Stereotypes In The House Of The Scorpion

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Matteo Alacran’s journey to find his place
Everyone struggles to find their place in society, but who knew that someone who wasn’t human struggled too. In the novel, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, Matteo Alacran also called Matt, does just that. In a future version Mexico, Matt Alacran, a clone of the evil drug lord, El Patron, struggles to find his place in society. Matt is looked at as a monster since he is a clone, but El Patron sees as Matt as an equal. There are many hardships that Matt had gone through to find himself and his place in society. Although, there are many experiences one goes through to find their place in society, there are three main ones that are important, stereotypes being placed on you, struggling with confidence and trying to find who you really are. …show more content…

In the story, Matt is constantly stereotyped for being a clone, by adults and even very young children. In the Alacran Estate, there are two people that place rude expectations on Matt the most, Mr. Alacran and the cruel maid, Rosa. One of the first lines of Mr. Alacran was a stereotype against Matt when he said “You need a vet for that little beast!” (Farmer 23). This is an example of a stereotype being placed on Matt about being an animal for being a clone. As for Rosa, someone who is a lot more evil, locked Matt in a room with piles of chicken litter for a bed. One of the many quotes Rosa said to Matt as she tortured him was “I’d rather clean out a henhouse! At least they’re useful! What good are you?” (Farmer 41). This is a quote that is placing an expectation that Matt is far worse than an animal. As this is only one hardship that Matt went through to find his place in society, further on he had just started to struggle with his

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