Esperanza Rising

Scene

Papa: Our land is alive, Esperanza.(takes Esperanzas hand while they walk
through the grape fields)
Esperanza:[6 years old(holds papas hand)
Papa: This whole valley breathes and lives,
Papa: It gives us the grapes and then welcome us.(gently touches a wild tendril)
Papa: Did you know that when you lie down on land , you can feel it breathe? That
you can feel its heart beating?
Esperanza:Papi, I want to feel it?
Papa: Come.
Narrator 1:They lay still on the incline on the hill.
Esperanza:(giggles)
Papa:SSSHHH Esperanza, you can only hear if you are quiet yourself.
Narrator 1: Esperanza starts to feel the Earths heartbeat and their heartbeats
become one.
Narrator 2:Fast forward six years in the field on the first harvest.
Papa: Go ahead.(hands Esperanza a knife to cut the first grape vine of the
harvest)
Esperanza: I can't believe I'm turning 13.
Narrator 2:Skip to the exciting stuff please.
Narrator 1:Ok

SCENE

Esperanza:Where are they mama?

Mama:Alfonso and Miguel will find him.(paces by window)
Hortensia:(lights lamps)
Mama:I hear riders,
Narrator 2:It was only Papas older stepbrothers, Tio Luis and Tio Marco.
Narrator 1:Tio Luis is the bank president, while Tio Marco is the mayor.

Tio Luis:Ramona, we may have bad news. One of the cattle drivers brought
this to us.(Hands
mama papas silver belt buckle, the only one of its kind, engraved with the brand
of the ranch.)
Mama: I see a lantern. Someone is coming!
Narrator 1: They hurried to the courtyard,...
Narrator 2: And a wagon came into view!!
Narrator 1:Do you really have to always finish my sentence?
Narrator 2: YES!!BACK TO THE STORY!!

Esperanza: (when wagon stops, sees body in the back) WHERES PAPA??
Miguel: (hangs head)
Alfonso:(Doesnt say a thing but is crying.)
Mama:(faints)
Abuelita and Hortensia:( Runs to Mamas side)
Esperanza:(falls to knees and sobs in disbelief.)

Scene

Lawyer:Ramona, your husband Sixto Ortega, left this house and all of its contents
to you and your daughter. You will also receive the yearly income from the grapes.
As you know, it isnt customary to leave land to women and since Luis was the
banker on the loan, Sixto left the land to him.
Tio Luis: Which makes things rather awkward, I am the bank president and would
like to live accordingly. Now that I own this beautiful land , I would like to purchase
this house for this amount.
(Gives Romana a piece of paper )
Mama: (looks at paper) This is our home. My husband meant for us to live here.
And the house...it is twenty times this much! So no, I will not sell. Besides, where
would we live?
Tio Luis: I predicted you would say no, Ramona, and I have a solution to your living
arrangements. A proposal actually. One of marriage.
Esperanza: (thinking) who is he talking about? Who would marry him?
Tio Luis:With your beauty and reputation and my position at the bank, we could be
a powerful couple. I am going to campaign for governor. And what woman would not
want to be the governors wife?
Mama: I have no desire to marry you, Luis, now or ever. Frankly, your offer offends
me.
Tio Luis: You will regret your decision, Ramona. You must keep in mind that this
house and those grapes are on my property. I can make things very difficult for you.
Very difficult. I will let you sleep on the decision, for it is more than generous.
Mama: Esperanza! Wake up! We need to get Abuelita!
Esperanza: Whats happening?
Alfonso: Senora Orgeta! Esperanza!
Mama:Alfonso! Abuelita is not here!
Alfonso: We will find her. You must come now. The stairs are beginning to burn.
Hurry!
Mama:(outside) Wheres Abuelita? Abuelita!
Miguel: (to Esperanza) Where is your mother and Abuelita?(runs to mama then
runs into the house)
Narrator 2: A few minutes later.
Miguel:(comes outside with Abuelita in his arms and lays her down)
Hortensia:(screams)

Alfonso:(tackles Miguel and rolls him around because his back is on fire)
Esperanza:(walks to Mama who cradles Abuelita in her arms) Mama, is she..?
Mama: No, she is alive, but she is weak in her ankle..I dont think she can walk.
Esperanza(kneels down) Abuelita, where were you?
Abuelita:(hold up bag of unfinished crochet work) We must have something to do

while we wait.

Scene 4

Tio Marco:Ramona, another sadness in so short a time. We are deeply sorry.

