Penitent Magdalene Analysis

The theory of Bildungsroman defines a genre that has been employed in several literature pieces albeit most novels have employed the framework partially. The Bildungsroman literary genre convention dwells on the growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood morally and psychologically. Works that have employed the literary genre can also be referred to as coming of age genres. The novel by Viramontes entitled Under the Feet of Jesus gives an account of the plight of a family that lives as migrants. It has aspects that indicate similarities with the theories of the Bildungsroman. The essay evaluates how and to what extent the events of the novel fit the genre conventions in the Bildungsroman. Furthermore, the essay will delve into the justification behind the choice to use or not to use the genre conventions to enhance the theme of struggle as Estrella and her family experience hardships, focusing on migration and adolescence which characterize the life of the protagonist, Estrella, and her family.

Words are strong; they can build, tear down, or repair; they have a purpose, much like tools in a tool chest. Using a distressed and then confident tone, the author of “Under the Feet of Jesus,” Viramontes, details the progression of Estrella’s character from a confused and hostile girl to an empowered and knowledgeable young lady through the use of repetition, an epiphany in the form of a potent simile and diction. The epiphany that words hold immense power and the key to success in life completely transforms Estrella’s character as she learns to grow stronger from her troubled childhood experience. Viramontes emphasizes how much power we give words when we use them to support or tear down each other and how we should carefully direct that power of words to give a voice to an underprivileged individual whose experience and potential in life would otherwise remain hidden and unknown.

“Finding One’s Self in Times of Trouble”: An explication of the Helena Maria Viramontes’ novel

Chapter 14 is about how almost everything, in some form, is a Christ figure. The chapter gives a list to relate characters to. The list is 1. crucified, wounds in the hands, feet, side, and head 2. in agony 3. self-sacrificing 4. good with children 5.good with loaves, fishes, water, wine 6. thirty-three years of age when last seen 7. employed as a carpenter 8. known to use humble modes of transportation, feet or donkeys preferred 9. believed to have walked on water 10. often portrayed with arms outstretched 11.

The development of characters transpire as a result of significant events in their lives. Events such as learning a new skill have the ability to transform a character’s life. Estrella in Helena Maria Viramontes’ novel Under the Feet of Jesus flourishes into an individual who once got upset over skills she did not have and was upset at the process of learning, but now understands how vital education is. Estrella was infuriated by her lack of understanding about the Perfecto’s tools and the letters on the chalkboard. She was especially agitated when the educators would not give her the answer right away The selection of detail shows the connection between two things she overcame. The tone and figurative language shows more detail about Estrella’s transformation.

When discussing the Bible’s New Testament, there are several individuals aside from Jesus that gander a lot of attention. It is not uncommon to hear pastors and priest preaching about the disciples that walked with the messiah during his time of great works during a Sunday service. There are many lessons to be learned from the experiences of and trails faced by the men that knew best. However, even though the Bible is considerable a masculine text, there are many notable women sprinkled throughout it. Most notable, of course, would be the mother of Jesus, Mary. She made several appearances throughout the Gospel from the moment the angel came to her and said “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28) to let her know that she was going to be the mother of the “Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32) to the moment she stood witness to the crucifixion of that Son. Today, after Jesus, Mary – sometimes also called The Virgin Mary – is among those most revered in the Bible. However, she is not the only Mary to have close ties to the Biblical savior. There are actually at least three other Marys to walk along side with Jesus at some point, but none more conversational than Mary Magdalene.

To begin with, the word pieta is an Italian word that means “compassion”. This theme arose in Germany in different sculptures showing the sense suffering that Mary had when she saw her son’s martyrdom. This theme succeeded in pictorializing and recalling the moment of the Christ’s death in the worshippers’ minds which was considered an important matter in the medieval mysticism. The body’s composition reveals a formal and psychological tension to engage the audience with the sculpture (Little, etal, 20). This subject was born when artists imagined the events that occurred right after the Christ was deposed from the cross. Additionally, this theme occured in a time when people were asking for a “direct contact” with the divine which was a in demand especially after the Black Death, the plague, that swept that swept through Europe killing 2/3rds of the population spurring a religious revival. The theme of pieta started under the influence of the Byzantine Empire, in the thirteenth century, and this influence had a strong connection to local contemporary devotional literature, and the mystical movement centered in Byzantine.”(Wixom, 35). The sculpture was made in the late medieval, which was a time of having religious narrations in different countries providing the details of the birth of Christ, his crucifixion, and his mother’s and public’s reaction on his death. Plus, medieval age also shed the light on the emotions and divinity giving it a lot of attention in art. The place of the pieta sculptures was in the church, and they probably intended to be placed for the intimate setting of a side or secondary altar. (Wixom,

The excerpt from “Under the Feet of Jesus” by Helena María Viramontes illustrates a young girl named Estrella who, in learning to read, transitions from ignorant and flustered to competent and analytical. Viramontes displays this character development by using selection of detail, figurative language such as imagery, and tone that correspond with Estrella’s experiences and situation.

