Reading Under the feet of Jesus is a very nice new experience. I don’t think I’ve ever read an actual novel dealing with environmental protection in which the author is so clear about where she stands. I think it is an easy read and a good one too. I really like Veramontes’ style. I love how she diconstructs the characteristics of a novel to stand out. It is very smart of her to insert some Spanish, I think it emphasizes the fact that Estrella, Alejo and all the others are a minority and suffer because of who they are.
With Silent Spring, Rachel Carson targeted a rather wide audience to advertise about the wrongful use of pesticides and she did a very good job at it. When Under the Feet of Jesus was published in 1995, the dangers of pesticides were well known already, but not necessarily dealt with. Addressing the problem through a novel gives a new angle on the issue, and Viramontes somehow humanized the victims of pesticides by giving names and histories, however fake those might be.
This new perspective, combined to Carson’s research, efforts by people who try to make a difference and investment of those of our politicians who care should really make people aware of the issue. I think in a way it does, as more and more people take an interest in organic products. I have seen it here in Oregon, groceries stores offer a wide range of organic products of all kinds and most producers present at the Eugene Saturday Market grow their vegetables and fruits without the use of chemicals. I have also seen it in France at my workplace. My summer job for the past years was at a local marketplace, selling fruits and vegetables (sadly not organic, expect for a few now and then). Since I started my job, I’ve noticed that more and more people ask whether what they buy is organic or not, and some people even ask us where to find organically grown products.
However, because chemical pesticides are so widespread they have become cheaper, and in contrast natural ways of protecting crops have become more expensive. The cost of the additional work to naturally grow increases the prices for organic products, which deter consumers to buy those products. I have heard a lot of people of my generation (myself included) saying that they would really like to buy only organic products, but often can’t because it’s too expensive compared to the regular stuff. So they end up buying organic every now and then, when there’s something they really like or when they know for sure that the regular stuff was grown with a lot of pesticides.
I really wish that all the hard work and effort put in by writers, researchers, politicians and activists lead to change. Also I do not entirely advocate degrowth, I think that in some areas we should have stuck to what we knew was good instead of trying to improve the fastest way possible at all costs.
I agree with you that both Silent Spring and Under the Feet of Jesus bring the misuse of pesticides to light in different, yet efficient ways. I found your interpretation of the switching of languages in Viramontes writing as a way of emphasizing the characters as a minority as very interesting. I had not thought of it before, but it does seem to have this effect. Also, I too have the issue of deciding whether to spend the extra money on organic or with going with what I can afford. I wonder if it will ever be less expensive for organic? If so, what could cause such a change?
I really like the way that you interpreted Silent Springs and Under the Feet of Jesus. I have also never read any literature that expresses their feelings about an issue such as pesticides. Before reading either of these works I already knew of the wide use of pesticides however, I did not know think about how it must have effected the workers that had to be around them on a daily basis. I have always bought regular products from stores because it was the cheapest but in the last week every time I have went to a store I have found myself looking at the organic sections to see what they offer. They are more expensive which kinds of makes it hard for me to choose to take the organic route with foods but I feel that just by reading these works that I will be more conscious about the food that I buy.
This is an interesting post. I also have worked in different settings (Los Angeles and Eugene) where customers ask me about organic products. In Los Angeles I worked at a BBQ restaurant and I do not think I ever had one person ask me if any of our ingredients were organic. Now I work at New Day Bakery in Eugene and I get this question regularly. People will also ask me about where the meat is from, what those animals were fed with, etc. As a whole people’s concern is much higher for the products they are eating in Eugene.