Culture 3

Bibliography
Ryan, Pam Muñoz. 2000. ESPERANZA RISING. New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 043912042x.

Plot Summary
Esperanza has lived a privileged life. She is the daughter of a wealthy land owner. The day before her thirteenth birthday her world comes crashing down around her. Her father is killed by bandits. Her two ruthless uncles plot to take over everything. They burn down Esperanza’s house and threaten to do more damage unless Esperanza’s mother will marry one of them. Esperanza’s mother and Esperanza decide that the only way that they can be together is by going to live and work in America. Their former servants and friends take them to America where they must work long hours. We see how they struggle to survive in this new land.

Critical Analysis
In this 1930’s story we are given a window into the lives and struggles of many Mexican immigrants. In this story we see how Esperanza and her mother must adjust their lifestyle. They go from a life of privilege that included having servants and field workers, to becoming field workers themselves. Their hardships and struggles are vividly painted for us by the author. The language of the book is very realistic and the author often writes a phrase or a word in Spanish, and then gives the English translation. This adds to the overall cultural authenticity of the story. Esperanza is a well developed character and we see her grow from a pampered and somewhat selfish young girl into a caring young woman in the span of one year. We see how in the 1930’s the Great Depression was affecting everyone’s lives and that to be a Mexican migrant worker was to be in one of cultures that suffered the most. The living conditions in the camps were all very bad, but for example the Oakies camp was going to have a swimming pool at it. Discrimination was very evident at that time.


For the most part the setting of the story revolved around what was happening in their camp and their daily struggles, with only bits and pieces of the how the outside world was viewing them. Esperanza has to learn a whole new way of life. Her former servants are now her equals and to a certain extent have even more authority in America since they are accustomed to hard work and are better able to cope in this new environment. Esperanza and her mother do not go to America for the “American Dream”. They go to escape their corrupt uncles, and to be able to stay together. Esperanza’s friend Miguel is more excited about the American Dream, since he figures that in Mexico he can never be more than the “class system” will allow him to be. In America he finds out that because of discrimination towards Mexicans that the American Dream is not that easy to attain. He does not give up on it, though, and continues to believe that he will one day attain his dreams. The story does not have a clear cut happy ending, but it does leave one feeling that there is always hope.

The descriptions of the characters are very good and authentic. The author does a good job of describing the the character’s appearances. She describes Hortencia the servant/friend as a solid figure with blue/black hair in a braid down her back. She describes one girl as plump with a fair complexion, and another girl as delicate and frail, having big brown eyes and resembling a deer. She describes the twins as dark-eyed cherubs with thick mops of black hair. At one point in the story the character of Miguel points out to Esperanza that “Those with Spanish blood, who have the fairest complexions in the land, are the wealthiest.” These cultural markers are present throughout the story. The celebrations and foods also play a very important role. The author pays close attention to the important themes of family and foods. The titles of the chapters are names of fruits. She carries this theme through out the book. In the last chapter as Esperanza is telling her grandmother what has happened to them in the last year she tells the story through the use of fruits and vegetables “like a field worker would tell a story”. In the author’s notes we find out that this fictional story is loosely based on the author’s grandmother. She intertwines some of her grandmother’s stories into the telling of the story of Esperanza.

Review excerpts
From Publishers Weekly"With a hint of magical realism, this robust novel set in 1930 captures a Mexican girl's fall from riches and her immigration to California," said PW in our Best Books citation. Ages 8-12. (June) Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library JournalGrade 6-9-Ryan uses the experiences of her own Mexican grandmother as the basis for this compelling story of immigration and assimilation, not only to a new country but also into a different social class. Esperanza's expectation that her 13th birthday will be celebrated with all the material pleasures and folk elements of her previous years is shattered when her father is murdered by bandits. His powerful stepbrothers then hold her mother as a social and economic hostage, wanting to force her remarriage to one of them, and go so far as to burn down the family home. Esperanza's mother then decides to join the cook and gardener and their son as they move to the United States and work in California's agricultural industry. They embark on a new way of life, away from the uncles, and Esperanza unwillingly enters a world where she is no longer a princess but a worker. Set against the multiethnic, labor-organizing era of the Depression, the story of Esperanza remaking herself is satisfyingly complete, including dire illness and a difficult romance. Except for the evil uncles, all of the characters are rounded, their motives genuine, with class issues honestly portrayed. Easy to booktalk, useful in classroom discussions, and accessible as pleasure reading, this well-written novel belongs in all collections.Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Connections
Students can research the celebrations that are talked about in the story
Research the 1930’s and the Great Depression
Read other stories by Pam Munoz Ryan: Becoming Naomi Leon
Riding Freedom
Paint the Wind