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Danny Calvo

English 101

Professor Batty

30 May 2017

Santo Rodrigo: The American Dream

The life of an immigrant can be one of the most grueling, terrifying, and courageous lives

a person can live through; when you add being a minor, victim of child sex trafficking, and

victim of sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, it can become an overwhelming idea. After

reading Still Water Saints by Alex Espinoza, Rodrigo's character stood out to me the most. His

story is tragic from start to finish, leaving me with an uneasy feeling, not knowing exactly what

became of him, and knowing that he has the possibility of living a fulfilled life with his family. It

might be said that immigrants in his situation are a drag on our economy, utilizing resources best

kept for Americans, however, I believe that his actions, along with how he impacts others, show

a side of humanity that is unfortunately too sparse in our American culture, and his actions

inspired acts of kindness that rippled across countless lives.

Initially, Rodrigo is a very mysterious character that approached Perla at her Botanica for

help. His life started out as a normal kid living in poverty in Michoacn, Mexico, who wanted to

make a better life for himself and his parents. He knew that if he worked his way up to Tijuana

and onto the US, he could reunite with his brothers who already lived in the US. We soon find

out that Rodrigo lived an incredibly difficult two years since leaving his parents, and is currently

being held against his will by a man who supposedly wanted to help him but instead purchased

him in Tijuana. In his terrible situation, he has no person who he can rely on; no person that he
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can call family. The only person in a newly isolated life he trusted was Perla, she reminds him of

his Grandma. Being in this particular situation, his journey to the United States is not unlike

many children who are trafficked here from South and Central America every day, who dreamed

of a better life for themselves or their family members, but instead become victims of abuse. Due

to the frequency and severity of this issue worldwide, on November 2, 2000, the United Nations

put forth a protocol indicating the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of

a child for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered trafficking in persons even if this

does not involve any means set forth.(Bastia Pg 60) The hope would be that this legislation

would reduce or prevent the mistreatment and abuse for individuals like Rodrigo, who wanted a

better life; a chance to do better for himself and help his already struggling parents.

Like Rodrigo, homeless youth that have no real support system are much more likely to

struggle from low self-esteem issues and depression. With no parent to keep them safe or give

them guidance, it can become a never ending cycle of struggle or hardship. This claim is

supported by the article Short- and long-term Homelessness and adolescents self-esteem,

depression, locus of control and social support, when it is stated Depression in homeless young

peoples may occur because of ongoing feeling of helplessness associated with having no secure

place to live and with the associated poverty.(Saad and Winkelman pg 438) Without that

security blanket that so many take for granted, we too would feel that feeling of helplessness and

fear. Rodrigo reminds himself that he must persist, failure is not an option for him. He fought

through personal struggles to seek out Perla, and it took some courage for him to admit what

going on in his life.

Another unfortunate reality for some of the youth that are trafficked into this country

sexual abuse. Rodrigo was sadly brought into this country by a manipulative person who had
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demons of his own. In the article Children: Not for sale, it is said statistics are hard to pin

down, but estimates which vary widely, start at 100,000 children trafficked for sex annually in

this country. (Hoback pg 25) A number that is unfathomable, and should not exist in our modern

society. Additionally, in that same article, they state that the average age of a trafficked child is

only thirteen, which exhibits the harsh reality of what KIDS are having to live through. As the

story in Still Water Saints unfolds, you find out more and more details of the abuse that

Rodrigo endured. He is physically and emotionally abused, forced to have unwanted sexual

encounters and held up in a room like an animal. The scars and marks that decorated his body,

the fear in his eyes when an unfamiliar person gets close, and the complete segregation from

familiar faces tell the story of so many. Yet, his persistence and will to survive was so compelling

that it left a lasting effect on Perla, both positively and negatively, while filling the void of the

child she always wanted.

To some, the idea of calling Rodrigo a saint is completely backwards. At face value, he

was a victim that endangered Perla by bringing her into his life. My view is much different

however. I believe Rodrigo was a unique inspiration whose value will not be appreciated until

much later. His innocent nature, good values, and outlook on life forced Perla into a position

which made her more compassionate. This argument of who is inspired by him is not only

limited the characters in the book, but I believe that he has the ability to inspire individuals in the

real world today. The graphic nature of his story, along with the realistic setting makes it easy for

someone who is suffering in similar cases to his to find value in his journey. Sure, not every

move he made was perfect, but no human being is. From the beginning, Rodrigo was served an

unfair hand; Im going to California, he said. Theres nothing here. (Espinoza Pg 161)

Throughout his hardships, he remained resilient in his dream to be reunited with his brothers, and
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to help his family. After writing a letter to his parents, informing them on how happy he was and

how he will be able to cross the border soon, there was a moment that showed how he sacrificed

his own happiness for the betterment of others. Still every night, he returned to the club, sad,

missing his mother and father. Estrellitas was his home now.(Espinoza Pg 166) A fact that he

accepted in return for a chance of that American Dream. As he was facing his challenges, he

sought help, and searched for a better life; he became an example of the strong, buoyant, and

continuous beacon of hope that so many need in life. Later on the story, Rodrigo goes missing,

and Perla is suddenly thrusted into a situation similar to that of worried mothers. She did not

know where he was, if he was safe, or if he was still being abused; she felt helpless. I believe that

Rodrigo's resilience transcended to Perla, preparing to put herself in dangerous settings if it

means helping out Rodrigo. The image of this 72 year old woman, getting ready to take of the

challenges of the world battle for Rodrigo makes my skin tingle. She held the bat tightly and

widened her stance. (Espinoza Pg 136) She was tough, full of grit, with a relentless heart,

willing to protect what she cared for. From the point she met Rodrigo, until the end of the story

when she consoled a mother who lost her child; Perla was stronger, braver, and forever changed.

Throughout this essay, I chronicled the incredible journey that this young fifteen year old

child endured. As a grown man, I know that I would not have had the power to survive such

immense pain. Yet, his persistence, and will to live can be universally felt for the characters in

this story, as well as young adults living in his situation now. This mysterious, fearful, and

paranoid young man had no idea that his actions were so powerful, which it allowed him to show

his true loving nature. As previously stated, his actions have caused and will continue to cause a

powerful rippling effect that will touch countless lives. As for Rodrigo, I would like to imagine

him currently living in Buffalo with his brother and his family; he is free.
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Work Cited

Hoback, Jane. "Children: Not for Sale: Lawmakers Are Attacking Sex Trafficking on Several

Fronts." State Legislatures, no. 8, 2016, p. 24. EBSCOhost, library.lavc.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.461609426&site=eds-live.

Saade, Rachel and Cecelia Winkelman. "Short- and Long-Term Homelessness and Adolescents'

Self-Esteem, Depression, Locus of Control and Social Supports." Australian Journal of

Social Issues, no. 4, 2002, p. 431. EBSCOhost, library.lavc.edu/login?

url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.96695266&site=eds-live.

Bastia, Tanja. "Child Trafficking or Teenage Migration? Bolivian Migrants in Argentina."

International Migration, vol. 43, no. 4, Sept. 2005, pp. 54-87. EBSCOhost,

library.lavc.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=aph&AN=18768188&site=eds-live.

Espinoza, Alex. Still Water Saints: A Novel. New York: Random House, 2007. Print.