Under The Feet Of Jesus READING and QUIZ/TEST

There will be a TEST/QUIZ over Chapters 1 - 3 of UTFOJ on 4/7. Possible questions may include:

1. Read the first paragraph very closely. What does it describe and what does it suggest?

2. Estrella says, "It was always a question of work, and work depended on the harvest, the car running, their health the condition of the road, how long the money held out, and the weather, which meant they could depend on nothing" (4).  How might this foreshadowing affect the novel?

3. Why does Viramontes use so many Spanish phrases and sentences in the novel? How does the presence of so much Spanish affect a reader's experience of the text?

4. What are cousins Alejo and Gumicendo doing as the novel opens?

5. Describe the "home" where they will stay--and where Petra has been before. What does Perfecto do when he enters the house, and what does it signify about his and perhaps the family's values? (8) Describe Petra and what she has been through.

6. Describe Estrella--does this appear to be a "coming of age" story?

7. On page 24, Estrella makes a connection between the tools in Perfecto's toolbox and letters of the alphabets. Explain. How is treated by the teachers and what does she think of this treatment?

8. Why do you think Viramontes put the Devridges, the white migrant family, in the novel?

Part Two

1. Explain Estrella's thoughts about the woman on the red raisin box (p.49-).  What is the significance of the woman on the raisin box?

2. Look closely at the scene beginning on page 58 as Estrella walks from the fields toward the labor camp and comes across the ball field. Explain her fear. 3. Read closely on page 52 the paragraph that begins, "Alejo struggled with a piece of newsprint paper . . . " Describe Alejo, his hopes and dreams-and current situation. When he is later sprayed with poison why does he think of sinking into tar (p76-78).

4. What does Perfecto want? What do we learn about him that helps us to understand him (p. 78-)?

5. Explain the joke the dj tells on page 84.

6. What do you make of the many references to oil and to Ajelo's story about the tar pits beginning on page 85?


7. At the end of Part Two (p. 90) Estrella is again drawn to the barn (which she has refused to help Perfecto dismantle). Any ideas about what the barn might mean to Estrella?

Part Three

1. What is Alejo's illness? Why has Petra agreed to take him in and care for him?

2. What themes of love arise in this section?

3. What is the significance of the woman on the raisin box?

4. Do you think Estrella was justified in the actions she took at the doctor's office? Was the nurse to blame?

5. What does the statue of Jesuscristo represent or symbolize for Petra? What happens to the statue? What might this signify?

6. At the center of Under the Feet of Jesus are two women who must endure enormous suffering and hardship. How does having women as protagonists make this work different from similar works with male protagonists?

7. What will happen between Petra and Perfecto? Look closely at Perfecto as he leans against the car trying to decide what to do

8. What is the significance of Estrella's climb to the top of the barn?

Read through Chapter 4.