Bobby's final section in Tropic of Orange

              Several interesting, yet confusing elements to the narrative surface at the conclusion of Bobby’s final chapter of Tropic of Orange. Throughout the novel, crossing borders has been a recurrent theme that runs strong through the multicultural parts to each character’s individual story. As Bobby attempts to get into the fight, he presents the American Express card that serves as a gateway to his entry. The ‘American’ Express card symbolizes Bobby’s entry into an unfamiliar place; something that goes hand in hand with themes of mixed identity that Yamashita instills in characters like Manzanar and Gabriel. The “American Express gets him the best. Ringside seats,” which is a clear testament to the American preference going on at the arena (266). Despite the hectic, circus-like scene that surrounds him, the card is able to get him directly to where he needs to be without any problems.

             As the novel comes to a close, I believe Yamashita uses the repetition of questions to submerge the reader into Bobby’s own mental confusion. The stream of consciousness style at hand very clearly shows the fragility of Bobby and his lack of answers for his own questions. Only after he lets the lines “slither around his wrists, past his palms, through his fingers” are the concise words “Go figure. Embrace” left to sit within the mind of the reader. It seems as if Bobby, who has been seemingly unable to really fulfill his own needs through the plot, has finally attained some sort of self-satisfaction (268). Yamashita finishes this section with “That’s it,” a classic display of Bobby’s short worded sections, to capture the notion that life itself can be not only unpredictable (the outcome of the fight), but also simple.