Analysis of Imagery, Diction and Symbolism in Helena Viramontes’ Under The Feet of Jesus

The novel Under The Feet of Jesus by Helena Viramontes was published in 1995. The book depicts Estrella and her family moving to America for opportunities to survive. The author successfully uses imagery, diction and symbolism to emphasize the horrible conditions these immigrants had to experience.

The author employs imagery to illustrate an abhorrent setting Estrella and her family lived in. They temporarily live in an abandoned bungalow next to an empty barn. Because it is abandoned, the bungalow is dirty and is not taken care of for many years. “The stink of despair shot through the misty sunlight, and he knocked a fist against the window to loosen the swollen pane to get some fresh air.” Perfecto found cobwebs and a dead bird. There is no necessary furniture required for a comfortable living. Imagery further develops as Viramontes portray terrible working conditions of immigrant workers. A pretty with fluffy bonnet on raisin boxes is contrasted nicely with Estrella sweating under “a white sun so mighty, it toasted the green grapes to black raisins.” The author used a lot of descriptive words to describe the not-so-enjoyable work process of making raisins. Workers had to repeatedly bend their backs to gently pour basket of grapes into sheet of newsprint paper “row after row, sun after sun.” These terrible living and working conditions directly lead to Estrella being more overlooked than a normal young child. “That the wet towel wiped on her resistance face each morning, the vigorous brushing and tight braids her mother neatly weaved were not enough.” To a family struggling to get food every single day, sanitation and aesthetic looks are not their main concerns.

Viramontes effectively uses symbolism to highlight the hard life migrant workers underwent. Alejo compares animals bones in tar pit to human bones. He said to Estrella “Once, when I picked peaches, I heard screams. It reminded me of the animals stuck in the tar pits.” Estrella later, after realizing her family distressing situation, compares her family to a “tar pit made of bones”. Tar pit represents insignificant role migrant workers play in society. Their works are largely overlooked and unappreciated. The animals fall down the pit to produce oil. Migrant workers sacrifice their health and blood to produce fruit and vegetables. Both are forever erased and forgotten. This symbolism is very powerful because migrant workers are treated like animals in the United States. They have no voice whatsoever and hide whenever they see border officers. Perfecto‘s tool box represents improper education being offered to migrant children. All the tools in the chest are not explained to Estrella despite her desperate need to know.. “The tool chest stood guard by the door and she slammed the lid closed on the secret. For days she was silent with rage.” A thirteen-yearr-old Estrella and her siblings did not have the chance to go to school and have to work.

Readers of Under the feet of Jesus understand the pain of migrant workers through Viramontes‘s impressive diction. Some words or phrases convey not only the physical aspect of the description but also an emotional one. One page 57, the writer writes about a working condition of migrant piscadores. The heat was so extreme and the air was no dirty that “their salt-and-pepper hair dusted brown.” Salt-and-pepper shows the color of “brittle women” who are brave and hard-working but also are very easy to break. Salt can also be interpreted as the taste of soaking sweat of workers under the sun. The phrase “their bones” is repeated four times on page 148. This diction links perfectly to the tar pit symbolism. Bones are important organs of the body. The word “bones” triggers a horrifying image of corpses of migrant laborers. Alejo is dying because of chemicals due to unprotected working environment. Estrella and her family are facing similar fate because they threatened the nurse.

The book Under The Feet Of Jesus highlights the poor living conditions for immigrants working in America during the 1900s. Their hard work is unappreciated. In addition, they are in marginal position in society. Viramontes utilized symbolism, diction, and imagery to underscore these social issues.