Esperanza Rising
 | |
| Author | Pam Muñoz Ryan |
|---|---|
| Language | English and some Spanish |
| Publisher | Scholastic Press |
Publication date | 2000 |
| Publication place | mexico |
| Media type | Print (paperback) |
| Pages | 262 |
| ISBN | 0-439-12041-1 |
| OCLC | 43487323 |
| LC Class | PZ7.R9553 Es 2000 |
Esperanza Rising is a 2000 novel by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Set during the time of the American Great Depression, it examines the plight of the Mexican farmworkers as they struggle to adapt and survive in the United States. This book has been awarded multiple awards, including the Pura Belpre award.[1]
Plot
The novel begins in 1924 right before the Great Depression, which was caused by economic cycles, a number of policies, esperanza rsing is a girl the love of her life a series of events that culminated in the Wall Street Crash of 1929 stock market the harvest of the grapes from their vineyard that always coincides with Esperanza Ortega's birthday. At the end of the harvest, as she is thinking this is bad luck, the plot begins.
That evening Ramona, Esperanza's mother, her grandmother Abuelita, and their faithful longtime housekeeper Hortensia are very concerned because her father is late coming home from the fields. Finally, the ranch foreman and his son are sent to look for Papa (Sixto Ortega). Before they arrive back home, two stepbrothers of her father, Tio Luis and Tio Marco, come to the house with Papa's silver belt buckle. It's a very bad sign. Later that night, the ranch foreman and his son return to the house with a wagon carrying the dead body of Papa.
Several days later a lawyer tells Esperanza and her mother that the ranch house and the grapes in the vineyard now belong to them, but, since women are not allowed to own property, the land belongs to the bank. The bank president happens to be Tio Luis, who is not liked, as he is a crooked businessman and has been unfriendly to the family. Tio Marco is an aspiring politician trying to gain credibility in the community.
Tio Luis offers to buy the house from Mama, but at an amount much lower than it is worth. When she turns him down, he has a second proposal, this one of marriage. She loathes the idea and tells him so, but he reminds her that he is now her landlord, and he can make it very difficult on her if she does not accept his offer of marriage.
The next night, the family wakes to find their house on fire. All is lost, including the grapevines and Papa's beloved rose garden. Tio Luis arrives the next day to repeat his proposal, and to say that more harm could come to them if she doesn't reconsider his offer of marriage.
To avoid the marriage, Mama and Esperanza go to the United States with their foreman, (Alfonzo), his wife (Hortensia), and their son (Miguel). There they must find work in the fields, and Esperanza finds it especially difficult as she has led a sheltered and spoiled life to this point. Their life in a work camp is very hard, and mama becomes ill and must spend several months in the hospital. In order to help her get well, Esperanza must earn money to bring Abuelita from Mexico to be with her. Mexican migrant workers were finding jobs in the United States that would pay them more money than they were able to make in Mexico's struggling economy. The American farm owners were happy to hire the Mexican workers because it was considerably cheaper to pay them than other American workers. Her friend, Miguel, steals Esperanza's money and he disappears. Esperanza is very depressed at not being able to help her mother. Finally, Miguel returns with Abuelita after having gone to Mexico with Esperanza's money to bring Abuelita to California.
Background and More Information
The novel is inspired by the recollections her grandmother used to tell her about her childhood of luxury and her later experiences with hardship and endurance in California.[2]
Although they worked in the fields and orchards of the United States for decades, Mexican immigrant workers became a major segment of the California labor force for the first time in the 1920s. Between 1921 and 1930, there were nearly half a million illegal immigrants from Mexico recorded coming into the United States. In the San Joaquin Valley (where Esperanza Rising takes place), Mexicans accounted for 56 percent of California's agricultural labor force (Starr. p. 61-65). While working in California, these Mexican families were very secluded for reasons such as language, social status, race, and religion. In many areas, the children were sent to separate schools, and many dropped out by high school. The farm workers also face environmental difficulties with valley fever.
Everyone was fighting for jobs, money, and a comfortable financial situation. Many of the "white" farm workers Okies were often uncomfortable around the immigrant workers, and were hostile towards them because they felt they were taking away their jobs. Again, the migrant workers would work for much lower pay, so employers would much rather hire them. There was also much tension between the migrant workers on the fields. Some felt that their conditions were unlivable, and they deserved much better, so they began to protest and fight for what they believed. Still, others refused to join the protest in fear that they would be fired. In the 1930s (about the time story takes place) California remained about 88% white. Most of these people were those owned the land, while the 36,800 workers, many of whom were Mexicans, were doing the work on these farms