Literature: Analytical

There are many subtopics under the broad range of the topic of Hispanics. Tomás Rivera uses his short story “And the Earth Did Not Devour Him” to tell of the struggle of the migrant workers. These families came from Mexico to work in the fields under the instruction of their white bosses who did not care at all for them and were very harsh in their rules. They often wouldn’t let their workers rest, or take a drink of water. In the story, the main character says, “Just drink plenty of water every little while. It doesn’t matter if the boss gets mad” (“And the Earth Did Not Devour Him”). Even the young children were not granted a reprieve; children as young as five years old were forced to work in the hot sun all day, and many people, including the main character’s aunt and uncle died of sunstroke. The character says of his father, “...barely five years old and already helping his father plant corn” (“And the Earth Did Not Devour Him”). This is wrong; no one should have to suffer the way these families did, but especially not children. However, these families needed everyone to work so they could survive, or else they would starve if they got fired.
Helplessness and anger were two central themes in this story. The main character was very mad at God for taking away his family members, but felt helpless because he did not know what to do to change it. He is so angered that he curses God. After doing so, he is shocked, and waits for the ground to swallow him for misusing God’s name. However, this does not happen, and by morning his sunstruck father and younger brother were miraculously feeling better. The main character felt better because he had gotten his anger out in the open and off his chest, and was not as angry as he had been before. When he went to work out in the fields, he, “looked down at the earth and kicked it hard and said, ‘Not yet, you can’t swallow me up yet’” (“And the Earth Did Not Devour Him”). These feelings of helplessness and anger were widespread among many migrant workers because they knew that they did not deserve what they were going through, but did not know how to change or make better their circumstances.