What specific words or phrases in Chapter Los Melones of the novel help you understand the contrast between the two settings? In other words, what specific language does the author use to help us understand how different California is from Mexico?

Everyone loads into Juan’s beat up truck; the adults sit in the cab and the children climb into the flatbed. Isabel tells them about the past year. The family has been living in a tent and working to afford their current residence on a larger estate. Now, Isabel hopes to start attending school so that she can learn English. Esperanza explains that she is quite well-educated and plans to return to school once Abuelita arrives.

When they stop for lunch, Esperanza wanders off on her own. As she looks out at the valleys below, she thinks about how Papa taught her to feel connected with the land. Esperanza tries to hear the heartbeat of the earth but she cannot, which frustrates her. In a fit of tears, Esperanza falls back onto the ground and suddenly feels as if she is floating above it without any anchor. Esperanza feels like she is floating higher - but she is uncertain about whether or not she enjoys the sensation of being unmoored. Miguel brings her back to reality by holding her hand and confessing that he, too, misses Papa.