Critique

Novel Critique: Esperanza Rising An enjoyable novel should not bore the reader to death, but should keep the reader excited, and wanting more. Pam Munoz Ryan does exactly that in writing Esperanza Rising. This story was about a rich, spoiled girl living in Mexico who goes through a loss of a loved one, causing her to move to the United States as an immigrant worker. In the process, she has plenty of self discovering and maturing moments, as she realizes that nothing lasts forever. Ryan’s poignant and sharp tone depicting the harsh reality of a day in the life of an immigrant worker creates an overall sentimental mood towards Esperanza Ortega, the protagonist of the story. The drama that added into the novel as a result of her style and tone is sure to keep the reader interested in the story. The author’s language and style is distinct, considering that she writes in English, but also has instances when she uses Spanish when quoting Esperanza’s Mexican family. By doing this, it raises the cultural impact of the main character on the story. She also uses the names of fruits and vegetables to name the chapters of the book, representing each picking season of the fields in which Esperanza works in, which is a clever idea. Ryan also uses many literary devices to emphasize the events of the story. Personification, metaphors, and foreshadowing are only a few of those. Her excellent usage of imagery creates a picture of the scene in the reader’s head, making him or her feel like they’re actually there. An example of the usage of similes is: “When Papa was alive, everything was in order, like the dolls lined up in a row”(37). Foreshadowing also can be witnessed throughout the novel. An instance of this is when Esperanza pricked her thumb while picking roses and her grandmother says:” No hay rosa sin espinas. There is

no rose without thorns”(14). It foreshadows the upcoming unfortunate event, the demise of Esperanza’s father. Of course the main character of the story is Esperanza Ortega. She develops greatly in this story and changes in a way in which the reader would never expect. As she starts her life over, she transforms from a snobby and immature girl to a strong, dauntless young lady. She meets judgmental people who do not get quite a good first impression of her. Esperanza realizes that she is not a little princess anymore, by learning life lessons the hard way, which she sticks with for the rest of her life. She also discovers the meaning of independence and determination. Her development as the main character not only heightens the poignancy of the piece, but lets the story become realistic although it is a fictional piece. As mentioned before, the novel was an interesting page turner, and the use of literary devices was exceptional. The story was neither confusing nor boring, and the author was sure to keep a smooth flow of words. Pam Munoz Ryan kept a readable sentence variation level and the use of dialogue let the reader hear the story from the actual characters’ perspectives. The novel also contained a suspenseful ending, one in which the reader can go on to read about, lets say, in a sequel. The author could have elaborated more on Esperanza’s father’s death though, rather than just writing one paragraph on it; after all, it was the climax of the story. Nevertheless, this tear jerking novel is one that will be enjoyed, appreciated, and admired by many future generations without a doubt.