Caribbean Society Through the Lens of Literature Essay (Book Review)

Introduction

Along with several colonies in North America, the Caribbean was the core of England’s first foreign empire. The region was also called the “West Indies” because explorer Christopher Columbus assumed he had sailed to the “Indies,” as Asia was then known when he first landed there. However, Europeans were unaware at the time that this was an entirely new portion of the planet that we now refer to as the Americas. As a result, those who lived in this region of the world before the arrival of Europeans were referred to as “Indians.” In addition, many of the Caribbean islands were claimed by Spain by Columbus. France colonized Martinique and Guadeloupe. As a result, the Caribbean became under the jurisdiction of many rival European powers, including Spain, which had established its first colonies in the region over a century previously.

Europeans arrived in the Caribbean in pursuit of riches. The Spanish were looking for gold and silver during the time, but there was little to be found. So instead, the Europeans experimented with cultivating various foods to sell back home. After failing to cultivate tobacco, English colonists in the Caribbean experimented with sugarcane cultivation. It was not a native plant, but it thrived after being introduced. Sugarcane may be used to manufacture a variety of items. Sugar, of course, was there, and it went well with tea, coffee, and chocolate. It may also be used to manufacture rum, an alcoholic beverage with high alcohol content. Many people in Europe desired such things, and those who planted them – known as “planters” – became extremely rich. It also increased the value of the Caribbean possessions, making them desirable targets for competing powers. Martinique changed hands multiple times since Britain and France were constantly at odds.

The development of sugar “plantations” throughout the Caribbean resulted in a significant labor shortage. As a result, the planters were more interested in purchasing enslaved men, women, and children from Africa. As a result, approximately a million enslaved Africans were transported to the Caribbean, with about half of them arriving in the British Caribbean. As planters became more reliant on enslaved labor, the Caribbean colonies’ demographics shifted, with Africans or their descendants making up the majority. The assumption that they were members of an inferior “race” justified their cruel and barbaric treatment. Indeed, in the Caribbean colonies, sophisticated race classification systems arose, with ‘whites’ at the top, ‘blacks’ at the bottom, and various ‘mixed’ groupings in between. It was a concept created by white people in order to justify slavery’s harshness.

Some enslaved people rose against the owners to pursue freedom and escape their harsh and violent treatment, but slavery was only abolished in the French province of St Domingue. Others fled the plantations, and though many were apprehended, others formed groups of “Maroons” who continued to oppose European domination. They tended to occupy terrain that was remote from plantations and difficult to access by colonial soldiers. The British could not vanquish the Maroons in certain regions, such as Jamaica, and negotiated an arrangement. The British agreed not to fight the Maroons if they returned any other enslaved people who attempted to join them and aided the British in the event of an uprising or invasion. Slavery began to be abolished in the early nineteenth century. In the British Caribbean, enslaved individuals were released – or emancipated. Across most of the Caribbean, a system is known as “apprenticeship” was implemented to help previously enslaved individuals and the landowners who relied on their labor transition to freedom. However, things remained uneven even after the Apprenticeship ended.

Caribbean Literature

Caribbean literature refers to the literature produced in the Caribbean’s many territories. Anglo-Caribbean or, in historical settings, West Indian literature, refers to English-language literature from the former British West Indies. The majority of these colonies have become independent countries; however, several still maintain colonial links to the UK. Apart from the English language, they have many political, cultural, and social ties, making it worthwhile to group their literary works. The more inclusive phrase “Caribbean literature” encompasses all Caribbean literature, independent of language – whether published in English, Spanish, French, Hindustani, or Dutch, or one of the many creoles. The Caribbean literature is unusual, both in terms of language and subject matter. Caribbean literature provides a powerful platform for Post-Colonial studies and Caribbean literature in importance in all literature via themes of innocence, exile and returns to the homeland, resistance and perseverance, engagement and alienation, and self-determination.