Tio Luis: I have come to give you another chance. If you reconsider my proposal, I
will build a bigger, more beautiful house and I will replant everything. Of course, if
you prefer, you can live here with the servants, as long as another tragedy does not
happen to their homes as well. There is no main house or fields where they can
work, so you see that many peoples lives and jobs depend on you. And I am sure
that you want the best for Esperanza, do you not?
Mama;(looks at Esperanza with disappointed eyes then looked at the ground) I will
consider your proposal.
Tio Luis: I am delighted! I have no doubt that you will make the right decision. I will
be back in a few days for your answer.
Esperanza:Mama, no!(turns to Tio Luis) I hate you!
Tio Luis: And Ramona, if Esperanza is to be my daughter, she must have better
manners. In fact, today I will look into boarding schools where they can teach her to
act like lady.
Narrator 1: After a bit, they go inside and discuss the outcomes of both options.
Hortensia: You should know that we have decided to go to the United States.
Mama: What is Esperanza and I went with you? To the United States.
Esperanza: Mama,we cannot leave Abuelita!
Abuelita: I would come later, when I am stronger.
Narrator 2: After a few days, Abuelita left with her sisters and Senor Rodriguez
would come to secret meetings, where the adults would discuss their plan to
escape.
Narrator 1:at the end of the week, while Esperanza was sitting on a step Tio Luis
rode up. He sent Alfonso to bring him mama.
Mama: Luis, I have considered your proposal and in the interest of the servants and
Esperanza, I will marry you, in due time. But you must start rebuilding and
replanting immediately, as the servants need their jobs.
Narrator 2: Now Tio Luis is saying how he is going to change things, such as,
getting new clothes for Ramona and Esperanza, and that he would start rebuilding
and replanting. He also says he would send a new wagon to Ramona so her,
Esperanza and the servants could see Abuelita.
Narrator 1: I cant wait to see his face when he finds out they escaped.
Narrator 2: The night before the dressmaker was scheduled to come, Mama woke
Esperanza at night and she carried what she could. Her valise filled with clothes, a

small package of tamales, and the doll that papa gave her. Mama, Hortensia, and
Esperanza had shawls draped around them to blend with the night.

Scene 5
Narrator 1:After a few long train rides the gang is finally in the U.S.
Alfonso:Anza, we are here. Wake up!!
EsperanzaWhat day is this?
Alfonso: You have been asleep for hours. Wake!! It is Thursday. We are in Los
Angeles! Look there is my brother, Juan, his wife, Josefina, and their children, Isabel
and the twins. They all came.
Narrator 2:Mama, Hortensia, Juan, and Josefina got in the front of the rickety truck.
Miguel, Isabel, Alfonso, Esperanza, and the twins are crammed in the back.
Narrator 1:After a while, they make it to their cabin in the mexican camp.
Mama:(starts to sing and unpack)
Esperanza:How can you be happy? We dont even have a room to call our own.
Narrator 1:One day,after dinner, Miguel and Alfonso went outside with instructions
not to follow them. Right before sunset, Miguel came in.
Miguel: Senora and Esperanza, we have something to show you..
Narrator 2:Behind the cabin was an oval bathtub with one end cut off. It was laid
on its side, forming a little shrine around a plastic statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Around it, a large bit of earth was fenced in by sticks and ropes, planted with thorny
stems, each with little thorny branches.

Scene 6
Narrator 1:one morning, Melina and Irene are helping Esperanza watch the twins. A
cloud of dust was coming at them
Irene:Dust storm! Hurry! Get inside!
Esperanza:whats happening?
Melina: A dust storm, nothing like you have ever seen before. They are awful.
Narrator 2: a few hours later, mama walks in...she cannot stop coughing.
Narrator 1: After a few days, a doctor comes and says the mama has the valley
fever.
Narrator 2A long while later, mama is still sick and she is in the [Link]
starts to work, and now the doctors told Esperanza that her mother has pneumonia.
We skip to spring where Esperanza has bought money orders to get Abuelita to
mama and mama has just came home.
Esperanza: Mama, Miguel is gone. It was my fault, I got angry and told him he was
still a peasant, then he left.
Mama:Im sure he knows you didnt mean it. Hell come back soon.
Esperanza:Mama, we have been away from Abuelita for almost a year. I have
saved money. We can bring her soon. Do you want to see?
Mama:.......
Esperanza:(gets up, turns on light,checks valise)Mama, theyre gone

Scene 7
Narrator 2 :now Hortensia, Alfonso, and Esperanza are meeting Miguel.
Esperanza: did you bring back what you stole?
Miguel: No, but I brought something better.
Esperanza: Abuelita! Abuelita!
Abuelita: Im here. How I have missed you.
Narrator 2: they are back at the camp and Abuelita i about to surprise mama.
Abuelita:Ramona
Mama:Esperanza is that you?
Abuelita:No, Ramona, it is me
Abuelita.
Mama:(stares at Abuelita with an emotionless face then reaches out and touches
Abuelitas face)
Abuelita:yes I have come.
Narrator 1: the three women start to crochet the blanket that Abuelita gave to
Esperanza to finish.
Narrator 2: On the morning of her birthday, Esperanza heard Miguel, Alfonso, and
Juan sing the birthday song.
Abuelita:Now watch Isabel, ten stitches up to the to of the mountain..
Isabel:but mine is all crooked!
Esperanza:(unravels the uneven work) Never be afraid to start over.