Two Women, One Journey: Adelina & Juana's Epic Search for Apa - Essay Sample

Introduction

Across a hundred mountains covers two women Adelina and Juana, who meet in jail. Juana is eleven years old because of the determination of women, and she left Mexico for the US in search of her father, Apa, after the imprisonment of her mother after she killed Don Elias in a church service during her son's baptism. When she reached Tijuana, she slept in the streets from where Juana's arrest was a result of theft accusations and jailed. Juan meets Adelina in jail. Adelina was a prostitute, and she had escaped her home with her boyfriend three years before. Adelina vows to help Juana to see the coyotes so that they can tell her what they knew about her father. To get close to the coyotes, Juana worked as a prostitute. She was unable to find any information regarding her father. Adelina was later killed by her boyfriend, after the death of Adelina, Juana took Adelina's legal documents and traveled using them in the name of Adelina Vasquez. In Los Angeles, she met a man called Don Ernesto, who owned the apartment she lived resat. Don Ernesto encourages Juan to go back to school and university later. Don Ernesto left Juan his inheritance after his demise. Juan started dating Sebastian, who was a doctor, but her resilience in searching for her father did not allow her to keep the relationship as Sebastian would have found out. Juan, now known as Adelina, left the US and arrived in her village in Mexico and met her brother Miguel whose baptism name is Jose Alberto, they later visit their mother. The latter think that Jose Alberto is Apa, and She later dies in her cell because of a heart attack. Adelina and Jose threw their parents ashes into the ocean. From the book, the author portrays women as hopeful and determined in everything they do in society. Through determination, Juan was able to leave her home village in Mexico and find her father despite the challenges she faced along the way. This paper highlights the resolution and hope of women in society, as proven by Adelina and Juana in "Across A Hundred Mountains."

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The Determination of Women in Society

Juan's' resolution led her to find Apa after a long period of search. She was facing many challenges along the way that might have made her lose hope, but because of her determination, she was able to fulfill her goal of meeting her father though her father was long dead when she met her. Juan left her Mexican village at a very young age to look for Apa, she traveled for days without losing hope, and when she finally arrived in Tijuana, she was arrested and thrown in jail, in the cell she met Adelina who vows to help her. Juana told Adeline, "I'm here to find my father. He left home two years ago. He came here to cross to El Otro Lado. But we never heard from him again" (p.173). Despite the challenges she had faced along the way, Juan never lost her hope and determination about seeing her father. She endured working as a prostitute so that she could get close to the coyotes. The coyotes might have an idea or some information about her father as their work was smuggling people across the US Mexican border. Juana told Adeline, "It's been four weeks now, and I'm no closer to finding my father than I was when I first got here. There's no other way. Those men will talk. I will make them tell me what they know" (p. 185). when Juan said this, she shows that she was almost losing hope, but her determination kept her going. Juan shows her perseverance in finding her father amid impossible conditions for her to meet her father. Juan was later led to her father by one coyote, although her father was dead; however, she was able to achieve her intended purpose of meeting her father. Women in society are very determined, and when they set goals, they most probably accomplish them. Mpondo affirms that women's determination can make them achieve anything. Despite the multiple challenges the African women face, they can fulfill their goals and objectives due to resolution (Mpondo 23).

Adelina's determination led to ensuring that she fulfilled her promise to Juan. Adelina promised Juan when they were in the cell in Tijuana that she would help her meet the coyotes as they could have some valuable information since their job was concerned with smuggling people across the US border from Mexico. Adelina told Juan, "I don't have any money, Adelina, but I promise I'll get a job soon and help you" (p.174). The issue happened after she found out that Juan was looking for her parents. Adelina did not have money, but she was determined to ensure Juan meets the coyotes so that they give Juan a clue on where to find her father. As promised and through determination, Adelina introduced Juan to the coyotes. Initially, Juan was faint-hearted when Adelina was teaching her to prostitution. Still, after a failed first attempt, Adeline did not give up, and instead, she was determined to ensure that she delivered the promise she made to Juan. Adelina once told Juan, "Now, stop crying, Juana, you're going to ruin your makeup" (p.185). When Juan was hysterical before starting the prostitution work, this ensured that Juan toughed up before starting the job. Adeline, by determination, kept her word, and Juan was able to meet the coyotes who took her to her father's body. Gleadle (125) asserts that it's the determination of women in Britain during the 19nth century that enabled them to fight male chauvinism in matters of politics. The new Britain governance ais better as there are some female leaders, determined women like Theresa May were able to beat all odds and become the prime minister of Great Britain. The case of Theresa May is a classic example of how far determined women in society go (Gleadle 125).

