Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the fourth chapter of the book Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies by Seth Holmes. This is arguably the most prominent part of the publication, as it depicts the suffering that laborers endure every day. The story is exceptionally shocking because it is set in relatively recent times and shows the harsh reality of modern fieldwork.
Main body
The author explores the idea of the violence continuum by separating it into three components, each represented by a separate character. The people portrayed in this work are Triqui strawberry pickers, whom the author “came to know well, Abelino, Crescencio, and Bernardo” (Holmes and Bourgois 90). These examples are valuable, as they are linked to a problem that affects a large number of poor people.
Each of the workers has sustained an injury that corresponds to a particular manifestation of the violence continuum. Abelino has injured his knee while working in the fields and was ignored by his supervisor. This was a direct result of the discriminatory practices that left him the option but to work on this “particularly traumatic labor position” (Holmes and Bourgois 94). Crescencio has been having headaches for seven years, and the author concluded that they were caused by racist treatment (Holmes and Bourgois 98). Finally, Bernardo’s Stomach pain from direct political violence has been worsened by the tough work conditions (Holmes and Bourgois 110). All three cases presented here are examples of structural violence.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, it appears that the exploitation of people from certain ethnic backgrounds is the backbone of the agricultural industry. It is unacceptable that human beings can be forced to work so hard their bodies begin to break. The author shows this problem in an objective manner; he supports his claims with his own experience and the words of the system’s victims, leaving no place for doubt.
References
Holmes, Seth, and Philippe Bourgois. “How the Poor Suffer.” Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies: Migrant Farmworkers in the United States, University of California Press, 2013, pp. 88–110.