There is a significant time jump between Parts IV and V, with many details of the intermittent period left out of the novel. How does skipping these years in Guálinto’s young adulthood alter the reader’s experience of his return to Jonesville?

The character of Don Santos de la Vega, known as “El Negro” at the beginning of the story, carries an especially unique experience, as he was born an illegitimate child to a creole father and a Black mother in Mexico. How does his struggle on the border differ from that of his former comrades Lupe and Feliciano? How is it similar?

From a young age and through his adulthood, Guálinto is plagued by dreams at night. What do these dreams reveal about his attitude towards his own choices? What do they reveal about his attitudes towards the people around him?