Adelina portrayed women's determination in matters of love when she left her parents home three years before she met Juan. Her parents had instructed her to leave her boyfriend Gerardo as they considered him too old for her. Adelina told Juana, "I fell in love," Adelina said. "But he was much older than me, and my father threatened to send me to live with my grandparents if I didn't leave him. So, we ran away, here, to Tijuana." Her determination to be with her abusive Gerardo wasn't deterred by her father's threats and blackmails. Her determination to be with him made her forgive him whenever he wronged her, and she hoped that he would change; however, her boyfriend did not change, but he murdered her in cold blood. Adelina's determination is like that of Iranian women in their fight for female inclusion in leadership (Tabari 21).

The Hopefulness of Women in Society

Women in society are very hopeful. Juan left her home village in Mexico when she was still very young, but she was optimistic that she would find her father even when the conditions indicated that she might not see him. Juana told Adelina, "I'm here to find my father. He left home two years ago. He came here to cross to El Otro Lado. But we never heard from him again." Juana was hopeful that she would find her father even though after her father left for the US, she had never heard from him ever since. Her hope of finding her father reaches a climax when she becomes a prostitute so that she can get the coyotes to tell her what they know about her father. Her hope led her to find her father as she met a coyote who took her to her father. In society, when women face an obstacle, they never lose hope. Neven, pp. 1002-1002 recorded that in the US, diagnosed breast cancer patients do not lose hope. Their hope and continued to struggle to fight cancer have contributed immensely to the success in fighting cancer in the US, especially in the state of Arizona (Neven 1002-1002).

In the case of Adelina, she exhibited hopefulness as she never lost hope that abusive Gerardo would one change for the better. Gerardo used to beat Adeline and leave marks on her face. She told Juan, "One day, he'll change," the statement showed that she still hoped that her boyfriend would change this was after she was beaten up by Gerardo. He was abusive, and whenever he beat her, he left scars on her face. She hoped that he would change to the personality he was when she fled her home. She told Juan that "He'd be like he used to be when we first met. I know he loves me. And I know one day he'll change." Adelina did not lose hope, and she stayed by his side, but he never changed. Gerardo murdered Adeline. In the hope that he would change, she also never went back to her parents' home as she was always hopeful that he would change. America's Twelve Great Women Leaders (P.230) outlines how the hope and determination of Susan B helped her in her fight for the rights of the women when she led the women's suffrage movement.

Conclusion

Women in the society when faced with significant challenges, they exhibit determination and hopefulness that help them to overcome the challenges facing them. In "Across a Hundred Mountains," Juan demonstrates determination when she leaves her home village in Mexico to find her father. Despite the many challenges she faced along the way never lost track Juan and soldiered on till Juana discovered her father, due to determination she sacrificed her own body so that she accomplishes her goal of finding her father. Adeline's determination was palpable when Adenine fulfilled her promise to Juan of making her meet the coyotes who gave Juan a hint of where to find her father; her efforts enabled Juan to get her father. Juan exhibited hope when she left her home to search for her father, and she shows that women in society do not quickly lose hope. Juana hoped that she would find her father either dead or alive, her hope bore fruits when she discovered her father and took his ashes back to Mexico where they cast the ashes to the lake together with her brother Jose Alberto. Adeline showed her hopefulness when Juana stayed with her abusive boyfriend with the hope that he would change to the character he had when Adenine met him. She endured the beatings by Gerardo abut they never made her lose hope about him being better. She remained hopeful until she was brutally murdered in cold blood by her boyfriend, Gerardo. Women in society are very determined to accomplish their goals, just like Susan B. She was stubborn and changed American gender equality.

Annotated Bibliography

America's Twelve Great Women Leaders During the Past Hundred Years as Chosen by the Women of America: A Compilation from the Ladies Home Journal and the Christian Science Monitor. Chicago: Associated Authors Service, 1933. Print.

The book shares how the determination helped the greatest women in America achieve their goals. Susan B was able to lead the women's suffrage movement due to her resolution. In America there is inclusivity in leadership due to efforts by determined Susan B.

Gleadle, Kathryn. British women in the nineteenth century. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2017.

Gleadle shares how the determination of the women in the nineteenth century helped them fight for their rights. The women were hoping to change men's dominance in leadership. Persistence of women like Theresa May made them achieve their goals. Theresa May, beat all odds and became the British prime minister.

Neven, Patrick, et al. "Abemaciclib for pre/perimenopausal women with HR+, HER2-advanced breast cancer."

Neven shares how the determination of women helps boosttheir ability to fight breast cancer after motivation. Determined women have high chances of fighting cancer, unlike women who accept the eventuality of death. Determination to fight cancer is the primary course of success in the treatment of cancer.

Mpondo, Feziwe, et al. "Self-determination and gender-power relations as predictors of condom use self-efficacy among South African women." Health psychology open 2.2 (2015): 20551...