The images of stones, bones and tar form a pattern in Under the Feet of Jesus by Helena Maria Viramontes . From Alejo's illness to the encounter with the nurse, these images are continually linked together to depict a wide range of migrant workers' experiences, dreams and suffering. The stones, symbols of the history of migrant workers and their connection to the land, are as old as the bones that hurt, provide the work and eventually become the tar that provides fuel and energy to America . This relationship between stones, bones and tar is similar to the community of migrant workers: all members are linked and provide for each other. Through their prevalence in the novel, these images leave a trace in the same way that migrant workers leave behind a trace of their lives as they move from one place to another; The recurring images represent the continued sacrifices of migrant workers and describe their hope to leave a legacy that will long remain on this land like stones, bones and tar. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get the original essay Alejo's interest in stones illustrates the migrant worker's desire to make a name for himself in the country where he must struggle to survive. His interest, evident in his plan to major in geology, is equated with his goal of obtaining an education. Her plans also include "buying a canvas backpack to carry her books, a pencil sharpener, and Bobcat blankets" as well as getting her high school diploma (52). Although his plans are simple, they demonstrate ambition and reveal his dream of progressing in life. Additionally, the stones symbolize permanence and durability, characteristics that Alejo hopes to achieve. “He loved stones and the history of stones because he believed himself to be a solid block of rock emerging from the earth and not a particle lost in infinite space” (52). The contrast between the presence of a rock "pushed out of the earth" and an essentially invisible particle is applied to Alejo's wish to become a bold, visible, and distinct being on the earth. He doesn't want to end up like a lost particle, something without direction or purpose. Furthermore, he wishes to be “part of Earth’s history” and “to exist like the rocks, for eternity” (52). He hopes that his memory and his struggles in life will not fade away and be forgotten; instead, he longs to be remembered and to leave a part of himself on earth that will remind the world of his existence and accomplishments. The complete erasure of one's existence is a fear of the migrant worker in the novel. The scene in which Alejo falls from the tree while desperately trying to escape the rain of pesticides depicts this fear. Images of bones and tar predominate in this scene and foreshadow death, a force that removes the person from the face of this earth. Sepulchral images, such as "thousands of bones, the bleached white marrow of the bones" and "the broken bone pierced together with wire to form a whole bone and resurfaced" describe an appropriate setting for a burial place or an extermination camp (78). . Although they symbolize death, bones also represent a person's memory, as they are their remains and are usually the only things their body leaves behind. Yet if these cannot even be preserved, then it seems that there really is nothing left to remind others of that person, as if they had never lived; this is what fearsAlejo. As the biplane that sprays the pesticide approaches, Alejo imagines “sinking into the tar pits” (78). It’s there that he sees his bones disappear, leaving behind “no fingerprints, no history, no bones.” No lava rock. No history, no family, no bones” (78). Death is so inevitable that even lava stone, a formation present on this earth for millions of years, cannot resist disappearance. The language used to describe this scene is repetitive and uses many commas to slow the pace. This makes Alejo more helpless and helpless to save himself, no matter how determined he is to fight the oncoming force. “He thought first of his feet sinking, sinking to the knee joints, swallowing his waist and torso, the pressure of the tar squeezing his chest and crushing his ribs” (78). Like a slow and painful death, Alejo imagines himself gradually sinking into darkness and emptiness forever. This feared trap extends to preventing migrant workers from progressing; In addition to not being able to escape the approach of death and disappearance, migrant workers face another struggle if they find themselves “stranded.” Since they depend on migrating from one place to another to earn a living, getting stuck, especially stuck in one place, poses a threat to their livelihood. Images of people stuck in tar pits, like Alejo's vision of sinking into the tar, relate to this dilemma. The horror of this type of incident is also reflected in the conversation between Alejo and Estrella while they are under the truck. Here, Alejo introduces the subject of tar oil: One day, while I was picking peaches, I heard screaming. It reminded me of the animals stuck in the tar pits. Do people? Have people ever gotten stuck? Only one, Alejo replied, in the tar pits of La Brea they found human bones. A young girl. (88) This brings to mind the frightening images of bones and tar that death accompanies. Obviously the girl stuck in the tar pits was obliterated for a while until her bones were discovered. Another example of blocking occurs in the following excerpt from Alejo and Estrella's conversation about oil: Do you know where this oil comes from? . . . Why are you asking me? If we don't have oil, we don't have gasoline. GOOD. We would then stay there. Stuck, that's more like it. Blocked. (86)At first, the possibility of staying in the same place is attractive, especially for Estrella who perceives it as a duty to stay put. After years of constant packing and moving, sometimes with no destination, staying put seems like a nice idea. However, Alejo's response differs in diction from Estrella's, implying a negative side of this immobility, as he refers to her as "stuck." The word implies the feeling of being trapped and unable to escape from a place or situation, as if one were imprisoned for a long time. It also evokes helplessness because it brings to mind the possibility of being abandoned and forgotten. Through its language and imagery, the conversation between Alejo and Estrella demonstrates how the inability to move forward can cause one to disappear without a legacy. Ironically, the bones of migrant workers provide the fuel and energy that allows the rest of the people to progress while they are prevented from doing so. After Perfecto pays the nurse the family's last nine dollars, Estrella becomes furious because she feels they paid much more than they deserved to pay. They lost much more than money, because they paid for it with their lives, their.