The Haunted Tropics

The shared history of colonialism and slavery that gave birth to the Caribbean is one of the most important aspects of Caribbean identity. The Haunted Tropics: Caribbean Ghost Stories is a collection of fifteen stories with two hundred pages. Martin Munro has compiled a collection of stories by some of the region’s most well-known contemporary authors, including authors from the Anglophone, Francophone, and Hispanophone Caribbean, and the United States and Canada. The authors weave Caribbean mythology with the themes of the ghost story genre throughout the novel. According to Munro, authors from varied origins, such as Anglophones, Francophones, and Hispanophones, used their knowledge of Caribbean time, history, place, and revitalization of this popular type of literary production. Munro wrote, “every island of the Caribbean is the site of a deep haunting” (Munro 7). This is demonstrated by the fact that there is always a supernatural aspect in the anthology.

Maryse Condé

Maryse Condé, whose real name is Maryse Boucolon, is a Guadeloupian novelist specializing in epic historical novels set in Africa. Her books are on the African diaspora in the Caribbean as a result of enslavement and colonialism. Her novels have been translated into English, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese from their original French. She has received several honors for her work, including the Grand Prix Littéraire de la Femme, Prix de l’Académie Française, Prix Carbet de la Carraibe, and the New Academy Prize in Literature. Condé’s books are set in many historical ages and locations, and they deal with race, gender, and cultural concerns. She has remained aloof from most Caribbean literary groups, such as Negritude and Creolité, and has frequently written about feminist and political issues.

The Obeahman, Obeahed

The Obeahman, Obeahed is a story about a man who brings the woman he desires back from the dead. The story begins with an account of the daily life of the girl Bella and Carmélien. The author talks about Bella’s merits and how she is ahead of other women in everyday work. Carmélien followed Bella until one day she told him that she would call the police if a man walked around her house. Carmélien vowed to get revenge on Bella in any way possible. He said, “It is not difficult to grab a dead person’s soul. All you need do is trap it when it leaves the body and begins its journey to the other side. Lock it up, for example, in one of those olive oil jars from Aubagne, sometimes used to embellish our Creole gardens, or else in a water barrel” (Condé 2). Carmélien sat down next to Bella’s house under an apple tree and watched what was happening in her house. The whole family gathered and even the father, who never paid due attention to his daughter.

As soon as the man saw the priest in Bella’s house, he began not to waste time and prepare to go to the cemetery, where he would dig up Bella’s grave. Instead, he kept her at home, and she became his slave. Bella behaved differently as a slave; she listened to her master and did everything he told her. The following is about the success of Carmelien’s father, Nolencia. He was a local authority because he could heal almost anything. The mayor of the city looked after the man, and Carmeliene, in turn, realized that he was being watched, and this caused him to panic. Sitting down and lighting a cigarette, Carmelien saw Bella’s soul heading into the afterlife. He took her and ran home to hide from the measure. He began to think that Bella had said something wrong about him before she died, which piqued interest in his personality. This part of the story tells about unnatural things that could not have happened in real life.

One evening, the man returned home, where Bella cooked him a pork dish with green bananas, but Carmelien did not want to eat but wanted to chat with Bella. He asked her about it, but nothing interested her; she could not speak with her nasal voice of the living dead. He loved her and suffered because he could not talk to her because he could revive her, but he could not talk. Finally, Carmelien sat down in frustration and began to eat. Carmelien began to develop challah, which led to the fact that he could no longer make love to Bella. She, in his opinion, began to rejoice at this, smile and laugh.

One day Carmelien with health problems got to the city center, where he explained to Ali Samba, a doctor, the purpose of his visit. Carmelien was asked to speak French, not his native language, so that Ali Samba could understand him. Ali Samba asked if Carmelien was an obeahman, the man answered yes, to which Ali Samba laughed and said, “The obeahman, obeahed” (Condé 14). After the doctor gave the man a bottle and told him to take medicine every day, Carmelien understood that nothing could cure him. He came home and saw a happy Bella, ate, and took medicine. His blood froze in his veins, and his heart stopped pumping immediately, and he slumped, but his brain stayed vigilant. His whole life flew by before his eyes, and he suddenly wakes up with the help of Bella, but he could not do anything afterward; he did not move, did not see, only heard. This moment in the story pokes fun at Carmelien’s ability to bring others to life, but not himself. He was able to get Bella out of the dead, and his health is simply ruining.

