America Is in the Heart: Chapter 23 Summary & Analysis

In Pismo Beach, Carlos finds Mariano and two other companions living in a cabin. He lives with them and they spend their nights in the gambling houses. Seeing that Carlos is hungry, a Korean woman takes pity on him and lets him eat in her restaurant. After one of Mariano’s companions dies, he burns down the cabin, leaving Carlos homeless again.

Carlos goes to Seattle, where he again meets up with Julio in a Japanese gambling house. Julio teaches Carlos “the art of gambling” and shows off his spoils from pickpocketing, which he calls “works of art.” Julio encourages Carlos to work the gambling houses, and soon Carlos becomes adept at earning money through gambling, particularly at the game of Pi-Q. He works the gambling houses in Portland and San Bernardino and earns $500. “This is the life for me in America,” he says.

Carlos goes to the small island of Coronado, where he meets up again with Frank in a Filipino clubhouse. At the clubhouse, Carlos plays more Pi-Q, and he successfully cheats several Filipino laborers out of their wages. When Carlos learns that one of the men has a hospitalized wife, however, he buys the men groceries. He briefly considers an affair with Frank’s Mexican girlfriend, but reconsiders and then leaves for Stockton. He plays in the Japanese gambling houses, but becomes dispirited and finds a hotel room in San Luis Obispo. There, Carlos begins writing a letter to Macario and is thrilled that he can now write understandable English. He vows to tell the world about his story of struggle.