Esperanza Rising

Esperanza Rising is a 2000 novel written 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 received many accolades, including the Pura Belpre award.^[1]

Plot

The story takes place in Aguascalientes, Mexico on a ranch called El Rancho de las Rosas. The year is 1930, about the time of the Great Depression. Esperanza is thirteen years old and the daughter of Ramona and Sixto Ortega. Esperanza's father is a rich rancher and landowner. Esperanza was excited since her birthday is approaching. Her birthday is after the servants finish harvesting the grapes.

The night before Esperanza's birthday, Esperanza's mother, Ramona, her grandmother, Abuelita, and their housekeeper were very worried because Esperanza's father is late coming home from the fields. Finally,some ranch foremans and his son start looking for Papa. Before they arrive back home, two stepbrothers of her father, Tio Luis and Tío Marco, come to the house for a visit. They bring Papa's belt buckle found by one of the vaqueros. Later that night, the ranch foreman and his son return to the house with a wagon carrying the dead body of Papa. He had been murdered by some bandits. Later that night Esperanza dreams of her father and the other men and boys on the ranch singing "Happy Birthday" in Spanish to her.

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. Tio Luis is the bank president, who is not liked, as he steals and cheats and is an awful businessman and has been unfriendly to the family. Luis is a politician that is trying to gain trust in the community.

Tio Luis offers to buy the house from Mama, but at a price much lower than it is worth. When she turns him down, he has a second proposal, this one is to marry him. Luis disguises the proposal as a new chance at life, but really he wants to marry her for her influence so that he can win any political race in Mexico. She hates 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. Everything is burnt, including the grapevines and Papa's great rose garden. Abuelita is hurt, twisting her ankle, while retrieving her crochet bag. Tio Luis arrives the next day to repeat his proposal, and to say that more harm could come to them if she doesn't rethink his offer of marriage. Mama says she will consider it, but is really going to go to flee to the United States and work in the fields with the family of servants that work for her.

To avoid the marriage, Mama and Esperanza go to the United States with their foreman, Alfonso, his wife Hortensia, and their son Miguel. Esperanza might have a little crush on Miguel, but tries to keep on the down low after she mentioned that they were in different sides of the river. She says that they were separated by a river. There they must find work in the fields, and Esperanza finds it really difficult because she has been spoiled in her life until this point of it. On the train ride, she cannot understand why all of Mama's rules about peasants have changed. Because of her former wealth, she is hated by several of the workers, especially a girl named Marta. There they meet a girl named Isabel, her parents Juan and Josefina, and Isabel's baby brother and sister,Lupe and Pepe. Their life in a work camp is very hard, and after a dust storm Mama becomes ill with Valley Fever, an infection of the lungs by dust spores, and pneumonia. Mama spends 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 while also battling the challenges of her new life and the medical bill for her mother. 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. Soon after, Mama recovers. The story then ends with the same message "never be afraid to start over". Esperanza learns to cope with her new life, and finds true happiness without riches. Even though Esperanza says she went from Riches to Rags, she is living happily without riches. "Do not ever be afraid to start over." is the quote Esperanza says to Isabel at the end of the novel which means: He/She who is broken today will rise tommorow.

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. The farm workers also face environmental difficulties with valley fever.

Everyone was fighting for jobs because of the great depression, money, and to feed their families. Many of the farm workers from Oklahoma (called 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 who owned the land, while the 36,800 workers, many of whom were Mexicans, were doing the work on these farms.

This story was inspired by the writer's grandmother named Esperanza, which, translated to English, means Hope. Though there are significant differences in the story, such as her grandfather's name was not Miguel and the two were married before they moved to California.

References

1. ^ Pam Munoz Ryan's website (the author)