Los Angeles, California is often considered the city of dreams. Hollywood portrays Los Angeles as a place of endless possibilities. Los Angeles is also considered the city where dreamers can come with nothing in their pocket and become an overnight success story. Many Americans and immigrants come to Los Angeles with the same dream of success. In The Tattooed Soldier, Tobar describes how this romanticized version of Los Angeles' "American Dream" affects immigrants. In the novel, Tobar follows two Guatemalan immigrants, Antonio and Longeria, who live very different lifestyles in their home country and America. Los Angeles, however, seemed to be the land of dreams and promises for both characters; Los Angeles becomes a place of harsh reality for Antonio and Longeria. In the novel, we look at how Antonio and Longeria adapt to the struggles of immigrants in Los Angeles and what makes a man a man. In the first section of The Tattooed Soldier, Antonio is introduced. Antonio comes to Los Angeles to escape the Guatemalan government and sees Los Angeles as a place where...