House of the Scorpion - Chapter 17

Chapter 17 – The Eejit Pens

Both Maria and El Patron leave. Matt further contemplates what Maria said about St. Francis and wonders what St. Francis would have thought about clones and thinks about eejits as his “brother and sister eejits.”

Matt heads to the oasis and begins to reads A History of Opium. He learns the history of the formation of the country of Opium: El Patron approached the leaders of the United States and Mexico to solve their immigration and drug problem. It’s a no-man’s land between the U.S. and Mexico. The Alcarans and the MacGregors are the two most powerful families. The author was Esperanza Mendoza; the publisher was the Anti-Slavery Society of California. El Patron is
described as a dictator, evil, vicious and greedy. This upsets Matt.

On his way home, Matt inspects the water purification plant. He hopes that he has the power to free the eejits at some point in the future. Matt discovers the waste from the plant is disposed of where the Eejits are housed. Matt almost drowns after collapsing from the fumes. He is saved by the Farm Patrol who return him to the house. He learns that they are Scottish and criminals like Tam Lin, who they described as a Scottish Nationalist and Terrorist.

1. Who left at the beginning of the chapter?


2. Why do you think Maria gave Matt he book about St. Francis? Matt’s
   thoughts?


3. Has anything changed about Matt’s feelings about Rosa?


4. Is there any significance to Matt calling Eejits “Brothers and Sister Eejits?”


5. What was contained in a “History of Opium?” How was this different than
   what Matt expected?


6. Create a flow map to sequence History of “Pact Made in Hell.”


7. What organization did Esperanza Mendoza, author of the History, belong to?


8. What was the structure of Opium? Most powerful families and land?


9. How was Matteo Alcaran (El Patron) described by the book?


10. Why did Matt begin studying how the empire worked?


11. What was the first thing Matt wanted to do when “helping the one in charge?”


12. What was done with the polluted water?


13. Who rescued Matt from drowning? What were they part of? How did Matt talk to them?


14. Why do eejits sleep in the field some nights?


15. Why brought Hugh, Ralf and Wee Willie to Opium?


16. How is Tam Lin described? What did he do?