"And now we arive at the strangest part of our tale. Whether what follows was a figment of Beli's wracked imaginationor something else altogether I cannot say. Even your Watcher has his silences, his paginas en blanco. Beyond the Source Wall few have ventured. But no matter what the truth, remember: Dominicans are Caribbean and therefore have an extraordinary tolerance for extreme phenomena. How else could we have survived what we have survived? So as Beli was flitting in and out of life, there appeared at her side a creature that would have been an amiablemongoose if not for its golden lioneyes and the absolute black of its pelt. This one was quite large for its species and placed its intelligent little paws on her chest and stared down at her." (149)
Summary: The paragraph above written by Junot Diaz in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao not only incorporates different elements of Oscar’s personality, but it emphasizes many different parts of Dominican culture that are dominant throughout the novel. The passage helps highlight not just the struggles of the time period and its people, but also the unknown, unseen powers that all cultures have some belief in, in this, fuku and zafa. Imagination is a key force throughout the novel, especially in regards to the Dominican belief of fuku and zafa. Diaz discusses the causes and effects of fuku in the first pages of his novel and describes it as “a curse or doom of some kind; specifically the Curse and the Doom of the New World. Also called the fuku of the Admiral because the Admiral was both its midwife and one of its greatest European victims” (1). Fuku is a strong, prevalent concept throughout the novel, for it is believed to be an evil that follows from generation to generation. There is only one thing that can protect people from fuku, the azabache, which we first get a reference to when Lola’s daughter is born. “On a string around her neck: three azabaches…three barrier shields against the Eye” (329). This is a reference that is not only prevalent in the Dominican Republic, but a part of many different cultures. Whether it be the evil eye, a dream catcher, or jewelry, etc. that people use as a form of protection from evil spirits. In the passage, Diaz exclaims, “Dominicans are Caribbean and therefore have a high tolerance for extreme phenomena.” Here, Diaz shows how events in the lives of Dominicans are very unusual and unexpected, like the power of Trujillo. Throughout the novel, Trujillo is described as an ever-present figure, as if he used super-human abilities to watch over the country he controlled and its citizens. This “extreme phenomena” parallels very well with the Eye of Sauron in the Lord of The Rings. When looking for the ring of power, Sauron’s eye can travel extremely long distances, underground, and even through people in its search. We felt that Trujillo’s reign seemed to extend as far as Sauron’s fictional, but comparable, Eye. The next line of illuminated text, “survived what we have survived,” can relate directly to Beli’s internal and external struggle of being in love with the Gangster. Fort Minor’s “Where’d You Go” speaks of missing someone that is away for very long periods of time, and how difficult it is to try to live without him/her. Mike Shinoda does a good job highlighting how hopeless the wait makes him feel, but then shows he is stuck waiting for his love to come back to him. As Beli is “flitting in and out of life,” we are once again re-introduced to the concept of fuku. We found this especially interesting because it seems as though there is a battle between fuku and zafa in this sentence. There is the curse that has followed her from her parents, trying to kill her, but there is also the aspect of zafa that brings her back to life through the mongoose (zafa). While researching the mongoose, we found an interesting portrayal of the mongoose in Chinese culture. In China, the mongoose is viewed as a positive symbol of feng-shui that helps overcome the negative. It is said to “sprout precious gems and jewelry,” and to help “overcome bad luck.” It is ironic then, that the creature that represents survival to Beli, is also a mongoose. While the picture of the cat is a bit of a joke, the picture of Aslan is easily related to the mongoose Beli sees. In the Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan is a mythical lion that protects the four Pevensies throughout their many journeys within Narnia. Aslan represents the highest class of animal-the king of the jungle, but is amiable and kind to the children when aiding them. Just like Aslan, the mongoose aids Beli by saving her life and giving her a new purpose. Without Aslan, the Pevensie children would have perished, just like Beli and the mongoose.
