Axel Llamas

03/05/19
A.P American Literature
8th Period

Helena María Viramontes’ Under the Feet of Jesus revolves around Estrella, a young
migrant child that is curious and is a symbol for immigration. Viramontes uses details through
repetition of tools and actions by Perfecto Flores and Mrs. Horn, figurative language that
emphasizes hidden context within the syntax of the novel, and tone to appeal to the reader and
portray her message of the hardships that migrant children encounter when growing up in foreign
land. Estrella’s character development also explains how migrant children think when exposed to
new information and the curiosity that follows.
Throughout the passage, the repetition of the tools provides its importance. At the
beginning, tools are foreign to Estrella. She has no idea what any of the tools are or what they
might be used for. The confusion provided by the alphabet following the tools establishes that
she is an uneducated migrant child that is not being taught well due to her status. Estrella’s
curiosity and high attention to detail allows the reader to infer that she might still be young since
she does not know the alphabet or that she was dirty. Estrella’s first encounter with societal
norms suggests that she was not exposed to the culture of her new home and that she did not
understand the impact of words until her teacher asked her if she was ever bathed by her mother.
Helena María Viramontes uses extensive details on the tools towards the end to show how
anything can be taught if given the time to learn. This develops Estrella’s character by
establishing a curious and adaptive nature.
The passage begins with the iron tools that Estrella encounters and ponders about. The
tools that are used, such as the hammers, screwdrivers and pliers later developed towards the
end, are made of iron meaning that they are sturdy and unbreakable and are used to tear down
and build other structures. The tool box represents the thoughts and judgements of society on
migrant children. People withhold their opinions but silently judge people of other ethnicities due
to their differences. Mrs. Horn’s intruding question mimics the pressure that society puts on
people depending on their appearances and knowledge. Estrella is unaware of basic knowledge
such as hygiene and the alphabet, so Mrs. Horn ensures to point out her weaknesses and damages
her sense of humanity. However, the depiction of Perfecto Flores and how he teaches Estrella
shows that the right companionship can provide learning experiences that can motivate a person
to improve themselves and to learn. Finally, all the tools mentioned serve to establish the idea
that anything in life can be modified to best benefit a person’s interest, they must be motivated
enough to pursue their goals with hard work and persistence. Estrella was able to learn from her
experience and used her newfound knowledge to fuel her curiosity by beginning to read.
There are several shifts in tone throughout the passage. The excerpt begins with a
question to establish curiosity. Estrella questions everything and wants to expand her knowledge.
This shifts into a more realistic and pessimistic tone when the teachers focused more on
Estrella’s appearance and status rather than successfully teaching her what she wanted to know.
Estrella’s questions were unanswered and, therefore, was unable to learn and improve. The tone
become pessimistic because Mrs. Horn introduces Estrella to the harshness of reality and society.
By questioning whether Estrella’s mother bathes her, Mrs. Horn dehumanized Estrella and
exposed her to the repercussions of words. However, the excerpt then shifts into a more positive
tone when Perfecto Flores is introduced, since he is depicted as a person who “had no record of
his own birth [...] had a history that was unspoken, memories only surfaced n nightmares,” yet he
provided a positive influence on Estrella. The tone is more optimistic by teaching Estrella and
telling her what she wanted to know, feeding her curiosity and quenching her thirst for
knowledge. He was able to motivate Estrella to read, opening up the pathways to more
knowledge and experiences.
Through the use of details, figurative language, and tone, Helena María Viramontes is
able to convey the meaning of a migrant person and the hardships that they have to face,
especially in children. She develops Estrella’s character as a curious child that is unaware of
society and the outside world. Estrella’s character is a symbol for immigration, where migrant
children require additional aid to be able to understand how life works due to their lack of
exposure to concepts outside of their culture. Estrella translates to star and the title of the novel is
Under the Feet of Jesus. One of the most famous renditions of Jesus’ birth is that of the North
Star and the journey of the Three Kings. Estrella is a character that embodies the story since the
novel is about her journey through life and her destination is to learn and understand how life
works.