Essay Questions

Is the permanent catastrophe that happens at the Harbor Freeway a blessing in disguise for the homeless people?

According to the narrator, the Harbor Freeway is full of abandoned vehicles. After the horrific apocalypse incident, drivers preferred to run for their dear lives leaving their cars behind, and they never came for them. However, this incident is a blessing in disguise because the homeless people live in abandoned vehicles. For a homeless person, sleeping inside a car is a God-given gift. Emi and Gabriel discover that most cars have been broken into, and they are now hosting destitute families. Therefore, as much as the car owners feel the pain of leaving their vehicles behind, the homeless people are thanking God for the gift of accommodation.

What is the central theme in the book ‘Tropic of Orange’ by Karen Tei Yamashita?

Quandary emerges as the main theme throughout the book. At the begging of the book, the reader is introduced to the apocalypse incidents that leave behind massive destructions. Emi and Gabriel reveal the catastrophe at the Harbor Freeway, a vivid example of the apocalypse's devastating effects. Drivers who are lucky to be alive are forced to leave the cars behind and run away. Towards the end of the book, the reader comes across a fictional criminal activity in Mexico, which involves the harvesting of human organs. Rafaela and her son run away because their lives are in danger. The stolen human organs are sold on the black market.

What is the satirical of the traffic jam described by the author in the Harbor Freeway?

Emi and Gabriela meet Buzzworm, who is directing the traffic at the Harbor. Ironically, the reader is earlier notified that the vehicles at the Harbor are all abandoned by owners after the horrific apocalypse. The reader asks the question, what is the significance of directing traffic when all the cars are abandoned? Additionally, the author hints that homeless people have broken into the abandoned vehicles and use them as shelter. Therefore, directing traffic is satirical because it does not make sense.