Under the Feet of Jesus: Self-Awareness

   From Estrella's point of view, her life is what she knows as normal.  She is well aware it is not an ideal lifestyle traveling to farms with her family, sleeping in close quarters or in the car, and working to the bone but it is what she is familiar with.  Mrs. Horn, one of her teachers, pointed out aspects of herself that she was not aware of previously.  Mrs. Horn asked, "how come her mama never gave her a bath" (25).  The voice of the novel explains that "until then, it had never occurred to Estrella that she was dirty"(25).  Many people aren't fully aware or self-conscious about themselves until its pointed out by an 'outsider.'
   Much of the content Viramontes writes about is probably an unfamiliar experience to many Americans. For Estrella it is all she knows.  Sleeping in untraditional accommodations and dealing with pesticides on an almost daily basis isn't shocking to her because everyone she knows is experiencing the same thing.  When an outsider, Mrs. Horn, points out her uncleanliness she is also pointing out her different culture and lifestyle.  She is so isolated in fieldwork in America with many other Mexicans she forgets that her life is observably different than any other American lifestyle.