“From prostitute to sibyl to mystic to celibate nun to passive helpmeet to feminist icon to the matriarch of divinity’s secret dynasty.” (James Carroll “Who is Mary Magdalene”) What we know for sure is that Mary Magdalene was a former sinner that became a leading figure in Jesus’ followers. She stayed by Jesus’ side, to the end, she visited him at his tomb, and was the first person that Jesus “appeared after his resurrection and the first to preach the “Good News” of that miracle.” During the time period of this painting Mary Magdalene, a sinner and prostitute, illustrated “the very essence of spiritual conversion.” (Ebert-Schifferer 63) It’s no stretch to say that the painting is meant to show the moment at which Mary changes her ways, and becomes “married to the word of god”. The conversion of Mary was a new concept to Rome, The book “Caravaggio: The Artist and His Work” claims that this painting is the first to depict it.

To describe someone as comparable to the Virgin Mary or to Jesus Christ is to say they are the embodiment of absolute purity, virtue, and divine holiness. The Madonna and child embody every beautiful aspect of humanity and are far from one who fell into the sinful and unclean ways of Satan’s clutch. Throughout the novel, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author displays numerous times the abundant similarities placed between his supposedly scandalous main character, Hester Prynne, and the Virgin Mother herself, as well as a child born of sin, Pearl Prynne, and Jesus Christ. Hester is a convicted adulteress, damned to bear the burning Scarlet Letter brand upon her chest and suffer the consequences of her actions by being practically shunned to the outskirts of her strict Puritan community. Similarly, Pearl is known in her community to have been born through adultery and is damned along with her mother.

Prompt: How does Hawthorne develop his themes of sin, hypocrisy, and corruption in the Puritan society through the occurrences of the scarlet letter, the scaffold, the Puritans, the prison, and the forest in the story?

The way in which presuppositions affect the reader’s ability to accurately comprehend Biblical text can be demonstrated through implicit and biased beliefs about Jesus Christ. For example, in the Gospel of Luke, it is reported, “[a]nd a woman in the city, who was a sinner, having learned that he was eating in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster jar of ointment. She stood behind him at his feet, weeping, and began to bathe his feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she continued kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment” (The Holy Bible: NRSV, Luke 7:37-39). A variety of presuppositions can be made while reading this passage.

Teresa is a sculpture created by the Baroque artist Gianlorenzo Bernini. Bernini included religion along with a strong sense of sexuality in his sculpture of Teresa. In this sculpture, an angel is standing over Teresa with an arrow in his hand, while Teresa’s facial expression suggests that she is having a sexual orgasm. This sculpture was based on Saint Teresa’s description of her sensual experience with an angel (Sayre 681). The imagery Bernini uses suggests that Teresa she is feeling an intense physical desire, and a strong emotional connection to the Angel and Christ.

The piece of art is a statue that portrays Jesus’ body laying on his mother Mary’s laps at the time after the crucifixion having been removed from the cross (Lewis & Lewis, 2008) which is evidenced by the marks of small nails and the indication of the wound located in Jesus’ side. It revolves around the major theme of Northern origin which during that time was present in France but not in Italy. According to (St. Peters Basilica, 2009) Michelangelo offered a unique interpretation of the pieta to the models since it is a significant piece of work that balances the ideals of a new beginning incorporated in typical beauty and a touch of naturalism which is illustrated by the relationship exhibited by the figures. This is made possible by his skill to prove to both the viewers and himself of the supernatural beauty.

The Scarlet Letter is a modern classic of American literature written about controversy and published with controversy. The main topic of the book, adultery, is written in a dark and sad way, as Hawthorne describes injustice, fate or predetermination and conscience ( Van Doren, 1998) . No other American novel of the time has such a controversial theme as Hawthorne's, The Scarlet Letter. The setting of Nathanial Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is the seventeenth century Puritan New England. But Hawthorne's writing for this book is heavily influenced by his own nineteenth century culture. Hawthorne strongly believed in Providence. Hawthorne was descended from the Puritan