Esperanza Rising

The story skips forward to the day before Esperanza’s 13th birthday. She is in charge of the ceremonial grape cutting that begins the annual grape harvest. Esperanza is also excited at the prospect of her birthday presents and the traditional serenade she will receive from her beloved father and his farmworkers.

Esperanza, her mother Ramona, and her grandmother Abuelita all await Sixto’s return. Night falls, and the men are still gone. Then, Esperanza’s two uncles arrive. They are her father’s older stepbrothers. She says, “Tío Luis was the bank president, and Tío Marco was the mayor of the town. Esperanza didn’t care how important they were because she did not like them. They were serious and gloomy and always held their chins too high” (19). The entire family receives the shocking news that Sixto and his men were ambushed and killed by bandits.

The following morning, a neighbor named Señor Rodrígues arrives with a load of papayas for Esperanza’s birthday feast. She gives him the sad news about her father. The women of the family are grief-stricken as are their primary servants, a family of Oaxaca Indians. Hortensia is the housekeeper. Her husband Alfonso is Sixto’s overseer, and their son Miguel is a mechanic and Esperanza’s childhood friend. All are suspicious when the uncles return for the reading of the will.

The lawyer says that the house and the income from the vineyard will belong to Esperanza and her mother. He adds, “As you know, it is not customary to leave land to women and since Luis was the banker on the loan, Sixto left the land to him” (30-31). This means that the females in the family are dependent on the goodwill of the uncles. Tío Luis proposes marriage to Ramona, but she rejects his offer. The servants later warn that he might make it difficult for her to refuse.

Late that night, Esperanza awakens from a nightmare to realize that the house is on fire. She, Ramona, and Abuelita take shelter in the servants’ cottage. Abuelita has sprained her ankle while trying to flee. Esperanza is only able to salvage the new porcelain doll that her father bought as a birthday gift for her. Ramona knows that Luis arranged for the fire and that he will do worse if she doesn’t agree to marry him.

Alfonso advises, “If you don’t intend to marry him, Señora, you cannot stay here. He would burn down the servants’ quarters next. There will be no income because there are no grapes. You would have to depend on the charity of others, and they would be afraid to help you” (46-47).

Alfonso has written to his brother in the United States, who has promised work on a big farm there. Ramona resolves that she and Esperanza will go with them. Abuelita tells them not to fear a new beginning. Although she is injured and cannot travel, she promises to follow when she is well. She gives Esperanza a blanket she has been crocheting and asks the girl to finish it for her.

The next day, Ramona agrees to marry Luis to buy time while the family’s travel arrangements are made. They must leave the territory at night before Luis can stop them. Abuelita will take shelter with her two sisters, who are nuns in a nearby convent. The group silently tramps through a fig orchard to reach shelter at the Rodríguez ranch. When Esperanza “[…] turned around one last time, she could see nothing behind her but a trail of splattered figs she had resentfully smashed beneath her feet” (57).