La Linea

The importance and influence of family is a dominant theme in La Línea. Jaramillo uses the theme to help readers connect with the migrant experience. Showing that Miguel, Elena, and Javi share the same fundamental values of family as the reader allows the reader to empathize with their struggles. Family is a motivating factor behind most of the characters’ journeys north, but family also comes with emotional issues.

Familial love is the underlying reason Papá went to the United States—he sought better financial and educational opportunities for his family. Miguel and Elena also travel north because of family, so they can become a whole family after years of separation and loss. Like Papá, Javi leaves his family because he cannot provide for them in El Salvador. Family responsibility also drives other migrants to go north. The pregnant wife and her husband who fail to board the train are likely seeking a better life for their growing family. The mata gentes are loaded with children, “trainload after trainload of niños, all of them headed north, searching for their families” (71). Familial bonds, responsibilities, and hope for betterment for one’s family drive migrants north.