ipl-logo

Symbolism In Viramontes Under The Feet Of Jesus

743 Words3 Pages

In Viramontes’ novel Under the Feet of Jesus, the author composes symbolic representations about the daily life of a migrant worker. Symbols used throughout the novel was the barn as a figure to represent a church, Petra’s statue of Jesus that symbolized her faith in Christianity and the baby doll with no mouth that represented the views on silence. The author uses symbolism to get her message across on how the difficulties of migrant workers. The symbols, the barn, Jesus statue, and the baby with no mouth represent the migrant workers’ stance on faith.
In the novel, the image of a barn is one that is used repeatedly to introduce new concepts in Estrella’s life, symbolizing her discovery of a new sense of self and voice. The barn may also be a symbol of the collective experiences of a generation of Hispanic migrant workers, portraying their hardships and collective journey as well as Estrella’s personal development. More than a decrepit building, the barn represents a space where Estrella can complete her transformation and empowerment. The structure is described as a "cathedral," a place of religious contemplation (Viramontes 9). Estrella continues to use the building as a place for reflection. By the end of the novel, Estrella uses the barn as a platform, realizing her own power and believing herself strong enough …show more content…

The barn is seen through the eyes of Estrella as a holy place because it was a stable refuge. Petra’s statue of Jesus was a representation of her faith, but when it broke it symbolized the deterioration of her reliance in the religion. The baby doll without a mouth is shown like the migrant workers unable to talk and voicing an opinion towards their rights. The characters in the novel had a strong stance rooted into symbolic representations of Christianity. Petra and Estrella both learned the harsh reality of self-reliance and the fact that God will not always be

Show More
Related

  • Theme Of Under The Feet Of Jesus

    784 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the early chapters of the novel, Estrella views the barn as a place of comfort and familiarity. She has

    Read More

  • Under The Feet Of Jesus Character Analysis

    658 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Helena Maria Viramontes’ novel, Under the Feet of Jesus, Estrella starts off as angsty and confused, but then shifts to a state of contentment and understanding, caused by life experiences. These character traits are revealed through the selection of detail, figurative language, and tone. Initially, Estrella is immediately characterized as “very angry” when she finds Perfecto’s “foreign” toolbox. She uses a tone of confusion that illustrates her unfamiliarity with the objects in the tool box by using words such as “funny-shaped”, and using a simile comparing her confusion with the tools to the alphabet which Estrella “could not decipher”.

    Read More

  • Christ With The Symbols Of The Passion Analysis

    1394 Words  | 6 Pages

    Aylin Reta 88729977 ARTH 1306 Christ with the Symbols of the Passion Christ with the Symbols of the Passion is a work by Italian painter Lavinia Fontana, its medium is oil on panel and it was executed on 1576. In this piece we see, what seems to be, Christ after he was brought down from the cross. He is sitting at the center of the piece with multiple angels besides him. The color palette seems dark and obscure as well as the overall mood of the piece. He is surrounded by symbols that are significant to the process of His crucifixion such as the cross, the crown of thorns, a whip, and is also surrounded by three angels.

    Read More

  • Personification In The Yellow Wallpaper By Charlotte Perkins Gilman

    779 Words  | 4 Pages

    For instance, there is an understanding of the woman’s feelings as she describes “a recurrent spot where the pattern lolls like a broken neck and two bulbous eyes stare at you upside down” and the pattern looking at her “as if it knew what a vicious influence it had” (Gilman 437). The personification is symbolic in displaying how the woman felt as she was stuck in the lonely room with allowance of her husband and Jennie, their child’s nanny, keeping their eyes on her with the dependence of her healing. Additionally, the woman specifies that behind the yellow wallpaper she can see “a strange, provoking, formless sort of figure, that seems to sulk about behind that silly and conspicuous front design” (Gilman 438). As the appearance of the wallpaper is personified, the author taps into the hidden meaning that the woman’s sickness is taunting her as she is attempting to heal. In the end, readers are given the most significant piece of personification in the statement, “and then when the sun came and that awful pattern began to laugh at me, I declared that I would finish it today!”

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Helena Maria Viramontes Under The Foot Of Jesus

    470 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the except from the novel “ Under the feet of Jesus” by Helena Maria Viramontes shows the development of Estrella from being angry to understanding what she needed to do to succeed. The author uses figurative language and selection of detail to show the changes Estrella’s character went through, which reveals that knowing what things are is beneficial. The author uses figurative language like similes and metaphors to show Estrella’s frustration with her teacher and her understanding of tools. The author says, “ all that a jumbled steel inside the box… seemed as confusing and foreign as the alphabet she could not decipher.”

