In the first chapter of The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea, the author demonstrates the difficult circumstances that these undocumented immigrants have to face. The undocumented immigrants have to cross the desert to reach to the “wonderland”. By beginning with a despair description of immigrants’ condition on the road, the author shows that how desperate they want to seek for a better life.
In order to let the reader to put themselves in these undocumented immigrants’ shoes, in the first paragraph the author states “One of them wandered back up a peak, one of them was barefoot. They were burned nearly black, their lips huge and cracking, what paltry drool still available to them spuming from their mouths in a salty foam as they walked”(Urrea 4).
The author uses lots of detailed and feature descriptions, which helps the reader to image how rough condition the undocumented immigrants were going through. Urrea shows great details to keep the readers engaged in the context. In Chapter One, Urrea depicts the horrifying situation facing the undocumented immigrants, and tries to evoke the sympathy from the readers. Their basic needs, like water, cannot be satisfied. These undocumented immigrants go through the desert like gamblers, they are betting their life on the risk. By reading through the book, I can feel the eagerness that immigrants have to find a new life. Thought out the Chapter one, I love the writing style that Urrea presenting. By using colloquial language to tell a real story, it interests the readers into the plot and is able to distribute to a wider range of audience.
Work Cited
Urrea, Luis Alberto. The Devil’s Highway: a True Story. Back Bay Books, 2014.
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