Page - 151 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 05/02

the covenant. And my people who are a remnant of Jacob [the Lamanites] shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the for- est, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.40 The LDS Church does not have an official interpretation of this passage, but many of the Church’s General Authorities and lay members – particularly in Latin America – believe that it refers to Mexican, Central American, and perhaps even Andean immigration to the United States that will occur prior to the Second Coming.41 This interpretation provides a useful angle from which to view Pedro in Napoleon Dynamite; he is a foreign Other, but his presence in Preston, Idaho, is also God’s will. Local residents like Napoleon teach him how to operate in this new land, but in the end Pedro’s birthright is to attain a position of prominence in the town. He fulfills his potential by winning the student body election and normalizing his place in the community at large. Given that one of the prerequisites for the Lamanite “reconquest” of North America is Gentile apostasy, it is not surprising that Hess shows a student body administration that has lost touch with its roots. The favored candidate, Sum- mer (Haylie Duff), is a popular cheerleader whose boyfriend, Don (Trevor Snarr), bullies students like Napoleon. In associating with Don, Summer has adopted a self-centered worldview and distanced herself from her peers. In so doing, she has created the framework from which a new order may emerge. William C. Sewell views Napoleon, Pedro, and indeed most of the student body as “devi- ant” because popular students and even administrators have normalized the position of people like Summer and Don.42 Pedro’s winning coalition consists of numerous quirky or, in the words of Hope W. Levin and Steven Schlozman, “pe- culiar” people.43 The discourse of peculiarity takes on a deeper meaning when applied to LDS circles, where the term signifies both a people’s differentiation from the “world” and their great worth.44 Pedro’s victory normalizes peculiari- ty, as the student body elects someone who, like them, does not fit a generally understood rubric of normal. Beyond serving as a “revenge of the nerds” tale, Pedro’s victory also validates a Mexican presence in Preston, Idaho. Certainly, 40 See 3 Nephi 21:11–12 in The Book of Mormon 2013. 41 According to van Uitert 2007, the Church has never made any official statements in favor of (or against) illegal immigration, but she notes that “a compassionate stance toward immigrants may be extrapolated from various statements made by Church leaders” (306). She also notes that LDS doctrines allude to the “special role” that the Lamanites will play prior to the Second Coming as key to understanding the Church’s institutional approach to – and permissiveness toward – immigration (305). 42 Sewell 2008, 12–13. 43 Levin/Schlozman 2006, 431–433. 44 Mormons build on the term peculiar as used in the Old Testament to refer to a “covenant” people. See W. E. Smith 1992. On (Dang) Quesadillas and Nachos | 151www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/2, 141–165