How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Esperanza suddenly felt guilty and did not want to admit that she had never noticed or that it might be true. Besides, they were going to the United States now and it certainly would not be true there. (5.101)
Esperanza doesn't notice that the poorest people in her country tend to have the darkest skin until Miguel points it out to her. But she figures things will be different in the United States, where surely there's no such thing as racism. Right? Right?
Quote #2
As they rounded a curve, it appeared as if the mountains pulled away from each other, like a curtain opening on a stage, revealing the San Joaquin Valley beyond. Flat and spacious, it spread out like a blanket of patchwork fields. Esperanza could see no end to the plots of yellow, brown, and shades of green. (6.75)
The San Joaquin Valley, Esperanza's new home, reveals itself to her dramatically, like a set on a stage when the curtain rises. And that's a fitting introduction, when you consider the fact that this is supposed to be the place where Esperanza can seek a new life and make her dreams come true. Of course nothing is as it seems, and it might not be all beautiful fields and endless opportunity.
Quote #3
This was not a gently rolling landscape like Aguascalientes. For as far as the eye could travel, the land was unbroken by even a hillock. Esperanza felt dizzy looking at the repeated straight rows of grapes and had to turn her head away. (6.77)
The endless acres of farmland make America seem like a very prosperous and grand place. Esperanza finds it a little overwhelming, which is funny, considering the fact that she misses her old, straight life.