José Character Analysis

José is one of Carlos’s closest friends in America and is an important partner in his work with the labor movement. José is also Nick’s brother. Carlos first meets José at Macario’s hotel in Los Angeles, where he is staying with Nick, Mariano, Victor, Manual, Luz, Gazamen, Leon, Alonzo, and Ben. José is a former college student who had to drop out of his classes due to the depression. Like the others in Carlos’s group, José struggles to survive in a racist American society that offers few opportunities for Filipinos. He often travels by freight train with Carlos seeking work in the picking fields. In one particular incident, Carlos and José attempt to board a train after Frank drives them away from the Imperial Valley. Detectives spot Carlos and José trying to jump on the train and give chase. In the scuffle, José becomes stuck between the train wheels, and his feet are severed from his body. Frank and Carlos take him to a hospital, where he makes an impressive recovery and receives a wooden leg. Eventually, José and Carlos wind up in the home of Pascual and his wife. Carlos begins editorial work for their socialist newspaper, while José becomes an organizer with the new independent agricultural laborers’ union in San Luis Obispo. He is later arrested for supporting striking workers, and when he is released, he tells Carlos about “the war between labor and capital” and tells him his life story. Throughout the book, José becomes involved with various aspects of the labor movement, including organizing and attending meetings, working on a socialist magazine with Felix Razon, and distributing pro-union literature throughout California and other West Coast states. José also becomes a key player in the founding of the Filipino Workers Association.