Crossing the Wire

Discuss Victor and Rico’s relationships with their parents. How are their families similar? How are they different? How do you think these similarities and differences contribute to the boys’ different approaches to life? 

Victor is forced to make many difficult decisions throughout the book. How does his family serve as a touchstone to help him make these decisions? 

Animals are frequently referenced in the book. How does the writer use animals to bring human emotions to life? Choose at least two examples and discuss.

Miguel and Victor share many similarities, including being motivated by their families and the desire to have a plan. How do these qualities serve the two of them well throughout the novel? Are there ever times when these qualities hurt rather than help them? 

Discuss Victor’s relationship with Miguel. How do they initially perceive one another? How do these perceptions change over the course of the novel, and why do they change in the manner they do? 

As Rico leaves to return to Mexico at the end of the novel, Victor says that he finally understands one of his father’s sayings, “Sorrow also sings, when it runs too deep to cry.” What does the saying mean in this context? What experiences has Victor been through that help him to understand this saying now? 

The first sentence of the book—“The end was coming, but I didn’t see it coming”—is an example of foreshadowing, where the author hints at events that will come later on in the book. What are other examples of foreshadowing in the book? How does the foreshadowing change the way you read the book?  

Victor has always been more cautious than his friend, Rico, but it is Victor that leads the boys across the ledge in their final escape from Jarra. What gives Victor the courage to take this risk? How and why is the moment different for Rico?