Under The Feet of Jesus: Environment

It is interesting to see that the environment is as much a part of the novel as the characters themselves are. In almost every page of the novel there is mention of the environment and how it affects the characters. A lot of this may have to do with the characters lifestyle and work. Although the characters do not choose to work on horrible plantations, it plays a huge role in their lives. Specifically, the family works on a peach farm where they are working horrible hours and are doing very physically demanding work. Perhaps, if the family was not put in this horrible working situation the environment would not have played such as huge role in their way of life.

It is interesting to also look at how the author describes the environment. She often is very descriptive in how she describes the elements. She gives various details such as color, textures, and smells. She also does a fantastic job of giving the nature human and animal-like qualities. She says at one point that the road is like a long snake (Viramonte). She is equally descriptive when it comes to describing the characters as well. She often talks of how dark the workers skin is due to the extreme sunlight exposure from the very long work days. She said that a lot of the men when shirtless, look as if they are still wearing a shirt because of the intensity of their tan lines (Viramonte). Her attention to detail really captures reader’s attention and helps to make readers relate to the characters and their environment.