Solito

How does the network for smuggling migrants to the US function in the memoir, and what do the names given to the smugglers, i.e., coyotes, polleros, etc., imply about them?

How does Zamora use the landscape to illustrate the emotions of his journey? Choose a passage and analyze how the setting and landscape mirror Javier’s emotional experience.

Naming is an aspect of language that Javier and others use to make the strange world around them accessible. Give three such examples of naming and discuss why they are thematically significant.

Family is a central motif in the novel. How does Zamora describe his real and second families? What are the differences between the two?

Zamora often blends English and Spanish in the same sentence. Why, in your opinion, does he do this? Choose three examples of blended-language sentences and discuss the literary, psychological, and emotional effects of using both languages together.

What role do omens and signs play in the psychology of the narrative? How do they reflect the characters’ religious and cultural backgrounds?

Choose one or two works of migration literature by other contemporary Latinx writers and discuss them in relation to Solito: How do Zamora’s descriptions of border crossing compare with other Latinx migration narratives? What are their similarities and differences?

What are the similarities and differences between Zamora’s poetry and his memoir? What advantages do poetry and memoir, respectively, provide in telling his story? In your opinion, is one form better suited to the topic than the other? Support your argument with examples from the texts.