Under The Feet Of Jesus Viramontes Analysis

The Dark Consequences of Ripe Peaches In Under the Feet of Jesus Viramontes plays with the heartstrings of those who read the story. It explores deeply the subjective and symbolic violence of the exploitation and destruction of migrant workers. The beautiful prose fantasizes the horrid conditions and everyday struggles that plague the family. With one misstep they are crushed beneath the societal system that is meant to even out the playing field. They are set up to fail. The focus is not truly on Alejo’s tragedy, but the symbolic destruction and disposal of a “tool” for the farm owners. Easily replaceable Alejo is nothing more than a broken basket. As Estrella puts it aptly “it was their bones that kept the air conditioning in the cars humming,
This type of violence is not easily noticeable, it reflects the generally imperceptible ebb and flow of the economic and political system. While it is not generally picked up, when dissected more thoroughly it can be quite obvious. In the store scene the general depiction of the figures holy to the migrant workers points to some inequities. “ A lopsided poster of the holy Virgen, Our Lady of Guadalupe was tacked between the posters of Elvis Presley and Marylin Monroe” (110), a subtle jab at the prevalence and reverence given to the white elite. This reality defines Zizek’s perception of systemic violence. The harsh conditions that the migrant workers face on a daily basis displays a more tangible form of systemic violence. “The white light of the sun worked hard” (49) oppression is defined by the white, endowed by the white, and sustained by it. In Viramonte’s novel the oppressive conditions of work are enough to make anyone cringe. Yet, for the meager pay and hope to survive Estrella and the rest of the farmers must work. While they may be haggard and sore, the only thing worse than continuing working is to have no money. The poor are the lowest of the low and Zizek’s systemic violence points to this. It is the “often catastrophic consequences of the smooth functioning of our economic and political systems” (2). The economic system works because
Viramontes directly attacks the systemic and symbolic violence focused on hispanic immigrants. Her story draws deeply upon subtle imagery and hints at racist undertones in even the smallest things. While very little subjective violence actually occurs, the everyday encounters and daily life are imbued with the hate and violence Zizek warns of. Viramontes plays aptly upon the inherent violence imbued in the language system, showing the automatic stereotyping that takes place between speakers. She toys with systemic and symbolic violence and how they act together to inflame hatred and violence. In effect Viramontes study and draws out the undercurrents of violence rife in the United States by focusing on the lowest class of people. Drawing from personal experience she is able to recreate the awful experiences and exploitations common place in these communities. All in an attempt to broaden the definition and expression of these two forms of violence, the “violence that sustains our very efforts to fight violence”