Barbarian Nursery Novel Analysis

Who is the Actual “Barbarian”?

Barbarian Nurseries by Héctor Tobar is the novel not only about Latino culture, history, and immigrant right, but most importantly, the novel attempts to deliver the idea to readers about the unique perspective of the word “barbarian” of Tobar. According to the dictionary and the origin of the word, there is more than one definition of barbarian. During the mid-fourteen century, the word barbarian represents the foreign country from Latin barbaria. From 1610s, the barbarian was started to define as the rude, wild person. In the novel, the characters of barbarian are both Araceli and Scott and Maureen Torres-Thompson referring to different definitions of the word.

Scott’s great accomplishments brings the Torres-Thompson’s family lives with the relaxing life “on their hillside, one day followed the next with a comfortable and predictable rhythm.” (Tobar 11-12) Due to the reason, Maureen

has no ability of supplying the house and taking care of the children but what she always does is spending lavishly for herself. While the Barbarian Nurseries begin with the Torres-Thompson’s family having difficulties with financial issues, the nature of Scott and Maureen appear to be self-indulgencing and they shows the instinct of escaping from the situation. Scott is the pale-skinned half-Mexican who studies information technology and graduated from Stanford University while Maureen have the Irish ancestry. Scott and Maureen consider themselves as the high-classed members and evade the truth that they are also immigrants from other countries as they “avoided discussing race, as if the mere mention of the subject might cause their fragile alliances to come apart. ‘Mexican’ was a word that sounded harsh.” (Tobar).
However, the protagonist of the novel Araceli Ramirez appears to have different actions and nature from the Torres-Thompsons. She is the undocumented immigrant from Mexico who works as the housekeeper in Torres-Thompson’s family who can be trusted to take care of the children. Araceli actually studied at the art school back in the Mexico City before, but others including Scott and Maureen always consider her as not well educated only because she speaks broken English. Opposite of Maureen, who eats the bread of idleness, Araceli works very hard and takes pride in her work. She is the bright woman with detailed perspective, smart and skilled. Araceli is also the “very strand North American circus” (Tobar) with good hearts and nice personality because she did not abandon Brandon and Keenan as Scott and Maureen but take the children to find the grandfather although Araceli even dislike children. [Quote] Furthermore, Araceli never tries to hide her race but express the proud when she designs the cake with the color of Mexican flag at a party.
Throughout the novel, Tobar compares the members from different social classes with totally opposite behaviors.

Apparently Scoot and Maureen who appears to have the making of higher classes who lives better life than Araceli, but the truth shows that Araceli is actually the one who act more like the member of high social statues. While many Americans treat the mass immigrants especially from Latin America as the types of barbarian alien and some will judge others depend on the races or the academic achievements. How many people actually realized that it is possible for those Hispanic, Latin American or other minor races to have better personality or nature that is way superior than those who born as the one who will be accepted by the major society and receive top educations? At least in the novel, no character actually approves Araceli’s work and accepts her with true heart. Ridiculously, Scott and Maureen even play tricks of laws to deal with Araceli for they think Araceli will kidnap their son only for the reason that she is the undocumented

immigrant.
As Scott and Maureen throw their sons to the maid and escape for the finical hardships, Araceli accepted the responsibility taking care of the kids. When Scott and Maureen claim themselves having no connection with Hispanic, Araceli presents her proud towards her race. Even though Scott receives good educations, but his action reveals his negative instincts and attitude of life. Maureen, as the wife of Scott, knows nothing about raising the children and the house. Scoot and Maureen should be the barbarian who defined as the offensive, and bad-mannered people. On the other side, Araceli will be considered as barbarian in the novel not because of her actions or personality, but simply for she has the identity as the foreigners and is the immigrants from the outside country.