The House of the Scorpion: Chapter 22 Summary & Analysis

Matt remains in the passage, conflicted between his love for El Patrón and his fear and hatred of El Patrón’s creation of clones for organ transplants. Matt remembers how Celia told him if there was ever any trouble, he should come find her. He also realizes Tam Lin gave him all the camping supplies at the oasis in case he ever needed to escape. Matt realizes this means they always knew El Patrón intended to use Matt for his organs.

Matt worries that if El Patrón really does love him, then Matt will be abandoning him in his time of need. He also remembers how the ancient kings El Patrón admired used to kill their servants to fill their tombs. Matt still does not know what to do.

María finds Matt in the passage. She says all the bodyguards are looking for him. Matt realizes this mean El Patrón truly does want Matt for his organs. María reports that Tam Lin wants Matt to hide for now. Matt asks how El Patrón is doing, because despite everything, he cannot help but love the old man. María tells Matt to wait until dark, so she can sneak him in her family’s hovercraft and take him to the convent disguised as an eejit.

Matt sleeps in the passage and then wanders around, growing dehydrated and bored. Finally, María arrives with a bottle of water. She tells him El Patrón is doing better, but she wishes he wasn’t. Matt says that El Patrón loves him. María tells him El Patrón only cares about how he can use Matt. María gives Matt an eejit uniform to change into and leads him through the passage. She takes out a special red flashlight and shines it on the wall, illuminating a drawing of a scorpion. She explains that the scorpion marks El Patrón’s bedroom, where there are no cameras.

Tam Lin told María that El Patrón built the passage not only to spy on people but also to escape onto the hovercraft landing field. However, that part of the passage only opens when El Patrón touches the drawing of the scorpion on the wall. Because Matt has the same DNA and fingerprints as El Patrón, he may be able to open the passage. However, if Matt’s DNA does not work, the whole passage will fill with poisonous gas. María promises him she will stay with him no matter what. Matt says he loves her, and María says she loves him too. Matt touches the scorpion and the passage opens up.

Matt and María move through the deserted tunnel. Matt finds another scorpion drawing and touches it. The door opens to the hovercraft landing field. María walks him into her family’s hovercraft while Matt pretends to be an eejit. The pilot of the hovercraft asks María if she has a permit for her eejit, because he might be euthanized in Aztlán otherwise.

Emilia comes to the hovercraft to say goodbye to María. She brings Steven and a pair of bodyguards. She warns María not to bring to the eejit to Aztlán. She mocks her sister for always having charity projects, like rescuing a clone. Steven rips Matt’s hat off as Emilia accuses Matt of exploiting María her whole life. She says María is just like their mother. It turns out, Emilia has known all this time that their mother is alive. Steven interrupts, saying they need to get Matt to the hospital. Matt realizes Steven and Emilia are his enemies after all.

Steven orders the bodyguards to grab Matt. María begs them to stop. But Steven says that under the law, Matt is classified as livestock, since he was harvested from a cow. The pilot grabs María and drags her away. The bodyguards lead Matt outside. He sees the garden and the desert. He wants to remember everything he sees, because he knows he is going to die that night. He wonders if he will ever see Celia, Tam Lin, or María again.