The Crossing

Gary Paulsen

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1987

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Symbols & Motifs

The Bullfight

The bullfight acts as one of the novel’s most significant plot events. It functions as a symbol, an instance of foreshadowing, and a catalyst for the change that occurs in Robert’s character. When Locke first sees the bullfight poster, he is mesmerized, even though he does not understand why. During the fight, Robert goes back and forth between “the sergeant” persona and himself, unable to witness the violence emotionally. However, he cannot hide his emotion for the duration of the fight; Manny sees that Robert is immensely disturbed by the suffering and killing of the bull, especially because it is, “All for nothing” and “a game” (94), phrases that Paulsen uses repetitively to emphasize Robert’s discomfort and growing frustration. Eventually, Robert chooses to leave because he can no longer watch the crowds cheering over the blood and death. However, the bullfight stays in his mind and forces him to open up emotionally, even if only gradually. He cannot suppress hallucinations of his friends as much because he thinks of them when he remembers the bull.

When Robert fights the four traffickers at the novel’s conclusion, Paulsen shows that Robert represents the bull. The men come at him one at a time and slash him with their knives, just as the matador slashes the bull. Robert eventually sinks to his knees, similar to the bull that falls to the ground. The parallel between Robert and the bull suggests Robert’s innocence; just as the bull is innocent, so is Robert. Although Robert’s guilt that he lives while his friends are dead weighs on him, he has done nothing wrong. Also significant in this fight is that both Robert and the sergeant are present. The sergeant performs the physical act of fighting and defeating the street men, while Robert chooses to fight because he wants to help Manny and is the man Manny sees when he looks into Locke’s eyes as he passes away. This shows that Robert’s fully integrated self is fighting for Manny and making a sacrifice to give Manny a chance. As Robert dies, it’s clear that the act of helping another person was a final step in his character transformation. When he sees his friends now, he can greet them as equals rather than running from them.

The United States

Paulsen’s choice to set the novel in a city on the United States-Mexico border allows him to highlight the opportunity and possibility that the United States symbolizes to people like Manny, who live in poverty and struggle to find work. In doing so, he reminds American readers of the privilege that they have to live in the United States. He points out the abundance of wealth and prosperity that average Americans enjoy in comparison to residents of Juárez.

Manny equates life in the United States with finding work, making money, and wearing a leather belt with a belt buckle and a straw hat. Even though his view of America is a stereotype, Paulsen suggests that Manny will indeed have a better chance of improving his life if he can make it to the United States. He makes it clear that by remaining in Juárez, Manny’s chances of survival only worsen. Since no job opportunities seem to exist in Juárez, Manny’s best chance, despite its dangers, is to cross the border.

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Along with the positive changes that going to the United States could bring for Manny, Paulsen points out some negative aspects of the American lifestyle. For example, Robert’s thoughts about life in the United States when Manny asks him for help reveal the excess of the average American lifestyle. Robert thinks about the abundance Americans have compared to Manny’s life in Juárez, such as multiple cars for one family, jobs, and extra time and money for leisure activities. These things are not bad or wrong to have, but Paulsen reminds the reader to recognize the abundance of blessings and opportunities that life in the United States may afford. What may seem like reasonable expectations to some Americans are unthinkable luxuries to Manny.

Paulsen characterizes these different perspectives through the role American tourists play for children like Manny. The tourists are the children’s primary source of money, since no Juárez residents have money to give. Some tourists give with good intentions, but do so ignorantly, such as the woman who throws money to Manny from the bridge. She doesn’t realize that throwing money to one child could paint a target on that child’s back. Furthermore, when she calls out that someone should help Manny as he is beaten by other boys, Paulsen shows that although she sees injustice, she doesn’t want to be the one to go down personally to help him. She also does not understand that no one is available to help children like Manny. Paulsen reminds American readers to see and appreciate the wealth and abundance in which they live, but also warns them of the lack of understanding many may have towards people who live in poverty, and what it truly means to help someone.

The Monkey

Paulsen uses the story of the hungry monkey as a symbol for Manny from Locke’s perspective. This association Locke makes between the monkey and Manny helps him understand Manny’s plight and the reasons behind some of his actions. It also functions to show a military experience of Locke’s from the Philippines.

When Robert sees Manny grabbing food from the several plates he ordered at the hotel café, he immediately remembers seeing a monkey eat in a similar way. The monkey was kept as a pet, but it was not treated well by its owners. They had it chained between two trees and hardly fed it, so the monkey was starving. It broke free from its bonds while Robert and other officers were having a picnic, and the monkey began grabbing food, just as Manny does. This comparison suggests that Manny, like the monkey, is mistreated. Due to his circumstances, survival instincts take over. Everything Manny does is motivated by his need to survive another day. The sergeant can see that Manny’s behavior is a product of his environment; rather than looking down on Manny for his poor manners or his earlier attempt to steal Robert’s wallet, Robert seems to understand why Manny does these things.

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The ending of the monkey story is also significant. After stuffing itself with the picnic food, the monkey runs into a nearby tree, and is soon eaten by a snake. Robert pronounces that this outcome was not punishment for the monkey. Instead, “true justice” would dictate that the monkey eats the snake “if the monkey had enough money” (77). With this half of the story, Locke shows that the monkey should not have been punished for its actions; it was following its instinct to survive. In the same way, Locke does not fault Manny for his lies or his desire to get food and money from the sergeant. He does, however, issue a warning. At the novel’s conclusion, as Locke dies, he calls Manny “little monkey” and tells him to run and watch for the snake (114). Locke knows that Manny’s chances of escaping, even with money, are slim; many “snakes” lurk and place Manny in danger.