Under the Feet of Jesus

by

Helena María Viramontes

Estrella’s Real Father Character Analysis

The unnamed man who was once Petra’s husband and the head of Estrella’s family. Both Petra and Estrella remember him as a glamorous, almost mythical figure: Estrella reminisces on his impressive ability to peel an orange in one piece, while Petra remarks on his charismatic, larger-than-life personality. However, his abandonment of his family is a glaring character flaw; despite his charm, he seems to lack the determination and responsibility which both Petra and Estrella possess in abundance. He’s a foil to Perfecto, who is currently acting as a dutiful father figure to the children. At the same time, Perfecto’s growing desire to leave the family links him to Estrella’s father; together, they point out the vastly different social expectations that govern the behavior of fathers and mothers.

Estrella’s Real Father Quotes in Under the Feet of Jesus

The Under the Feet of Jesus quotes below are all either spoken by Estrella’s Real Father or refer to Estrella’s Real Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Value of Labor Theme Icon
).
Chapter One Quotes

What impressed her most was the way his thumbnail plowed the peel off the orange in one long spiral, as if her father plowed the sun, as if it meant something to him to peel the orange from stem to naval without breaking the circle.

Related Characters: Estrella (speaker), Estrella’s Real Father
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:

The women in the camps had advised the mother, To run away from your husband would be a mistake. He would stalk her and the children, not because he wanted them back, they proposed, but because it was a slap in the face, and he would swear over the seventh beer that he would find her and kill them all. Estrella’s godmother said the same thing and more. You’ll be a forever alone woman, she said to Estrella’s mother, nobody wants a woman with a bunch of orphans, nobody.

Related Characters: Petra (speaker), Estrella’s Real Father
Page Number: 13
Explanation and Analysis:

He had the nerve, damn him, the spine to do it. She was almost jealous.

Related Characters: Petra (speaker), Estrella’s Real Father
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis:
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Estrella’s Real Father Quotes in Under the Feet of Jesus

The Under the Feet of Jesus quotes below are all either spoken by Estrella’s Real Father or refer to Estrella’s Real Father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Value of Labor Theme Icon
).
Chapter One Quotes

What impressed her most was the way his thumbnail plowed the peel off the orange in one long spiral, as if her father plowed the sun, as if it meant something to him to peel the orange from stem to naval without breaking the circle.

Related Characters: Estrella (speaker), Estrella’s Real Father
Page Number: 12
Explanation and Analysis:

The women in the camps had advised the mother, To run away from your husband would be a mistake. He would stalk her and the children, not because he wanted them back, they proposed, but because it was a slap in the face, and he would swear over the seventh beer that he would find her and kill them all. Estrella’s godmother said the same thing and more. You’ll be a forever alone woman, she said to Estrella’s mother, nobody wants a woman with a bunch of orphans, nobody.

Related Characters: Petra (speaker), Estrella’s Real Father
Page Number: 13
Explanation and Analysis:

He had the nerve, damn him, the spine to do it. She was almost jealous.

Related Characters: Petra (speaker), Estrella’s Real Father
Page Number: 17
Explanation and Analysis: