Story Excerpt Analysis

The Setting

• The house sits on a low hill overlooking the river and a field of ripe corn with flowers, promising a good harvest.
• The only thing the earth needs is a downpour or shower.

Lencho's Family

• Lencho's family consists of his wife, older boys who work in the field, and smaller ones who play near the house.

The Rain and Hailstorm

• Lencho predicts a downpour, and big drops of rain start falling from the sky, bringing joy to the family.
• The rain turns into a strong wind and large hailstones that resemble new silver coins.
• The hailstorm lasts for an hour, destroying the cornfield, leaving it white and bare of leaves.

The Aftermath

• The hailstorm leaves nothing, and Lencho's cornfield is totally destroyed, leaving the family without a harvest.
• The family is sorrowful, but they hold onto the hope of help from God, remembering that no one dies of hunger.

Lencho's Letter to God

• Lencho writes a letter to God, asking for a hundred pesos to sow his field again and live until the next crop comes.
• He puts the letter in an envelope addressed to God and takes it to the post office.

The Post Office

• The postmaster and an employee laugh at the letter, but the postmaster decides to answer it, not wanting to shake Lencho's faith in God.

Test your comprehension skills with this quiz based on an excerpt from a story. Answer questions about the characters, setting, and events described in the passage.