So far into reading this book, I've derived that the main conflict is going to be between the Wallflower Order, representing western society, and Jes Grew, representing black and African culture. Throughout the book, Ishmael Reed likes to prove that African culture deserves recognition and shouldn't be thrown away as "mumbo jumbo". I noticed that Reed takes jabs at western society and I enjoyed some specific lines.
One of the first few lines I noticed where Reed makes fun of western society is when he is describing the symptoms of Jes Grew. Up until this point, we know of Jes Grew as a epidemic causing people to dance and feel lively. Soon after we get another description of how Harry (a person 'infected') felt with Reed saying, "he felt like the gut heart and lungs of Africa's interior. He said he felt like the Kongo: "Land of the Panther"." and "he felt like he could dance on a dime". These are just some of the many beautiful descriptions of African culture that Reed paints as Jes Grew. It just makes it kinda funny how the Mayor, along the rest of western society, is freaking out over something that really isn't an epidemic but rather the spreading of culture. Reed uses this irony to his advantage.
A few pages later I noticed another interesting line. Reed is talking about Jes Grew again and refers to it as an anti-plague while contrasting it to normal plagues. In it he says, "Terrible plagues were due to the wrath of God; but Jes Grew is the delight of the gods." and the importance is in a certain word. IDK if we touched on this in class but I noticed this by myself and saw that Reed capitalized "God" in the first half and said "gods" in the second half. I view this as Reed showcasing both the monotheistic God of western society and the polytheistic gods (loas) of Voodoo. In this book, God shows wrath while the loas show delight.
With these lines in mind, it's easy to see the theme of western society vs black/African culture and hopefully I'll see more clever instances of this theme while reading.
One of the first few lines I noticed where Reed makes fun of western society is when he is describing the symptoms of Jes Grew. Up until this point, we know of Jes Grew as a epidemic causing people to dance and feel lively. Soon after we get another description of how Harry (a person 'infected') felt with Reed saying, "he felt like the gut heart and lungs of Africa's interior. He said he felt like the Kongo: "Land of the Panther"." and "he felt like he could dance on a dime". These are just some of the many beautiful descriptions of African culture that Reed paints as Jes Grew. It just makes it kinda funny how the Mayor, along the rest of western society, is freaking out over something that really isn't an epidemic but rather the spreading of culture. Reed uses this irony to his advantage.
A few pages later I noticed another interesting line. Reed is talking about Jes Grew again and refers to it as an anti-plague while contrasting it to normal plagues. In it he says, "Terrible plagues were due to the wrath of God; but Jes Grew is the delight of the gods." and the importance is in a certain word. IDK if we touched on this in class but I noticed this by myself and saw that Reed capitalized "God" in the first half and said "gods" in the second half. I view this as Reed showcasing both the monotheistic God of western society and the polytheistic gods (loas) of Voodoo. In this book, God shows wrath while the loas show delight.
With these lines in mind, it's easy to see the theme of western society vs black/African culture and hopefully I'll see more clever instances of this theme while reading.
As I continue to read Mumbo Jumbo, I feel like I'm catching on to more of Reed's irony and symbolism because I have a better idea of what's going on plot-wise in the novel. You pointed out a couple moments that stuck out to me as well. The way that Reed depicts the reaction of the Atonists to Jes Grew is very loaded and pretty accurately representative of reality. I also like how you pointed out not just the irony but the moments where Reed highlights the charming aspects of African culture that go unnoticed.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Jes Grew vs Atonism was really African culture vs western culture. Reed was very particular in writing his book so that he could challenge white supremacy in every way possible. I liked how you gave examples of Reed criticizing western culture as well as Reed giving recognition to African culture. I especially liked your example of Reed's use of the word God vs gods, I hadn't picked up on that.
ReplyDelete