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Esperanza is the only child of a rich Mexican landowner in 1920s Mexico. She comes from the Spanish ruling class, characterized by a tall physique and pale skin. The novel covers the year between her 13th and 14th birthdays. When the story begins, Esperanza is enveloped in a life of privilege and wealth. She is treated like a little princess and has trouble relating to people who are beneath her social station.
When disaster strikes and her father is killed, Esperanza is forced to adapt to a drastic reversal of fortune. Initially, she resists the degrading experience of becoming a migrant worker and spends most of her time complaining about all she has lost. However, her love for her family is the guiding principle of her life and helps to transform her behavior. When her mother grows ill, Esperanza steps into an adult role and earns money to provide for them both. She proves she is resilient enough to weather any storm. By the end of the story, she has adjusted to life in the United States and regained her hope for a better future.
Miguel lives at the opposite end of the social spectrum from Esperanza. He is 15 when the story begins and is the son of the Ortega family servants, who are Indian. They are short and dark-skinned, forming a stark physical contrast to the tall Spaniards who employ them. Because Miguel is mechanically gifted, he can repair any machine and aspires to become a railroad mechanic.
Unlike Esperanza, Miguel sees opportunity instead of limitations in America. As a member of the servant class in Mexico, he is acutely aware that he has no future there. In America, he is patient and willing to work within the system to achieve his goals. Miguel is fond of Esperanza and proves his loyalty to her family by saving Esperanza from bandits when they are young and by finding a way to bring Abuelita to live with them after they are settled in the United States.
Ramona is Esperanza’s elegant mother. She is the patrona of her husband’s estate and possesses a calm disposition. Despite her privileged existence, she is also strong and adaptable in the face of tragedy. Rather than marry her brother-in-law, she flees Mexico and stoically accepts her changed circumstances. Unlike Esperanza, Ramona doesn’t rebel against the hard work and cramped living quarters in the migrant camp. She makes the best of a bad situation until she succumbs to Valley Fever. Her sickness forces Esperanza to step into an adult role and learn how to adjust to starting over. By the end of the novel, Ramona is reunited with her own mother and begins to recover.
Abuelita is Ramona’s elderly mother. She is the least fearful of the women in the family after disaster strikes. During her own youth, she was forced to adjust to life in the New World, so she isn’t afraid of change. Although she spends much of the novel sequestered in a Mexican convent until her sprained ankle heals, she is eventually reunited with her daughter and granddaughter in California. This change doesn’t frighten her either. Even at an advanced age she is ready to face a new challenge.
Luis and Marco are the older stepbrothers of Esperanza’s father. Luis is a bank president, and Marco is the town mayor. Both men care only for money and power. Esperanza describes them as a couple of underfed billy goats. When their brother dies, they take over his estate, and Luis wants to force Ramona to marry him. They are so unscrupulous and corrupt that they orchestrate a fire to burn down the Ortega family home, thus making Ramona financially dependent on them. Their evil plan is thwarted when Esperanza, Ramona, and Abuelita escape their clutches and establish a new life for themselves in California.
Hortensia is the Ortega housekeeper, and her husband Alfonso is the estate overseer. They are Indian rather than Spanish, and both are short and stocky. The two are devoted to the Ortegas and do all in their power to help their employers find safety in America. Alfonso is the key to securing employment for everyone because his brother is already a migrant worker in the San Joaquin Valley. Even though the Ortegas now depend on their former servants for their own survival, Hortensia and Alfonso continue to help Ramona and Esperanza adjust to their changed circumstances without ever becoming impatient or overbearing.
Marta is a volatile Mexican teenager who is part of the contingent agitating for a union. She dislikes Esperanza because the latter was once wealthy. Marta also scorns the Mexicans who don’t want to join the union. She has no faith that things will ever get better unless change is forced on the rich landowners. By the end of the novel, her plans backfire, and she must flee immigration officials who would try to deport her.
Isabel is Hortensia’s niece. She is only eight and looks up to Esperanza as her big sister. She is fascinated by Esperanza’s tales of her splendid life in Mexico. Isabel would like to be treated like a princess one day. She is excited at the prospect of being chosen as May Queen until her teacher picks a white girl instead. Despite her disappointment, Isabel doesn’t lapse into bitterness. Even the smallest pleasures in life make her happy.
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By Pam Muñoz Ryan