How does Esperanza relate to the world around her in the first 57 pages?

Es[eranza has every luxury she could want and therefore, her perspective is full of wonder and hope. Her parents have provided well for Esperanza, and her world revolves around them and the family's farm. Papa is strong - a protector - and he is generous with birthday gifts. Esperanza sees her Mama as beautiful and believes that she can heal all wounds. Her Abuelita, meanwhile, possesses a soothing wisdom. Because of her strong family structure, Esperanza has never experienced hardship. However, her father's untimely death shatters her innocence.

Though Esperanza takes great joy in starting the harvest, but does not spend much time thinking about the field workers' hard labor. Instead, Esperanza is preoccupied with thoughts of her upcoming birthday. In this opening chapter, Abuelita serves as a foil to her young granddaughter. Abuelita tells Esperanza about the difficulties of her own life – a concept that Esperanza can only grasp in the abstract, as she has never experienced any real struggle. This scene is crucial in establishing Esperanza's character before her father's death. Esperanza's transition into a strong and mature adolescent forms the emotional backbone of the novel.

It is clear that Esperanza's social status has had a large effect on her outlook. For example, she only mentions the field workers in passing. However, the relationship between Miguel and Esperanza is significantly more complicated. Miguel comes from a lower social class, but his father is one of Papa’s most loyal friends. Esperanza admits that before she understood the differences in their backgrounds, she declared her love for Miguel. However, as Esperanza has become aware of her social superiority, she understands that she will never be able to marry Miguel. Furthermore, Esperanza has inadvertently revealed to Miguel that she thinks she is better than him, causing a seemingly irreparable rift in their friendship.