The House of the Scorpion: Chapter 38 Summary & Analysis

Celia tells Matt what happened the night he fled Opium, with Daft Donald assisting by typing out his recollections on his computer. The night Matt left, everyone on the estate attended El Patrón’s wake, except for Celia, because she was pretending to be an eejit, and Mr. Ortega, because he could not hear the call to attend and no one remembered to fetch him. With the Farm Patrol watching, bodyguards carried in El Patrón’s giant gold coffin. The ground opened up, revealing El Patrón’s secret burial chambers.

Daft Donald recounts how the chambers were full of gold. The eejits and the Farm Patrol agents present were sent away and the guests began to have a party. All the guests talked about how much they hated El Patrón. Tam Lin brings out a special bottle of wine, marked with the sign of the scorpion. El Patrón planned for this wine to be served either at his 150th birthday party or at his funeral.

Tam Lin suggested they all toast with the special wine. All of the family raises a glass, but Tam Lin warned Daft Donald not to drink. Mr. Alacrán gave a toast to greed, and everyone but Donald drank. Immediately after, they all fell down and died, including Tam Lin. Matt chillingly recalls El Patrón’s reverence for the ancient kings who killed their servants when they themselves died. Matt realizes El Patrón planned to kill everyone all along, and Tam Lin knew it.

After everyone died, Daft Donald left the chamber and blew up the entrance. Celia says Tam Lin went along with the poisoning plan because it was his only chance to free the eejits. Matt imagines all the dead bodies in the burial chamber and realizes even wicked people like Tom had no more control over their fate than eejits. Celia says Tam Lin died to make up for the crime of blowing up the schoolchildren. Matt becomes angry at Tam Lin and runs out of the kitchen.

Matt orders a Safe Horse from Rosa and rides through the poppy fields. He sees the eejits still working and wonders what he will do with them now. He curses Tam Lin for leaving him. He wonders if one can reverse the operation that makes people eejits. He knows he will have to disband the Farm Patrol and hire a less corrupt law enforcement. He is overwhelmed by all the problems he must resolve as Opium’s new leader.

Matt stops at the mountains and walks to the oasis. He finds the letter Tam Lin wrote back when he first left with El Patrón. Matt makes a fire and sits by the oasis. He decides to replace the poppy fields with other crops. He will try to convince scientists to reverse the process which made immigrant into eejits, and then he will reunite them with their lost children. He will invite Chacho, Fidelito, and Ton-Ton to come live with him on the estate. María could come, too, and help the eejits.

Off in the distance, Matt sees something sparkle. He runs toward it and finds another red drawing of a scorpion. He touches it and a door opens in the cliff. He looks into the chamber and sees that the floor is made of gold. He knows if he enters, he will find El Patrón’s coffin surrounded by dead bodyguards, doctors, and family members. He will see Tam Lin. He remembers how in Tam Lin’s note, he said he had no choice but to go with El Patrón, but Matt believes that Tam Lin could have chosen to say no. He steps away from the chamber.

Matt sits by his campfire late into the night. He thinks about how in the morning, he will begin the difficult job of undoing El Patrón’s empire. He takes comfort in the knowledge he will not be alone, because he will have Chacho, Fidelito, and Ton-Ton to support him. Celia and Daft Donald will guide him. María will help him do what is just and moral. Matt even has Esperanza to help him. In his mind, Matt hears Tam Lin tell him that he can do it. He smiles and agrees.