Discuss How Nayeli and Tacho Mature and Change in the novel 'Into The Beautiful North.'
The novel 'Into The Beautiful North by Luis Alberto develops the character, Nayeli,
as a 19-year-old girl from a small village called Tres Camarones. Nayeli works as a waitress
at Tacho's bar called La Mano Caida and later works as a campaign manager for Tia Irma's
who runs for mayor. Nayeli embraced her family as a young girl from an early age, but as she
grew up, she realized her father was looking for a son he never had. Don Pepe, Nayeli's
father, never had a son but instilled characters of men in her beloved daughter Nayeli. Don
Pepe introduced Nayeli to playing soccer and karate, and Nayeli took it knowing that her
father had wished to have a son. From the novel, Nayeli thinks that "he never wished he had a
son, though she could tell he thought about it often. "The belief made Nayeli work towards
the male heroism than the female. Nayeli realizes fewer men in Tress Camerones. which she
finds problematic. The unavailability of babies in the village makes Nayeli worry about the
future as the "narcos and Bandidos" were invading the area.
Nayeli grows up trying to fix the societal challenges that men have failed to address.
For instance, Nayeli watches a movie at a cinema, 'the magnificent seven, 'and she uses the
ideas from the movie to find seven men from the United States with the help of his friends
Tacho, Yolo, and Vampi, who would live in Tres Camarones and provide protection to the
inhabitants (Naidu, 2019). However, when they arrive in San Diego, Nayeli finds that Yolo
has a crush on Matt, a missionary who kissed her several years ago. Nayeli's feelings were
hurt when Nayeli saw walks in meeting Matt having sex with Yolo. In her quest to find her
father, she faces challenges and tribulations that make her understand that life is
unpredictable. When Nayeli and Tacho embark on a journey to find her father Don Pepe on a
road trip to Kankakee, Illinois: she is shocked by the events. Nayeli discovers that her father,
Don Pepe, has a wife in the U.S with whom she is blessed with a child. Nayeli suffers a
second blow of betrayal from his father and decides not to confront him. Despite, the
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challenges Nayeli goes back to Tress Camerones with the seven men to save the village. The
experiences the two get during the journey enhance their mature and responsible skills.
Nayeli's boss, Tacho, is gay and a bartender at the local taco shop, bar, and café called
La Mano Canada. He is not much older than three girls Nayeli, Yolo, and Vampi but proved
to be a good friend when they hung out. He agrees to accompany the three girls to the U.S to
find solutions to Tress Cameron's problems (Naidu, 2019). Tacho faces tribulations during
his journey as a customs officer assaults him in the bathroom at the customs station. The
three girls are disillusioned after Tacho is arrested by the police patrol alleging that he
belongs to a terrorist group called Al Qaeda and is booked for questioning. Tacho is deported
to Tijuana, intensifying the tribulation that befalls him during their plan to save the people of
Tres Camarones.
Tacho meets a gay friend at the border called Rigoberto, who smuggles him back to
his girlfriend's using his magical pot. During the Search to solve the problem at Tress
Cameroons, Nayeli and Yolo fight over Matt. Tacho learns that the U.S s not a country of
freedom after the many tribulations he faced being gay in a society that not everybody has
embraced. Tacho in the novel says, 'a man like Tacho had to learn to survive in Mexico, and
he learned to e- create himself in bright colors, in large attitudes, thus becoming a cherished
character. If you wanted to achieve immortality or at least acceptance in Tres Camarones, the
best thing to do was become an amazing fixture. It was very much to be ne'er –do well, even
if you were gay."
Nayeli and Tacho change and mature after getting the responsibility to save the entire
Tres Camarones. Their dedication and zeal help the two to face all the challenges along the
way with the hope of creating a solution to the problem of having few men in the village.
Tacho faces stigmatization as gay when he is crossing over, and he realizes that even U.S is
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not a free state as people can still face challenges like racism due to their sexual orientation.
Nayeli and Tacho mature when they realize they have nobody to stand for their needs in
society. W