Life of Migrant Workers

After reading And the Earth Did Not Devour Him by Tomas Rivera and Cajas de Carton by Francisco Jimenez, I couldn't imagine the harsh conditions these families went through.  Both stories were told by the authors but from a child's point of view.

In Tomas Rivera's story, it began by telling us that the dad suffered from a sunstroke.  He had glossy eyes, cramps and couldn't sleep.  Thinking about how hot the sun was while working in a field all day is unimaginable.  Shifting to Cajas de Carton, the family worked 12 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I calculated this and in total, they worked 84 hours a week. I don't know about you but 84 hours is an insane amount of hours to be working in the hot sun, picking cotton or fruits.  Another idea these stories brought up was the children not attending school when they should be.  Yes, families are in need of money and they need the extra help from one child but they also need to attend school and receive their education.  Education is how students become successful in the future and start their crazy ideas.
As Francisco was getting used to his school and Mr. Lema, he had to move to a different area again.  It was time to pack up the boxes in his dad's Carcanchita.  Migrant workers had to move so many times to find work for the season.  If there was no work, they had to pack up and move again.  It's sad that they build a life in one area and have to pack it all away to drive to a different area.