In Helena Maria Viramontes’ Under the Feet of Jesus, Estrella’s relationship with the barn serves as a reflection of her growth, relationships, and development throughout the novel. At the beginning of the story, Estrella sees the barn as a place of safety and refuge, a symbol of the stability she longs for in her unstable and uncertain life. However, as Estrella matures and gains a deeper understanding of the world around her, her relationship with the barn evolves, becoming more complex and nuanced. By the end of the novel, Estrella’s relationship with the barn represents both her connection to her past and her hopes for the future.
In the early chapters of the novel, Estrella views the barn as a place of comfort and familiarity. She has
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The money was essential to get home before home became so distant, he wouldn’t be able to remember his way back” (Viramontes, 83). The barn plays an immense role in the people around Estrella, as it signified struggle and hardships for Perfecto, an otherwise father figure for Estrella. “Is that what happens? Estrella thought, people just use you until you’re all used up, then rip you into pieces when they’re done using you?” (Viramontes, 75). I think that this quote shows the type of life that Estrella lives, and she's ready to let go of the barn. In the beginning, she doesn't want to tear down the barn but then as the story progresses, she gets closer to the barn and she no longer needs the barn in the way she thought she did, however, it’s also her relationship with the barn that highlights her growth and development. The barn moves from a physical place of safety and security with her emotional personification as if she were the barn. Thus, tearing down the barn would be like tearing Estrella down. It underscores how the barn stands for Estrella's need for some peace in the midst of her busy life as well as the value of her inner existence. At the same time, Perfecto is threatening to destroy the barn and sell all of its