Recommended by Kris

Novel Presentation Outline

Under the Feet of Jesus

I. Author - Helena Maria Viramontes

A. Lifespan – Born in East Los Angeles February 26, 1954

B. Background – Grew up in a working class family with three brothers and five sisters.
C. Relevant facts – Graduated from the Immaculate Heart College in 1975 with a B.A. in English. Teaches at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

D. Notable works - There Dogs Came with Them (novel); The Moths and Other Stories (short story); Paris Rats in E.L.A. (short story).

E. Influence of life on works - Explores the representations of Chicano women in the contemporary United States.


II. Brief plot summary

The story is of a migrant family that works farm labor in California. The family consists of a stepfather, mother, and several children. The story center’s on the stepfather, mother, the oldest daughter, and one farm worker who comes to stay with the family when he becomes ill. Most of the action takes place in the fields, in the family’s bungalow, or the barn adjacent to the bungalow. Estrella helps to care for Alejo under the watchful and suspicious eye of her mother.
III. Characters (Who are the main characters in the story?)

A. Relationships - Petra the mother and Perfecto the stepfather. Estrella is the oldest daughter and Alejo the farm worker. These are the main relationships throughout the story.
B. Development – For Perfecto’s development the author makes frequent references to his hat. The author shows Perfecto’s aging and diminishing mental state by referencing him forgetting his hat. The mother’s development comes from her need to care for Alejo once he has fallen ill. She frequently says aloud that she is caring for Alejo in protest of Perfecto because she would want a mother to care for her sick child. As it turns out Petra, the mother, is currently pregnant and her mothering tendencies for Alejo are a direct reflection of her pregnancy. Estrella’s story is all about her becoming a woman and leaving childhood behind. This is shown in her relationship with Alejo and her rebellion from Perfecto.
IV. Setting
A. Time and time span – While not directly stated in the novel, I believe the timeframe to be in the 1970’s.
B. Place – Southern California
C. Importance of setting to the story – Overall the novel deals with Estrella’s journey to becoming a woman. Coming of age stories are a dime a dozen, so the setting and time period do not lend much importance to the story.
V. Conflict - Estrella’s journey to becoming a woman, and her mother having to let go.
VI. Resolution – She climbs to the roof of the barn. At the beginning of the novel she sees how to reach the roof of the barn and turns and walks away.
VII. Vocabulary
A. Piscador
1. Definition – Farm Worker
2. Quotation (including page number) from text – Gumecindo stood on top offering a hand to pull a piscador up. (pg. 57)
B. Manitas
1. Definition – Hands
2. Quotation (including page number) from text – Keep your manitas outta my eyeballs, gordita. (pg. 104)
C. Nopales
1. Definition – Vegetable derived from cactus
2. Quotation (including page number) from text – Petra went back to cleaning nopales. (pg. 123)

VIII. Personal criticism and recommendation
A. Criticism - Although I enjoyed reading the novel, the timeline of the novel was tough to follow. Some pages dealt with one set of characters, and then immediately jumped to another set of characters from another time period. Although this can be done well the author did a truly muddled job.
B. Recommendation – I would recommend this novel to women.