Upon reading the Novel "The House of the Scorpion", we are informed of the hardship that a little boy named Matt must go through because of his status. While being a harvested clone, life ins't easy for young Matt.
We start out with six year old Matt at his home in the middle of the poppy fields. He is accompanied by Celia who acts like his mother but is not really. She has to go to work everyday at the big house so Matt is left home alone with absolutely no way of getting out because Celia has decided to nail all the windows shut and lock the door. One day, Matt hears people coming closer to the house outside. We find out that these people are Maria, Emilia and Steven trying to figure out who is in that little shed in the middle of the poppy fields. Matt, a clueless yet curious infant, wants really hard to talk to these people so he decides to take frying pan from the kitchen, smash the window, climb out and finally be able to talk to somebody besides Celia. Little did Matt know, glass had covered the ground outside so jumping out the window would severely cut your feet. Matt blindly jumped out the window to greet his new visitors and severely cut his feet and hands. Matt was then carried all the way to the Alacran Estate by Emilia and Steven with little Maria following behind. This estate owned by El Patron, a rich, old man. As Matt is being treated by the doctor, they notice the marking on Matt's foot notifying them that Matt is a clone. The doctor and everyone else, except Maria, is shocked and disgraced that they let this "thing" into their home. They then willingly throw Matt out on the lawn like a piece of garbage later to be taken away by one of the evil maids Rosa. Matt is taken to one of the prison cells and treated like a rat.
After months trapped in the cell, Matt encounters an evil little boy named Tom who sometimes comes to shoot Matt with his bb gun though the window. He is also visited by Maria, who has taken a liking to him.
After a few more months trapped in the prison, Matt grows up a little, and is finally released from the prison because of El Patron. He discovers Matt, his clone, is being held captive in terrible conditions so he immediately takes him out of there. After being saved from the tortures of Rosa, Matt is given a proper home in one of the homes in the estate with Celia. From there, Matt goes to school, learns piano,
After many years at not only the Alacran Estate but other places in Opium, Matt grows up, meets new people, goes through a lot of hardship and learns many things about life. For example, he meets Tam Lin (his body guard), El Patron, Chacho, Fidelito, Ton-Ton, and many others. His obstacles in life teach him new things about people and things that he didn't know about in the Alacran Estate. For example, Matt discovers what eejits are after his adventures to the oasis with Tam Lin or when Matt escapes from the evil Keepers at the plankton with Chacho, Ton-Ton and Fidelito.
The climax of the story is the death of El Patron. This event teaches Matt that El Patron only made Matt so that he could have another heart transplants. El Patron couldn't use Matt's heart for a transplant because of a drug Celia injected Matt with to make his heart unstable for a transplant. This shocks Matt and he flees from Opium.
The entire story is a roller-coaster of ups and downs for Matt but at the things turn out not so bad for Matt. With El Patron dead, and with Opium not being run by anyone, Matt is instructed by Maria's Mother to inherit El Patron's life. With all these things running though his mind, Matt decides to take over Opium so he can restore order and make it a better place for everyone.
Questions:
1. What was your favourite part in the book? Why?
2. What was you least favourite part in the book? Why?
3. What happened to Rosa after she was relieved of her duty of "taking care" of Matt?
4. How did El Patron die?
5. What happened to Mr. Alacran, Tam Lin, Tom, Steven, and all the other members of the Alacran Estate?
6. What does the scorpion represent?
7. How did Matt and Chacho escape the boneyards?
8. Why did Matt come in to save Fidelito before he was about to get beat but didn't step in for Ton-Ton?
9. Why did Matt feel a feeling of sadness in his heart when El Patron died even after El Patron betrayed him?
10. What did Maria and Matt try to do to escape to San Luis?
4. El Patron, after living 148 years, died from a cardiac arrest. They were trying to save him by taking Matt's heart and putting into El Patron's body but Matt fled Opium to San Luis, therefore El Patron passed away and Matt survived.
ReplyDelete