make it easier for him to gain any perspective. It is not until he is again separated from her, when he returns to North Carolina, that he can see outside himself. He remembers the years of separation, and feels the lonely side of independence. In coming to this realization, he not only chooses to return to Lourdes, but also commits fully to earning money for his own family. Ironically, by coming to this realization, he risks hurting Jasmìn the way he was hurt. Because he has grown more mature, he brings Marìa Isabel to the United States so they can help their daughter, but the circle will potentially repeat itself for her.

Sonia Nazario has kept in touch with Enrique, and updates the website dedicated to Enrique’s Journey with information on his family. Since the publication of the book, Enrique, Marìa Isabel, and Jasmìn have been reunited in the United States. Jasmìn was smuggled north for the price of $5,000. She is very close to her grandmother, and follows Lourdes to work. Fluent in English, Jasmìn enjoys school and her favorite subject is math. She loves Justin Bieber and watches SpongeBob Squarepants and iCarly with her father.

Lourdes married her longtime boyfriend in May 2010. She became an Evangelical Christian, and hopes to become certified as a nursing assistant. She wants to own her own home, and dreams of Diana going to college.

Marìa Isabel works as a hotel maid making $7.50 an hour. At one point, she and Jasmìn moved in with Lourdes during a difficult period of her relationship with Enrique.

Enrique has had trouble maintaining a job, and continues to struggle with drug use. Both issues have been a source of contention with Marìa Isabel and his mother. Lourdes allowed Enrique to move in with her on the condition that he not use drugs in her home. Lourdes has faith that her son will one day change for the better.

For more information about Enrique and his family visit the author’s website at www.enriquesjourney.com

Enrique’s Journey Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Enrique’s Journey is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

WHAT IS ENRIQUE FORCCED TO DO UPON RINALY REACHING THE AMERICAN SIDE OF THE RIO GRANDE

In order to remain undetected, Enrique and the others must wait for an hour in a half in a freezing creek into which a sewage treatment plant dumps refuse.

Why is crossing the river so difficult?

For Enrique, crossing the river by himself is dangerous. He cannot swim and if he's caught, he will be deported.

They are put in detention centers and sent back. The detention centers ar cramped full of crooks and people that exploit them.

Study Guide for Enrique’s Journey

Enrique's Journey study guide contains a biography of Sonia Nazario, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Enrique's Journey
• Enrique's Journey Summary
• Character List

Essays for Enrique’s Journey

Enrique's Journey essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario.

• Criticism, Sympathy, and Encouragement: Depicting the American Dream in 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Enrique's Journey'

Lesson Plan for Enrique’s Journey

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Enrique's Journey
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Enrique's Journey Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Enrique’s Journey

• Introduction
• Don Francisco Presenta Reunion
• Recognition
• Sonia Nazario

Enrique’s Journey

Sonia nazario, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Enrique’s story opens up the broader discussion of immigration and immigration reform in the United States and allows for a detailed understanding of the problems that immigrants face. In the prologue, Nazario recounts the conversation she had with her housekeeper Carmen when she first found out that Carmen had left behind children in Guatemala before coming the United States. This moment spurs Nazario’s interest in single immigrant mothers in comparable situations, forced to leave their families and to struggle alone for work in an unfamiliar country. In the book, Nazario details the changing landscape of immigration in recent years, describing the increase of both illegal immigrants and single mothers coming to the U.S. to find work in order to support their families at home. Enrique’s Journey delves into the complications of immigration and shows both the harm and the good that it can carry.

The debate about immigration is the backdrop of the book, and Nazario specifically brings it to the fore in the afterword, which outlines particular positions on immigration policy. Since Enrique’s journey, the trip has become even more dangerous for migrants, and even more people are trying to make it. For migrants, the financial and material benefits drive their decision to come. But the psychological trauma of family separation that often occurs should not be underestimated – it can create life-long problems for children and parents. For their home countries, the money sent from immigrants back to Central and Latin America brings a significant boost to their economic growth. From the perspective of Americans, immigration is a much-debated topic, but Nazario concludes that the immigration problem can be solved by helping bolster the economies of the countries from which immigrants come. Since the reasons for immigrating are economic, she argues, the solution to keep immigrants at home must be economic.

Immigration ThemeTracker

Immigration Quotes in Enrique’s Journey

"Although I often felt exhausted and miserable, I knew I was experiencing only an iota of what migrant children go through...The journey gave me a glimmer of how hard this is for them."

"In their absence, these mothers become larger than life. Although in the United States the women struggle to pay rent and eat, in the imaginations of their children back home they become deliverance itself, the answer to every problem. Finding them becomes the quest for the Holy Grail."

"When Enrique's mother left, he was a child. Six months ago, the first time he set out to find her, he was still a callow kid. Now he is a veteran of a perilous pilgrimage by children, many of whom come looking for their mothers and travel any way they can."

"In spite of everything, Enrique has failed again--he will not reach the United States this time, either. He tells himself over and over that he'll just have to try again."

"At the rate of nearly one every other day, the Red Cross estimates, U.S.-bound Central American migrants who ride freight trains lose arms, legs, hands, or feet."

"He was five years old when his mother left him. Now he is almost another person. In the window glass, he sees a battered young man, scrawny and disfigured. It angers him, and it steels his determination to push northward."

"'We are human. We should treat people in a humane way. It's okay to send people back. But they shouldn't shoot them, beat them this way.'"

"Outside the church after dinner, many migrants engage in a crude kind of street therapy: Who has endured the worst riding the trains?"

"Maria Isabel does not say goodbye to her daughter. She does not hug her. She gets out of the car and walks briskly into the bus terminal. She does not look back. She never tells her she is going to the United States."

"'What would it take to keep people from leaving? There would have to be jobs. Jobs that pay okay. That's all.'"