Seeing the helpless Carmelien, Bella took many keys and tried to escape, but this was impossible since their souls were tied. Carmelien only wanted to be with his beloved, but this all led to the death of both. The Mayor and Doctor went to Carmelion’s house and saw that Carmelion and Bella were dead. The doctor closed Carmelien’s pupils and said that he was a monster.

This story shows how ruthless love can sometimes be. The main character, Carmelien, being a cigar, pursuing personal goals in reviving his love for which he paid with his own life in the end. However, unfortunately, it is impossible to prevent what has already happened; if a person has passed away, then this is his fate, and no cigar can change it.

Roberto Fernández

Roberto Fernández Retamar was a Cuban poet, essayist, literary critic and President of the Casa de las Américas. As president of the organization, Fernández also served on the Council of State of Cuba. An early close confidant of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, he was a central figure in Cuba. Fernández also wrote over a dozen significant collections of verse and founded the Casa de las Americas cultural magazine.

Awakening is a story that begins with a funeral where the deceased Elizarda looked like she had not done something. Elizarda died unexpectedly; it was an ordinary day; she went with little Edelmira to repair leather suitcases. The family was planning to travel to Florida to have Elizarda imbibe the reinvigorating waters while her husband would strike a new deal. One day, the whole family is dining in the kitchen, suddenly watching Elizarda gasp for breath, clutching at her throat. It was a shock for absolutely all family members: the children were scared, and the father was in a state of confusion.

The funeral process was protracted, as the husband of the deceased wanted to perpetuate the memory of his wife for everyone. Everything seemed gray and dull; nothing evoked positive emotions. Edelmira missed her mother all the time; her grandmother tried to distract her from this. Finally, her father decided to send her to specialists who can help the girl. Edelmira returned home, and her sister Delphina tried to distract her so that Edelmira would paint with her. While she was drawing, Delphina brought juice, and Edelmira smiled sharply and said that her mother was standing nearby and needed to be treated to juice. Delphina was frightened and told Edelmira not to tell anyone about this so that the girl would not be sent for treatment.

The story shows the strong bond and relationship between mom and daughter. The daughter greatly missed her mother that she had come to visit her and make her happy at least for a moment. Children’s love for their parents is often not measured. Children love their parents from birth on an instinctual level. Mom and daughter are the central characters who lead the whole story from beginning to end.

Comparison

Both stories tell the connection between people and the dead through the power of love. The first story tells about unrequited love between a man and a woman. Carmelien loved Bella with all her heart, but she rejected him until the end of her days. Finally, he revived her as a token of love, but in the end, he paid with his life and hers, questioning his civic abilities. The second story tells about the bond between mother and daughter. Edelmira loves her deceased mother and hopes to meet her, which ultimately happens. The whole world around Edelmira is gray until the moment of meeting with the mother’s spirit, which shows the strength of their connection and love. The difference between the stories lies in the protagonists and their intentions. Carmelien wanted to revive his beloved when Edelmira only wanted to see her mother.

Conclusion

There are no indigenous literary traditions in the Caribbean. Pre-Columbian American Indians left behind miniature cave paintings or inscriptions, and their oral traditions disappeared with the arrival of the Spaniards. Since the West Africans who followed them had no written heritage, Caribbean literature developed and imitated the colonial powers of Spain, France, Britain, and the Netherlands. On the other hand, the writers of the Caribbean knew their surroundings well. These works tell about the horror stories written by Caribbean authors, the resurrection from the dead, and the connection with spirits, which is the central theme of such works of Caribbean authors. Both stories have a familiar atmosphere of fear and horror. The main characters just wanted to spend more time with their loved ones because the loss was unexpected and hit hard on the heroes’ lives. However, after analyzing the plot and characters, the reader can understand that the stories are different, and the only thing that connects them is the love affair of the main characters.

References

Condé, M. (2015). The obeahman, obeahed. In M. Munro (Ed.), The haunted tropics: Caribbean ghost stories. University Press of the West Indies.

Munro, M. (2015). The haunted carribean. In M. Munro (Ed.), The haunted tropics: Caribbean ghost stories. University Press of the West Indies.