    Read More

  • Windows In The House On Mango Street

    640 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout The House on Mango Street, characters struggle to actualize their dreams of a meaningful life. Author Sandra Cisneros illustrates this theme through her inclusion of windows as a symbol for a longing of another life. In the novel The House on Mango Street, windows represent the book and it’s theme of struggling for satisfaction in life by acting both as a border to another life and a translucent gateway to the character’s hopes. Windows act as a border to the life the characters long for but are incapable of achieving. Esperanza tells her great-grandmother’s story in which she is whisked away from her previously eventful life only to “[look] out the window her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow” because “she couldn’t be all the things she wanted to be” (Cisneros 11).

    Read More

  • Esperanza's Identity In The House On Mango Street

    1627 Words  | 7 Pages

    For Esperanza, her house isn’t just a house – it’s a reflection of her identity. Deep in her heart Esperanza longs for a house. A house

    Read More

  • Essay On Obstacles In The House On Mango Street

    1002 Words  | 5 Pages

    Esperanza and her family are always moving because they do not have much money, but they finally moved into a house on Mango Street where they “Don’t have to pay rent to anybody, or share the yard with the people downstairs, or be careful not to make too much noise” (703). Although it sounded like a nice place, when a nun from her school saw where Esperanza lived, she said, “You live there?” (703). That made Esperanza feel like nothing and made her realize she needs a real house, one that is really nice. Esperanza wants to change her life and make the best of what she has.

    Read More

  • Symbolism In 'Everyday Use' By Alice Walker

    1561 Words  | 7 Pages

    The author used symbolism throughout the whole story to show the difference between these characters. The symbolism is there to give us a further explanation on the family and also to tell us how much heritage is important to some, but not others. The first symbol

    Read More

  • Macaria's Daughter Analysis

    1149 Words  | 5 Pages

    The altar of the Virgin represents Mexican feminine ideals, and the shrine of Hollywood movie stars showcases American ones. Marcela herself lies “between” these two altars/shrines, distinct from neither one nor the other, and belonging to neither (Paredes 23). These relationships of proximity, of going between, are symbolic of the Mexican-American experience at the time, and is paralleled by the distinct, yet interconnected spaces of the Anglo Fort Jones and the surrounding Mexican-American community. The image of the Virgin, and the layout of the shack where Marcela’s body is found are representative of the conflict between Mexican and American culture represented in this story, while Marcela’s death expresses the

    Read More

  • Scarlet Letter Forest Scene Essay

    480 Words  | 2 Pages

    In my mural, about the movie, I have represented some of the ideas or symbols that I think that they are essential in history. In one hand, I have drawn the prison door, where Hester was imprisoned for his sin. At the door, where he grew a rose, that have represented too. It is a symbol of hope, life, the presence of God, and also a symbol of passion.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Christ Figure In One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

    1244 Words  | 5 Pages

    A Christ figure is an element of literature that draws an allusion between a character and Jesus. A Christ figure is often used in to demonstrate how one should act in society. The idea of a Christ figure is presented in the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey through the character Randal McMurphy. The idea proven in this novel is that sometimes one must sacrifice himself for the greater good. In the beginning of the novel, like Christ, McMurphy came from wilderness and he begins to collect followers by rebelling against Ratched.

    Read More

  • Woman With Dead Child Kollwitz

    798 Words  | 4 Pages

    There is no name for a mother who has to bury their own child. In Kathe Kollwitz’ artwork, Woman with Dead Child, viewers learn the agony and pain associated with losing a child. This artwork, crafted in 1903, grabs attention by expressing love, passion, and emotion over the simplicity of a human being. Viewers of this piece capture a shock and a heart-breaking feeling when first viewing the artwork. Suffering through love is a terrific way to describe Kollwitz’ artwork created by etching.

    Read More

  • Henry Ford Hospital Analysis

    1023 Words  | 5 Pages

    For instance, the item at top left shows the anatomy and the complexity of being pregnant (Self Portrait as a Tehuana, Autorretrato como Tenhuana, Frida). The baby boy in the middle of the painting symbolizes the baby Deigo she thought she would never have (Self Portrait as a Tehuana, Autorretrato como Tenhuana, Frida). The snail shows how slow and agonizing the miscarriage was (Self Portrait as a Tehuana, Autorretrato como Tenhuana, Frida). The machine in the bottom left was used to symbolize the cold machines they used on her at the hospital (Self Portrait as a Tehuana, Autorretrato como Tenhuana, Frida).

    Read More

  • Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit Summary

    1455 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the novel, it is where Winterson creates the ‘world’ of the characters and who they are in the story. Many religious references from the New Testament were used to create imagery to better tell the story. An example would be the star that led Jeanette’s mother to her crib which resembles the star of Bethlehem that once led the Magi to Jesus Christ. Another is that Jeanette’s mother sees the adoption similar to the Immaculate Conception because she was able to acquire a child without being involved

    Read More

More about Symbolism In Viramontes Under The Feet Of Jesus

Open Document