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Chapter 25
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The House of the Scorpion, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Free Will vs. Predetermination
Scientific Ethics and Abuse
Language, Law, and Dehumanization
Abuse of Power and Corruption
Summary
Analysis
Matt looks up and sees two men standing over him. Matt tells them his family was lost to Farm Patrol. The men take Matt to a bathroom where he can clean himself up and give him a uniform to wear. Matt cannot believe how nice they are to him. When they give him food, he thanks them, causing one of the guards to remark that Matt must be an “aristocrat” because of his manners.
The kindness of these men contrasts with the violence of the Farm Patrol. However, the uniform signals a loss of individual identity. The man’s reaction to Matt saying thank you, calling Matt an aristocrat, also signals that there is something unsettling about this society Matt has entered despite Tam Lin’s insistence that he would be better off here.
Themes
Matt tells the agent named Raúl that he needs to get to San Luis to see his friend. Raúl asks Matt what skills he has. Matt says he can play music, but Raúl says Matt needs skills that contribute to the good of society. Matt says he has studied water purification. The other guard suggests Matt go to the plankton factory in San Luis. Matt agrees because he thinks he will just leave San Luis for the convent as soon as possible.
Raúl does not care about any unique aspects of Matt’s identity, such as his love of music. He only cares about how he can exploit Matt’s labor. Matt is not troubled by these warning signs, however, because he still believes he has the free will to leave this place and continue on with his journey.
Themes
In the morning, Raúl leads Matt to a large room where other guards are watching pictures play on the ceilings. Raúl tells him it’s a videogame hologram, and Matt pretends he understands. Matt asks Raúl why all the doors in the building are locked and Raúl says its for “orderly production.” Matt thinks this is an odd thing to say.
The prevalence of locked doors suggests some form of restriction and imprisonment surrounding Raúl and his organization. Raúl’s illogical answer to Matt’s questions also suggest a presence of dogma and evasion among the guards.
Themes
Raúl takes Matt to a room where many boys sit at tables working. Matt worries the boys will not like him, but instead they all gather around him excitedly asking questions, until Raúl tells them to leave Matt alone. Raúl inspects the boys’ work as they make pieces of machinery and weave sandals. He chastises a boy named Chacho for carving a piece of wood, because according to Raúl hobbies do not contribute to the overall good of the nation. He says the phrase, “Work is freedom. Freedom is work. It’s hard but it’s fair,” and all the boys repeat after him.
The room full of children working contrasts with the previous room full of adults playing video games, hinting at inequality present in this society. Raúl oppresses Chacho’s individual identity by forbidding him to have hobbies. Raúl’s use of the Orwellian “work is freedom” phrase and the boys repetition suggests that the man uses dogma to indoctrinate all the children into forced labor.
Themes
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Raúl leaves and Matt wonders why the man locks the door and refers to himself as a “Keeper.” A small, skinny boy invites Matt to sit by him. Matt attempts to look aloof and tough, like El Patrón taught him too. Chacho tells him to relax while he can, because tomorrow he will have to work like the rest of him on the way to San Luis. The little kid, whose name is Fidelito, tells Matt that one must meet their production quota in order to receive dinner. Because Fidelito is younger than all the other boys he does not have the same output, and therefore is starving.
Because Matt is an outsider, he is able to notice the inconsistencies and concerning aspects of the Keepers’ system, such as the locked doors. Matt is still influenced by El Patrón even after he has left Opium, as shown by his attempts to act tough. Fidelito’s situation of being starved for not meeting his large quota shows how, despite the Keepers’ dogma of “it’s hard but it’s fair,” their society is very unfair.
Themes
Fidelito asks if Matt saw Farm Patrol take his parents. The other boys tell him to shut up, but Matt hushes them. He tells a fake story about his parents, but then he realizes all the boys around him actually lost their families to Farm Patrol and now live in this orphanage. Chacho says they are all now part of the system for producing resources.
Matt resembles El Patrón in the automatic position of authority he takes over the rest of the boys. Meeting the orphans of those caught by the Farm Patrol further emphasizes for Matt the horror of the government from which he has just escaped.
Themes
