Nayeli undergoes a lot of challenges that almost stop her dream of bringing back home men that would become Tres Camarones and help to protect their village. One of the biggest problems that Nayeli battles with is finding a way to get to the US, as the fighters she wants to reach live there. The reason that makes getting to the US a very difficult task is that Nayeli lacks the proper legal documentation required for her to be allowed into the US and therefore has to find a way to sneak in. There are also local challenges that Naveli and her friends experience on their way to Tijuana, such as the theft of their bags and the sexual harassment of Tacho. Nayeli follows the archetypal Hero’s Journey by undertaking a tough quest, withstanding hardships, and achieving success.
Like a Hero who takes a task that often challenges them, Naveli decides to make an effort to try and bring back protectors that will help protect the village from the Bandidos. According to Urrea, “The four warriors waved bravely to the crowd. The girls kissed their mothers and grandmothers. Father François blessed them again. They got into the Cadillac. They slammed the doors” (pg. 53). This quote explains the departure of Nayeli and the massive hope that the local people had put in them. On the other hand, it is evident that the Naveli had decided to undertake a tough task that she did not know what to expect, and the people accepted her as their Hero based on the dedication plus courage that she had shown. Another thing that shows the toughness of the task Naveli had undertaken as a hero is the uncertainty in her journey, but her determination kept her going. Urrea writes, “I,” she announced, raising her finger above her head like Fidel Castro, “have sent a telegram to Chavarín in Tijuana! The destiny of these warriors is already assured!” (51). It is clear that Nayeli knows that the quest to bring the warriors home will be difficult, but it does not stop her from pursuing the journey. Society also believes in her, and they offer her financial support to sustain her journey. The importance of this stage was the importance of setting objectives and sticking to them.
The fact that Nayeli’s journey to the US to bring the best fighters to help protect their community had a lot of hardships that she withstood; shows the archetypal Hero’s journey in her quest. Urrea states that “The bus lurched away, and the girls were trapped inside, watching them manhandle Tacho” (122). The explanation given in this quote explains the incident when Nayeli and her friends have been captured during the first attempt at the border, and their friend Tacho has been left behind at the station with the law enforcers. Such an incident shows some of the challenges that Nayeli faced and proves that she was ready to tackle hardships and achieve success. This is because even after the first attempt to sneak into the US proved impossible; she still made a second effort which turned out to be effective. Urrea writes that, “They were terrified and mortified—it was not in their life plans to be arrested and dragged around in the back of a wagon like criminals” (114). This quote gives an explanation based on the first time when Naveli and her friends were captured by the border police when they tried to cross over illegally during the first time. It is clear that they were mishandled and treated inappropriately, which was against human rights levels. Nayeli still embraces the challenges as a hero and later conquers her dream of getting into the US. The importance of this stage is that it proves the need to withstand pressure to eventually achieve goals.
Nayel eventually got into the US and secured men that would help protect the village as intended. Urrea writes that, “Twenty-seven men waiting for me in San Diego. We go back to Sinaloa…” (241). This quote is a conversation between Nayeli and Arnie after the success of their plans in the US to get men to assist in the war. Navel emerges as a hero based on the archetypal Hero’s journey she has undergone, her achievements, and the numerous lessons that she has learned. The start of her journey to the end has also largely been tough, and she has displayed an aggressive character. Navel also had the vision to reunite with her father in the US, which she successfully managed to accomplish. According to Urrea, “She had the address in her hand. She breathed deeply and turned and started to walk” (234). The quote explains how Nayel was able to trace his father and the reason why she changed her mind. It had been one of Navel’s greatest wishes to meet her dad, and from this situation, she was able to make paramount decisions based on the importance of his dad in her life. This stage shows the importance of perseverance as a hero to achieve objectives, learn lessons and overcome challenges.
While the challenges and hardships that Nayeli went through in her quest to help bring men that will help protect her community, it is clear that most of them could have been avoided. Some of these ways are such as the use of proper legal documents while crossing over to the US and trying to get an alternative means of transport as a way to avoid the mistreatment by the police. What should be understood is that these were the opportunities’ that Navel and her friend had, hence the path that she had to take. This also explains that the challenges that she went through were inevitable and that there were numerous lessons that she learned from them.
Nayeli’s journey was made up of a lot of challenges in terms of her tough quest, the challenges she withstood, and her eventual success. This was because the environment that she lived in was tough, and she had very few options to achieve her objectives. Based on her success, it is clear that she was able to do her utmost best regardless of all that she underwent to make everything a success. All that she experienced came with numerous lessons in her journey as a hero, and even the people around her that were inspired by her efforts.
Works Cited
Urrea, Luis A. Into the Beautiful North: A Novel. Little Brown & Company, 2009.
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