Explore Candido’s background, his previous wealth, his failed marriage, and his marriage to America. Why do you think Boyle chose to have Candido’s previous financial experience be a successful one?

An illegal immigrant from Tepoztlán, Mexico, Cándido has spent his whole life trying to realize the American dream. He was married once before to América's older sister, Resurreción. However, his marriage to her, and arguably his life, fell apart after he caught her cheating on him with a "Sancho," or a man who preys upon the wives of the men who leave their wives at home while they earn money in the United States. The "Sancho," Teófilo Aguadulce, humiliated him in a fight, and Cándido's embarrassment and rage turned him into a drunkard. However, after begging for months in the border city of Tijuana and returning to live with his aunt in Tepoztlán, he ran into América once more and ran away with her to the United States, promising her a better life. As the novel goes on, he begins to realize how much his actions are affecting América and their unborn child, and by the end, he is coming to grips with just how unreachable the American dream really is.