"And now we arive at the strangest part of our tale. Whether what follows was a figment of Beli's wracked imaginationor something else altogether I cannot say. Even your Watcher has his silences, his paginas en blanco. Beyond the Source Wall few have ventured. But no matter what the truth, remember: Dominicans are Caribbean and therefore have an extraordinary tolerance for extreme phenomena. How else could we have survived what we have survived? So as Beli was flitting in and out of life, there appeared at her side a creature that would have been an amiable mongoose if not for its golden lioneyes and the absolute black of its pelt. This one was quite large for its species and placed its intelligent little paws on her chest and stared down at her." (149)
Summary:
The paragraph above written by Junot Diaz in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao not only incorporates different elements of Oscar’s personality, but it emphasizes many different parts of Dominican culture that are dominant throughout the novel. The passage helps highlight not just the struggles of the time period and its people, but also the unknown, unseen powers that all cultures have some belief in, in this, fuku and zafa.
Imagination is a key force throughout the novel, especially in regards to the Dominican belief of fuku and zafa. Diaz discusses the causes and effects of fuku in the first pages of his novel and describes it as “a curse or doom of some kind; specifically the Curse and the Doom of the New World. Also called the fuku of the Admiral because the Admiral was both its midwife and one of its greatest European victims” (1). Fuku is a strong, prevalent concept throughout the novel, for it is believed to be an evil that follows from generation to generation. There is only one thing that can protect people from fuku, the azabache, which we first get a reference to when Lola’s daughter is born. “On a string around her neck: three azabaches…three barrier shields against the Eye” (329). This is a reference that is not only prevalent in the Dominican Republic, but a part of many different cultures. Whether it be the evil eye, a dream catcher, or jewelry, etc. that people use as a form of protection from evil spirits.
In the passage, Diaz exclaims, “Dominicans are Caribbean and therefore have a high tolerance for extreme phenomena.” Here, Diaz shows how events in the lives of Dominicans are very unusual and unexpected, like the power of Trujillo. Throughout the novel, Trujillo is described as an ever-present figure, as if he used super-human abilities to watch over the country he controlled and its citizens. This “extreme phenomena” parallels very well with the Eye of Sauron in the Lord of The Rings. When looking for the ring of power, Sauron’s eye can travel extremely long distances, underground, and even through people in its search. We felt that Trujillo’s reign seemed to extend as far as Sauron’s fictional, but comparable, Eye.
The next line of illuminated text, “survived what we have survived,” can relate directly to Beli’s internal and external struggle of being in love with the Gangster. Fort Minor’s “Where’d You Go” speaks of missing someone that is away for very long periods of time, and how difficult it is to try to live without him/her. Mike Shinoda does a good job highlighting how hopeless the wait makes him feel, but then shows he is stuck waiting for his love to come back to him.
As Beli is “flitting in and out of life,” we are once again re-introduced to the concept of fuku. We found this especially interesting because it seems as though there is a battle between fuku and zafa in this sentence. There is the curse that has followed her from her parents, trying to kill her, but there is also the aspect of zafa that brings her back to life through the mongoose (zafa). While researching the mongoose, we found an interesting portrayal of the mongoose in Chinese culture. In China, the mongoose is viewed as a positive symbol of feng-shui that helps overcome the negative. It is said to “sprout precious gems and jewelry,” and to help “overcome bad luck.” It is ironic then, that the creature that represents survival to Beli, is also a mongoose.
While the picture of the cat is a bit of a joke, the picture of Aslan is easily related to the mongoose Beli sees. In the Chronicles of Narnia, Aslan is a mythical lion that protects the four Pevensies throughout their many journeys within Narnia. Aslan represents the highest class of animal-the king of the jungle, but is amiable and kind to the children when aiding them. Just like Aslan, the mongoose aids Beli by saving her life and giving her a new purpose. Without Aslan, the Pevensie children would have perished, just like Beli and the mongoose.
Websites used:
http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/important_stuff-superstitions2.html#superstitions2-asabache
http://conspiracygrimoire.com/wp-content/uploads/barad-dur.jpg
http://bombsite.com/issues/101/articles/2948
http://images.dailydawdle.com/helpful-animal-helpers6.jpg
http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/chinafengshui/product-detailOoVndQGMaApU/China-The-Mongoose-Enhance-Good-Fortune-and-Wealth-Luck.html
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