I found Viramontes’ use of imagery in her novel, Under the Feet of Jesus, very effective and beautiful. The reader is able to internalize the idea she’s presenting with vision and reflection, rather than just understanding the words. On page 70, Estrella and Alejo are newly acquainted and are starting to like each other. There’s an awkward silence between them, at which point Estrella doesn’t know how to express herself. Instead of stating it with a common phrase, like ‘she didn’t know how to carry on the conversation’, Viramontes writes, “she didn’t know how to build the house of words she could invite him into”. The image is very fitting since shelter means so much to people with so little materials, and an invitation into her home is much more meaningful and personal than the more generic summary of what was taking place… i.e. she didn’t know what to say. The novel is loaded with engaging imagery. It seems effortless and natural the way she’s able to use the technique effectively, even with topics you may never have thought you wanted imagery applied to. Like when the guard-dog scratches himself with his hind leg, “his purple testicles shaking like coin purses” (pg 114). Disgusting… but awesome imagery!

I was interested in how the name Perfecto was attached to the man Petra and Estrella meet in the store when Petra is rummaging for fresh garlic. It comes up when the man tells the proprietor he finished his repair job, and the proprietor says, “Perfecto!” not in addressing the man, but by indicating his satisfaction with the work (pg 112). He then gets referred to as Perfecto by the narration of the novel. One can assume this identification is through Petra’s perspective, which got me wondering about Perfecto Flores’ role in her life. The word ‘perfect’ is not a traditional name, but an abstract idea, which lends to Perfecto’s portrayal as less of a living person, and more of an interchangeable foil. The Perfecto in the store parallels the original Perfecto by also having a red tool chest. They’re both repair men, or utility men, and utility is what Perfecto represents for the family, and the story.

One could analyze Perfecto Flores as a tool for survival, and Petra is aware of the family’s dependence on him. Furthermore, he’s aware of Petra’s awareness of his role, which is why the dynamics get so strange in the passage where he notices that she stops cooking and looks out the window and he feels like the trees are whispering his secrets to her (pg 100). The question of how heavily to guard oneself is at play in many passages of the book. With survival being such an immediate concern at all times, there is a tug-of-war between a romantic side and a functional side. I’m thinking about both of these terms ‘romantic’, and ‘functional’, very loosely. By romantic, I mean the ability to invest feelings, open up to others, and allow empathy. By functional side, I mean accomplishing what needs to be done to survive. Petra considers the forces of love (the romantic side) vs. loyalty (the functional side), and knows that loyalty is what keeps her world on its “tightrope” (pg 118), which alludes to having very, very little room for error in a world such as hers. Petra also mentions how she loves to see the children happy at play (romantic), but scolds them for it to mature them, for their safety (functional). Meanwhile, Estrella is in the process of learning this balance by confronting formative situations. She befriends Maxine and they share experiences and emotions (romantic). Yet when she felt emotionally threatened by Maxine disrespecting her mother, she switches from seeing ‘Maxine’, her friend, to a ‘white girl’ that she felt like she could kill (pg 35). The defacement of Maxine is a defense mechanism to do what’s necessary for self-preservation (functional). For Estrella, her feelings toward Alejo instigate conflict between her mutating desire to be loved (onset of puberty has her thinking outside of her family for the first time) and the guard she’s still learning to put up.