Their Dogs came with Them is an emotive story that describes the maladies assaulting the lives of the inhabitants of a forgotten, yet resiliently vibrant, East LA neighborhood. Amid the racism, poverty and violence of a “world that had nothing … to award”, Viramontes’ characters must also struggle with real and metaphorical conditions of bondage (Viramontes, 41). Turtle is consumed by her desire to become the companion her brother always hoped for and thus she is imprisoned in a double identity without knowing which gender truly suits her. Ermilina is seen by her family as being tainted by her mother’s mistakes and bounded to follow her fate. Ana sacrifices her life for troubled brother Ben. Although she is not forced to do this, her sisterly love and charitable spirit confine her in a prison of her own kindness. Yet, the most obvious and horrifying example of bondage can be found in Tranquilina’s first POV chapter, where her mother tells her about their time as indentured servants.
This form of slavery is preserved for generations through overwhelmingly growing loans that are passed from parents to children. As Tranquilina’s mother reflects, “one always had to be accountable to history” despite how unjust that system might seem ( Viramontes, 41). The victims are told they are free to go as soon as they are able to pay back the money they owe. The workers become initially dependent on their patrons for shelter, food, working tools and they must compensate for these expenses through their labor. In other cases people get loans for personal reasons, thinking that they could easily pay them. But they soon realize that this decision to borrow money has costed them their entire lives. Sometimes migrant workers must pay for the cost of transportation after relocating to a new country with the promise of a better future. “The value of their work becomes invariably greater than the original sum of money borrowed” the Anti-Slavery organization explains, and yet their masters never seem to be satisfied with their efforts. This industry owners are willing to exploit their workers until they have nothing left to give. This debt system traps entire families into a lifetime of slavery. Although we often associate this evil practices with the past, this form of bondage is a current social illness. In this small passage, Viramontes sheds light on a rarely discussed issue that affects over 21 million people around the world.
Viramontes talks very briefly about Rancho Paradiso. However, the small passage dedicated to the suffering of Tranquilina’s parents touched me very deeply because it vividly illustrated the utter disregard for human dignity felt by the perpetrators of this system and the humiliation experienced by the victims of their avarice. The author creates a perfect picture of submission in the seemingly ordinary scene where Horseback is getting his feet measured for a new pair of shoes. Papa works with great skill to please his master who sits lazily while eating mangos from Mother’s heavy basket. Mama is forced to unnecessarily hold the basket despite its weight and the long time Tomas will be working with their patron. This task causes her great pain, “ [the] basket cut against the flesh of her open aching palms”, but she endures this symbolic suffering without complain (Viramontes,41). She knows to stay silent and in her designated place of subjugation. For Horseback, having a fragile young woman hold such a burden when she could have easily placed it on the ground seems normal because he has no consideration for her. He sees her simply as subdued emblem of his wealth and influence. Although he regards Tomas with greater affection for he admires his talent for shoemaking, he still ignores the cruel irony of having a discalced man make his comfortable shoes. The scenes takes a more sinister character if we speculate that this kind of humiliation was a daily aspect of life as a slave in the Rancho Paradiso.
Despite its illicit status, government officials do very little to end this immoral form of labor ; unfortunately, this profitable industry easily buys the silence of the authorities. Bounded labor forces adults to work alongside children and seniors. This practice has been condemned as slavery by the United Nation and is therefore considered illegal under the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet legislative restrictions seem incapable of liberating the millions of people who work everyday to pay off their insatiable masters.
Pakistan perfectly illustrates the massive influence and spread of bonded labor. The Pakistani constitution prohibits any form of enslave work or indentured servitude and protects children under the age of fourteen from working. Yet, over one million workers are victims of this system. These enslaved laborers constitute 90 % of the brick industry (“Bonded Slaves: A 21st Century Evil”). In this labor camps the workers are constantly monitored with gunned men to prevent escapes and guarantee maximum production. These people are not allowed to leave the company’s premises. Women are forced to work during their entire pregnancies. Employers physically and sexually abuse of their workers. Not even illness can save these victims of bondage from a day of exhausting work. Desperate, many workers make dangerous decisions to pay off their debts, giving up kidneys and other organs as forms of payment.
Ashraf, a Pakistani bonded laborer, says that they are only given two hours of rest and explains that if their work declines, their employers “swears at us and beats us”. This man shares the labor with his two young sons and his father to pay off a debt of 1600 dollars (Bonded Slaves a 21st Century Evil). He tragically summarizes the crushing experience of being a bonded worker in his statement:
“ I’m neither living or dying. I have no way out of this … we are slaves, we are not free”.
Here’s a link to a short documentary addressing this issue:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8tmpgMykcs
And an article explaining how slaved labor is a hidden part of our life:
Works Cited:
Viramontes, Helena María. Their Dogs Came with Them: A Novel. New York: Atria, 2007.Print.
“Bonded Labour.” Anti-Slavery. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.