Question

Read the excerpt below from “At the Hearth” by Laura Esquivel and complete the instruction that follows.

The arrival of a new revolution is imminent, and I don’t think this time it will be from the outside in, but the opposite. It will entail the reclaiming of our rituals and ceremonies and the establishment of a new relationship with the land and the planet, with everything sacred. All this is possible in intimate spaces. It is there, around the hearth, where the New Man will appear, as the fruit of a common effort. He will give equal value to production and reproduction, to reason and emotion, to the intimate and the public, to the material and the spiritual. He will encourage the creation of balanced societies and understand clearly that self-realization should not be linked solely to public recognition and economic retribution. He will question his active participation in society, asking himself whether he should work in a factory that grossly pollutes the environment even though he is well paid for his work, and will look for other ways to earn a living. He will value small acts for their intimacy and transcendence and understand that they modify society just as surely as public events do—each helping to elevate the human condition and allowing us to enter in communion with our past—and regard them as reminders of where we come from and where we should be headed.



Discuss how this section of the text reveals both Esquivel’s theme and purpose in writing.

Answer 1

Esquivel’s purpose in writing this essay is to share her insights into the cultural revolution that began in the 1960s along with its effects on society. She wants to inform and entertain the reader. Her message or theme involves the notion of a “New Man,” by which she means a new human, not just male but female as well. She envisions a world where there will be balance in all aspects of our lives, concern for the environment, and respect for heritage. What is valued in this new society will not be just public recognition and monetary compensation but small acts and spirituality too. Esquivel believes it will begin with the “reclaiming of our rituals and ceremonies and the establishment of a new relationship with the land and the planet, with everything sacred. . . . It is there, around the hearth, where the New Man will appear, as the fruit of a common effort.”

Answer 2

Esquivel's theme seems to be in believing in the creation of a New Man who will put the natural environment first and not work at activities which harm it or pollute it and also will give equal value to reason and emotion and to the material and spiritual and treat everything as sacred. His purpose in writing seems to be to convey this message of the importance of a new way of thinking and acting in our world so human life can be sustainable.