Rivera's style of writing this novel was, and I have to concede with many of my classmates, a rather intimate and unprecedented approach unlike that of anything I've read in the past. How does it affect the reader in ways similar and different than that of the other novel Who would have thought it? I'd begin with the context of both plots---in one, we have the character of Lola, an exceptionally intelligent young girl of Mexican descent who really has no idea of what Mexican culture means nor has any particular ties with Mexicans. She suffers somewhat, yet the book is largely one focused on class, and we can infer that she is not the only who faces discrimination, there also exists Mrs. Norvall bound to the ropes of her gender role. In And the Earth Did Not Swallow him, we experience exclusively the struggles, meanderings and injustices of Mexican-Americans. In terms of spirituality And the Earth Did Not Swallow him has heavier religious themes, yet no particular sect is mentioned unlike in Who Would Have Thought It? where predominately we enjoy the likes of WASPS and little else.

And the earth did not swallow him is rich with emotion not difficult to detect, I would say there is little ambivalence in the inherent pains this protagonist (or the multitude of them) suffers from. He does not get the education he deserves despite being just as intelligent as anyone else. He does not enjoy the occasional or even sole anglo-saxon companion to help him or at least wish him out of his turmoil, allowing for quite a depressing read if you were to read the novel as a character study or as a mere tale. However, it's not a character study, and I believe that it's important that one reads the book in not an objective way but, how shall I phrase it, a manner that's detached from your conventional method of analysis. What I mean by that is there is no omniscience to refer to, there is somewhat of a definitive protagonist, but his thoughts are few and far between with respect to lineage and development. That being said, we have to use Rivera's written emotion and let it meddle with your own to comprehend the messages this book is conveying, and even those are somewhat cryptic. Rivera does not seek to evoke just our sympathy, his story is an edification to the hardships experienced by classes we as readers may have been unaware even existed.

Note that Rivera ends the novel with intended ambiguity rather than a generic conclusion or an attempt to encompass the sruggles of Mexican-Americans. It would be easy to say that it ends with a feeling of hope, which on an elementary level it does, but I would say that it ends with a spiritual awakening, of an acceptance that life will never be perfect, at least in his lifetime. His cries for help may not be answered, but he can soothe them with his own growth.