The level of suspense and tension increases as Taylor, Turtle, Estevan, and Esperanza leave Tucson in a car. Esperanza rides in the backseat with turtle. Esperanza's long hair is flowing free of the braid she usually wears, ironically portraying a "brave show of freedom." At the New Mexico border, they are stopped by immigration officers for a routine car check. Because Taylor is guilty of transporting illegal immigrants and Estevan and Esperanza are illegal immigrants, they are all extremely nervous. However, their interaction with the patrol officer turns out to be routine and uneventful. Note that when the officer asks who the parents of turtle are, Estevan claims her as his and Esperanza's.
Throughout the trip, Taylor feels increasingly uncomfortable about the relationship developing between Esperanza and Turtle. She has to do all the driving, so she is grateful that Esperanza plays with Turtle, but as she watches them in the rearview mirror, she thinks that she hears Esperanza call Turtle "Ismene." Kingsolver creates a sense of foreboding as Taylor begins to get upset about the affection that Esperanza and Turtle apparently have for each other.
The dialogue between Taylor and Estevan in the car emphasizes the issue of social injustice and the themes of family and community. Much of their discussion is about national symbols. Estevan asks if the alligator on his shirt (the Izod logo) is a symbol of the United States, and Taylor insightfully thinks that it could be an appropriate symbol because the United States is as capable of hurting people as an alligator is. Estevan tells Taylor that the national symbol of Guatemala is a bird called the quetzal. The quetzal dies if it is kept in a cage, similar to the Central American people who are dying because they do not have personal freedoms. Estevan also talks about the atrocities that the police are guilty of in Guatemala — how they burn villages and crops in order to wear down the people. The people become so tired from moving and starting over that they can no longer fight for freedom. Discussing what "home" means, Estevan feels unwanted everywhere. Here, Kingsolver makes it clear that home is wherever you settle and develop interdependent relationships that form a community.
