The House of the Scorpion: 4/5

November 24th 2009

After being taken away, Matt finds himself in the hospital, awaiting the surgery: his inevitable death. El Patron says his farewell speech to Matt, revealing that Matt owes him life, for not taking away Matt’s intelligence when he was born. Then, Celia reveals he injected Matt with a poison that does not kill him, but rather make it impossible for his organs to be fit for a transplant. El Patron dies.

The next day, Tam Lin is ordered to dispose of Matt, to dump him in the eejit wasteland. After being dismounted from the horse, Tam Lin reveals he has created an escape route for Matt. He must escape from Opium into Aztlan, and find Maria in San Luis.

Matt is sent out, on the journey to the border. When he finally reaches it, he makes a running attempt. He barely outruns the farm patrol, and is saved by a “keeper”. Matt is brought into a labor orphanage. He meets new friends Chacho and Fidelito. Every night the children must rehearse principals of work, and must confess to a sin they have committed.

The 3 are transported to a new factory orphanage where they must collect the plankton out of shrimp tanks. It is here that the boys must spend the next 4 years of their life. Matt is commonly referred to as the aristocrat, for his disagreement with the confessions, and how he preaches that the keepers get all these luxuries while the children must work. If you misbehave or disagree with the rules of work, or do not confess, you must “assume the position”, and be beat with a cane until you have learned your lesson.


I am very happy with Matt’s outcome. I’m glad Celia did what she did and Matt escaped. However, it did seem a little sad when El Patron died. He didn’t seem that bad, and Matt kind of felt bad for him too. I agree with Matt, when he said a part of El Patron will live a long as Matt lives.

Overall, the plot turned from good to bad though, when the Keepers took in Matt. It would really suck to have to work for 4 years until you are set free. It really shows how much we take for granted the fact that we live how we do here in Canada.

This section became more inciting, reading that Matt was fighting back against the keeper and their beliefs, however I don’t think this will have a positive outcome for Matt.

The book’s turn of events flows real nice, with each section of the book having an overall segment in setting and conflicts. I’m glad some of my older questions were answered. However I have many more. Will Matt live all 4 years here? Will him, chacho and Fidelito ever escape or be set free within that period? Again, I guess the answers lie within the next, final segment that I really look forward to reading.