logo

88 pages 2 hours read

Tomás Rivera

And The Earth Did Not Devour Him

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1971

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Introduction

And the Earth Did Not Devour Him

  • Genre: Novel; autobiographical fiction
  • Originally Published: 1971
  • Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 690L; college/adult
  • Structure/Length: 14 chapters; approx. 152 pages
  • Protagonist and Central Conflict: Over the course of a year, the young narrator observes important moments in his community of Mexican migrant workers. He recounts struggles and strength as he ponders memory, dream, reality, and their intersection.
  • Potential Sensitivity Issues: Suicide, racism, anxiety attacks; discriminatory labor conditions; guns and shooting 

Tomás Rivera, Author

  • Bio: Born 1935; died 1984; worked with his family as a farm laborer; earned BA and M.Ed. from Southwest Texas State University; earned PhD from University of Oklahoma; taught in high schools and universities; wrote poems, short stories, novels, and scholarly works; participated in civic activities and groups with a focus on education and youth; became first Mexican American chancellor in the University of California system; And the Earth Did Not Devour Him adapted to film in 1994
  • Other Works: Always and Other Poems (1973); This Migrant Earth (1985); The Searchers: Collected Poetry (1990)
  • Awards: Quinto Sol Prize

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

  • The Power of Storytelling
  • The Interdependence of Paradoxical Elements: Hope/Despair, Good/Bad, Light/Dark

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

  • Develop an understanding of the historical and sociological contexts regarding the history of migration’s effect on the perception of migrant workers that incites the narrator’s dilemma.
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 88 pages of this Study Guide
Plus, gain access to 8,350+ more expert-written Study Guides.
Including features:
+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools