Isabel Allende's "And of Clay Are We Created"

BLOG PROMPT: Explore the main theme of Isabel Allende’s “And of Clay Are We Created”.  

      Isabel Allende’s work is often defined by her use of magical realism in which she explores the exteriority of societal life and the interiority of her characters spiritual worlds. In her short story “And of Clay Are We Created” Allende weaves a tale “based closely on a real event, the eruption of Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia in 1985” (1735). The major theme of the story is the desire to have a match between external self-definitions and internal perceptions of self.

     The story begins in the wake of a devastating volcanic eruption. At the center of the story is a young thirteen year old girl named Azucena who is trapped in a slowly sinking “mudpit” created by an avalanche of volcanic ash; “[t]hey discovered the girl’s head protruding from the mudpit, eyes wide open, calling soundlessly…the little girl obstinately clinging to life became the symbol of the tragedy” (1735).  Due to Azucena’s unusual life threatening predicament she soon garners media attention, in particular the attention of a television reporter named Rolf Carle. Rolf immediately defines Azuncea’s predicament as a news worthy story and begins to create the external televised story of Azucena; “Rolf Carle was in on the story of Azucena from the beginning. He filmed the volunteers who discovered her, and the first persons who tried to reach her; his camera zoomed in on the girl, her dark face, her large desolate eyes, the plastered-down tangle of her hair” (1738). Upon contact with young Azucena, Rolf begins to re-interpret his earlier definition and a powerful internal desire to help the young girl overcomes his external occupational demands; “[t]he reporter was determined to snatch her from death” (1737). In this instant change of re-definition Rolf’s exterior persona is challenged by his internal desire to define Azuncea as more than a newsworthy story and to redefine his initial motives to align with his interior longing to connect with himself; “[h]e understood then that all his exploits as a reporter, the feats that had won him such recognition and fame, were merely an attempt to test whether reality was more tolerable from that perspective” (1740). This desire for connection without the infringements of exterior demands ultimately symbolizes the desire to rescue the internal self, free from the demands of external self- definitions; “[h]e had come face to face with the moment of truth; he could not continue to escape his past. He was Azucena, he was buried in the clayey mud; his terror was not the distant emotion of an almost forgotten childhood, it was a claw sunk in his throat” (1741).

     Allende presents the journey of self re-defining (by aligning internal and external self-definitions) as a difficult road to traverse, and one which requires the internal examination of memories we often lock away and desire to be forgotten; “[b]eside you, I wait for you to complete the voyage into yourself, for the old wounds to heal. I know that when you return from your nightmares, we shall again walk hand in hand, as before” (1742).

 

Works Cited

Allende, Isabel. “And of Clay Are We Created.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature 1650 to the Present. Vol. 2. Ed. Martin Puchner et. al. New York: Norton, 2013.  Print.

 

Celan's "Deathfugue"

BLOG PROMPT: Interpret the theme of death and martyrdom in one of Paul Celan’s poems.

     The tragic weight of loss that Paul Celan experienced thematically defined his writing. After losing both his parents in Nazi prison camps and spending a great deal of time during WWII in a forced labor camp, Celan “managed to write poetry that spoke directly about the unspeakable” (1467).  Celan thematically focuses on death and martyrdom to not only express his own loss but also the loss of a civilization that would allow such atrocities.

     In “Deathfugue” one of Celan’s most hauntingly moving poems he describes the horrors of concentration life using a refrain of short rhythmic lines to symbolically convey the “Tango of Death” (“the dance music that an SS commander forced prisoners to play during marches and executions” (1468)). The reader moves through the poem taking aesthetic pleasure in the rhythmic movement of the refrain but being unsettlingly aware that the beautiful rhythm is representative of large scale chaos where not even music can lend itself to civility.  The rhythm and music become a symbol of how lost civilization has become, and how everyone plays a dark martyred role in maintaining the chaos; “Black milk of daybreak we drink you at night we drink you at midday Death is a master…we drink you at evening and morning we drink and we drink this Death is ein Meister…” (1470).

     In “Deathfugue” Celan also uses the symbolism of hair color to express a decayed civilization that defines roles of worth and worthlessness by arbitrary standards. “The poem contrasts the golden hair of the commander’s beloved Margareta (a typically German name) with the dark hair of the Jewish Shulamith, a prisoner in the camp” (1468). Margareta’s golden hair represents those ‘fortunate’ enough to be defined by roles of ‘worth’. Her hair symbolizes light and the opportunity for life and is supposed to awaken a dark Germany; “he writes when it grows dark to Deutschland your golden hair Margareta” (1469). This faulty logic is immediately revealed when contrasted with the dark hair of Shulamith. Shulamith’s hair is described as ashen which symbolizes the bodies burned in the concentration camps; “Your ashen hair Shulamith we shovel a grave in the air where you won’t lie too cramped” (1469). The darkness over Germany is revealed as the horrific acts perpetrated against the Jews. This contrast reveals that  Margareta’s light does not  remove the darkness over Germany but in fact creates it; “a man lives in the house your goldness Haar Margarete he looses his hounds on us grants us a grave in the air he plays with his vipers and daydreams der Tod ist ein Meister aus Deutschland” (1470). 

Works Cited 

Celan, Paul. “Deathfugue.” Trans. John Felstiner. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 1650 to the Present. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 1469. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols.

Neruda's "Walking Around"

BLOG PROMPT: What view of the city emerges from Pablo Neruda’s “Walking Around”?

     In “Walking Around” Pablo Neruda portrays the city as a destructive and demoralizing place. Neruda focuses on the city’s destructive power where the city symbolizes society and its inherent inequities. This power works to prevent the formation of an individualized identity because individuality is replaced by the inequities that come from a society fueled by materiality. Neruda “was an advocate for social justice and a leading cultural figure on the Communist left” his desire for social justice is reflected in his critical examination of city life and its inherent inequities (1421).

     The poem opens by Neruda expressing his desire for escape from city life, but realizing that the city itself has worked into his own self-identity; “I want nothing but the repose either of stones or of wool, I want to see no more establishments…nor merchandise…It happens that I am tired of my feet and my nails and my hair and my shadow. It happens that I am tired of being a man” (1423).  As Chile’s national poet Neruda was a representative of the people, and he expressed a longing to eradicate societal inequities all the while realizing his impuissant ability to do so; “It would be beautiful to go through the streets with a green knife shouting until I died of cold. I do not want to go on being a root in the dark, hesitating, stretched out, shivering with dreams downwards, in the wet tripe of the earth, soaking it up and thinking, eating every day” (1424).

    Although Neruda desires change he feels powerless under the oppressive weight of the city. Neruda expresses the fear and realization that because he is part of society he is also part of its system of inequities regardless of his desire for social justice; “I do not want to be the inheritor of so many misfortunes, I do not want to continue as a root and as a tomb…” (1424). Neruda concludes with his realization that he is a powerless part of society and sadly accepts his fate and his powerlessness; “I stride along with calm, with eyes, with shoes, with fury, with forgetfulness, I pass, I cross offices and stores full of orthopedic appliances, and courtyards hung with clothes on wires, underpants, towels and shirts which weep slow dirty tears” (1424).     

Works Cited

"Pablo Neruda." 1650 to the Present. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 1421-1422. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols.

 

Neruda, Pablo. “Walking Around.” Trans. W.S. Merwin. 1650 to the Present. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 1423-1424. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols.

 

Whitman Marti and Dario

Whitman, Martí, and Darío

BLOG PROMPT: Walt Whitman’s work was much admired by Latin American poets José Martí and Rubén Darío. Take one poem from Martí and Darío and identify any similarities that might exist with Whitman’s work. Landscape would be an important element to consider.

     Whitman, Marti and Dario were highly influential writers within their historical and geographic contexts. These three writers helped redefine their poetic cultures by challenging poetic traditions and conventions. Their influence upon their respective poetic cultures worked to define each poetic culture with a sense of nationalism. This nationalism was not free from societal examination and critique, but rather emphasized the ability of a culture to support positive change. The language of each of these influential writers appealed to and reflected the language of the everyman creating artistic cultures that were both revelatory and accessible.

       Whitman’s work was profoundly influential to nineteenth century American poetic culture. Although Whitman challenged poetic and thematic conventions he also worked to create a sense of nationalism; “the nation was such a crucial focus for his work. He was deliberately writing a new, quintessentially American poetry, an art form that would leave European values and traditions behind to celebrate a modern pluralistic democracy” (647). Whitman worked to establish America as its own defining source of art and artistic merit. Whitman’s poetic language “aimed to include all of modern life” (647). He often wrote in a conversational style without regard for poetic meter conventions. This accessibility allowed his poems to be read and understood by a wide and appreciative audience. This language was also used to create and define a sense of American nationalism. In the poem “Song of Myself” Whitman writes, “One of the Nation of many nations, the smallest the same and the largest the same…” (649). This desire to forge a sense of a truly American poetic culture is best described by Whitman himself when he asserted that “The Americans of all nations at any time upon the earth, have probably the fullest poetic nature. The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem” (647).

     Similar to the way Whitman challenged European poetic traditions to forge a new nationalistic centered poetic culture, Jose Marti deliberately rejected “conventional Spanish verse forms paving the way for Latin American modernism” (680). The language of Marti’s poetry was highly accessible. Marti rejected the thematic and format complexities of Romantic era sentiments that had previously defined Spanish poetry. By reflecting values of the common man Marti helped to define a unique Cuban poetic culture free from the Spanish poetic conventions. Marti was a revolutionary who used his poetry to define independent Cuban nationalism. Marti was committed to the efforts to free Cuba from “Spanish colonial rule” (680). The accessibility and desired independent nationalism is reflected in Marti’s poem “I Am an Honest Man”; “I am an honest man From where the palm grows And before I die I wish To fling my verses from my soul. I come from everywhere And I am going toward everywhere: Among the arts, I am art…” (681).

     Like Whitman and Marti, Ruben Dario helped to define a unique poetic culture. Dario helped to establish and define Latin American poetic culture, and he was one of the first modernismo poets who sought an independent nationalistic poetic voice. What separates Dario from Whitman and Marti is that he often embraced traditional literary forms and thematic references to Greek as well as indigenous antiquity. Although he used these conventions, his work was startlingly modern because he addressed modern societal issues and cultural values. Dario’s poetry focused on verse musicality which heightened the influence of his verse to various Latin American folk cultures. Dario “displayed a new poetic awakening to contemporary political and cultural concerns, as well as a somber interrogations of the poet’s own mortality” (691). In his defiant poem “To Roosevelt” Dario exemplifies his desire to use poetry to both establish Latin American poetic culture as well as establish this culture as a means for political and social challenge; “You are the United States future invader of our naïve America with its Indian blood, an America that still prays to Christ and still speaks Spanish” (693). Dario had a profound impact on Latin American poetry he was such an influential artist that many “historians have broken the story of Spanish language poetry into two periods-before and after Dario” (691).

Works Cited

Dario, Ruben. "To Roosevelt." 1650 to the Present. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 695. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols.

Martí, Jose. "I Am an Honest Man." 1650 to the Present. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 681. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols.

Whitman, Walt. "Song of Myself." 1650 to the Present. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 648-653. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols.

How Gender is Defined in "The Rod of Justice"

 

BLOG PROMPT •Gender is a major component of the relationships in “The Rod of Justice.”  Explore how gender relates to power in the story.

   There is a level of complexity in the way that gender inequities are portrayed in Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis, “The Rod of Justice.” “Machado…had a longstanding fascination with questions of authority and control” (911). The story centers on the main character Damiao who, seeking escape from his seminary obligations, requests the aide of his godfather’s mistress, Sinha Rita to wield her sexual powers over his godfather in efforts to support his escape. The complexity of Sinha Rita’s gender defined role is that she is portrayed as having a certain amount of power within the story. She is independent, she wields a sexual power over Joao Carneiro, and she has the power to change the course of action for Damiao. However, upon deeper reading Sinha Rita’s power is only surface level because she is limited by gender inequities and her gender defined role within a patriarchal society.

     The story immediately defines Damiao as the key manipulator of Sinha Rita’s power. He is aware of the sexual power she wields over his godfather and sets out to use this power to his advantage. Sinha Rita is manipulated into action by Damiao’s thought out challenge to this power she wields, “My godfather He’s even worse than papa, he doesn’t pay any attention to what I say, I don’t believe he’d pay attention to anyone…” “No?” interrupted Sinha Rita, her pride pricked. “Well, I’ll show him whether he’ll pay attention or not…” (913). The power Sinha Rita does wield over Joao Carnerio is defined by sexuality limiting the function of female gendered power to a form of manipulation. Machado also skillfully brings into question Sinha Rita’s existence as an independent business woman because she is a slave owner who teaches slaves the art of “lacemaking.” Her reliance on the instability of these societal power structures highlights the lack of independence Sinha Rita has because she has a dependency upon an unjust and unstable social system. Sinha Rita wields a violent and unforgiving power over the young slave girls. Machado portrays Sinha Rita in this way to highlight that her adherence to the oppressive societal system of slavery is also her acceptance of her own oppression. The power she wields over the slave girls contributes to the inequities of the societal systems that enforce her own gender defined limitations. Even during the end of the story Sinha Rita’s power is limited. Sinha Rita demands that Damiao hands her a rod so that she can hit a poor slave girl. Throughout the story the reader is privy to Damiao’s disapproval of Sinha Rita’s violent power over the slave girls. Damiao even makes the promise to himself that he will protect one of the young girls however, when his own freedom is challenged he quickly ignores past moral certitudes despite the young slave girl’s pleas for help. With this action Machado defines Sinha Rita’s power as a temptress. She becomes the moral downfall of Daimio’s virtuous character. Machado highlights that gender defined roles that limit the female to roles of seductress, and sin filled blame, really remove male ownership of wrongdoing as well as ownership of the creation of societal instability.

     In “The Rod of Justice” Machado offers a look into gender based social inequities that tie into the oppressive systems of slavery. What is revealed is that Sinha Rita’s power is but a lie, and the real power is both wielded and ultimately defined by an oppressive male-centric society, “Machado, more than any of his contemporaries, set out to expose the attitudes and the lies that sustained this lopsided society” (911).

Works Cited

"Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis." 1650 to the Present. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 910-911. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols.

  Machado de Assis, Joaqium Maria. "The Rod of Justice." 1650 to the Present. Ed. Martin Puchner. Shorter 3rd ed. New York: Norton, 2013. 911-916. Print. Vol. 2 of The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2 vols.

  

Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man

                                               Alexander Pope’s An Essay on Man 

Blog Prompt: How does An Essay on Man reconcile the belief in a divinely ordered universe with the existence of evil and seeming disorder in the world? Do you find these arguments believable? Why or why not?

     Alexander Pope’s theodicy An Essay on Man is written in poetic form and provides two faith based arguments to support his belief in God’s knowing omnipotence and man’s necessary “submission to Providence” (89). The overarching argument that Pope makes is based upon his teleological assertion that man has a natural position within the order of the “universe” and is therefore unknowing of the processes that exist external to man’s position. Pope makes the argument that due to man’s lack of awareness outside of his position it is unreasonable to question God’s motives. To question such unknowing motives Pope asserts would be questioning God’s judgment and the order of God’s creation; “There must be, somewhere, such a rank as Man: And all the questions (wrangle e’er so long) Is only this, if God has placed him wrong?” (91).

     Pope’s second faith based argument to support his theodicy is that man defines morality and order according to his own perspectives. Pope asserts that when man tries to use his value systems to question God’s motives he is asserting that his judgment is positionally superior to God’s; “The impiety of putting himself in the place of God, and judging of the fitness or unfitness, perfection or imperfection, justice or injustice of his dispensations” (90). To support this argument Pope makes the assertion that the natural world itself does not follow rules of morality, or man’s conceptions/desire for controlled order, and if this moral order does not exist in the natural world man has no basis for questioning God’s motives; “The absurdity of conceiting himself this final cause of the creation, or expecting that perfection in the moral world which is not met in the natural” (90).

     Pope’s theodicy concludes by reasserting that man’s submission to his position within the universe is essential because man is ultimately unknowing, and therefore moral expectations based upon this unknowing (that question God’s motives) ultimately dishonor God’s judgment; “All Chance, Direction, which thou cast not see, All Discord, Harmony not understood: All partial Evil, universal Good: And, spite of Pride, in erring Reason’s spite, One truth is clear, Whatever is, is right” (90). Personally I do not find these arguments believable because they are based in religious belief and do not make sense outside of faith based logic.

 

Works Cited

Pope, Alexander. An Essay on Man. The Norton Anthology World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner, et al. 3rd ed. Vol. D. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 2012. 344-351. Print.  

    

Marguerite de Navarre

 Marguerite de Navarre

 

 

Marguerite de Navarre was an integral figure of the French Renaissance. As a noblewoman her devout patronage of the arts as well as her firm support of intellectual pursuits defined her as “one of the most influential members of French courtly society” and a key player in shaping sixteenth century societal values (1637). During the Reformation de Navarre’s influence and diplomacy protected many French Protestants from persecution despite accusations of “heresy” and her own Roman Catholic based beliefs (1638). Marguerite de Navarre was also an important literary figure in her own right. Her literary legacy involves an important counter-discourse on subjects of gender and sexuality and she was an influential voice in support of religious tolerance and reform.

    Considered de Navarre’s greatest literary achievement, the Heptameron is a complex narrative that uses a multi-story framework (frame narrative) to address themes of spirituality, sexuality, gender, status, political power, morality, and human fallibility. Each of the stories centers on a particular perspective and in doing so provides an understanding of both aristocratic and common life. de Navarre’s value on perspective also functions as a social commentary on societal inequities that emerge due to gender/class power discrepancies. Marguerite de Navarre’s important literary contributions, as well as her diplomatic political influence define her status as an important early feminist and, as the famous scholar Samuel Putnam asserted, “the first modern woman” (Putnam, 1936).  

 

Works Cited

 

de Navarre, Marguerite. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner, et al. Third Edition. New York:  W.W. Norton and Company, 2013. 1637-1647. Print.

Putnam, Samuel. Marguerite of Navarre, Grosset & Dunlap, New York, 1936.

 



Sunjata

THIS WEEK’S PROMPT: Discuss the origin and purpose of the bride-carrying ceremony in “Sunjata” and the development of the bride-escorting song (lines 750-798).
 

     The epic tale Sunjata “knits together the mythic and the everyday, the ancestral and the contemporary, providing for its Mande listeners a recognizable, living history, and for everyone else rich insight into the culture of a once-glorious empire” (1517). The bride-carrying ceremony is part of the opening tale that reveals the mythic origins of Sunjata. The heroism and dalilu (magic) that define the events of Sunjata’s unusual entrance into this world also exalt Sunjata’s status as a supernatural hero. Sogolon Wulen Conde is Sunjata’s mother she is a wild sorceress unwilling to marry Sunjata’s father, Manko Farakonken. Sogolon is described as “very ugly, the duct in her eye is injured and the tears run down…Her head is bald. She has a humped back. Her feet are twisted. When she walks she limps this way and that” (1525). Despite this description Sogolon is defined as having a destined mythical purpose “Anyone who marries her, Something special will be at her breast” which alludes to the birth of the great hero, Sunjata (1525). The bride carrying ceremony originates from the marriage between Sogolon and Manko. Sogolon because of her “twisted feet” is unable to walk without “raising dust” her “co-wives” when  they see this begin to sing “Walk well, Bride of my brother, Walk well. Do not put us in the dust… They saw that her walk could not improve, That it was beyond her power. The sisters said let us carry her” (1536). The significance of the bride carrying ceremony defines the bride as a possession but the ceremony itself is also a means for community unification because “the bride is thought of as the collective possession of the family and the village into which she marries” (1536).  The connection of this epic tale to the Mande people is evident in the rich marital tradition of the bride carrying ceremony.

Works Cited

  “Sunjata: A West African Epic of the Mande Peoples.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Vol. 1: Beginnings to 1650. Ed. Martin Puchner, et al. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2013. 1514 - 1576. Print. 

Matsuo Bashō Video

BLOG 3: Bashō

 

BLOG ASSIGNMENT: Watch the video on “Matsuo Bashō.” Discuss the combination of poems and images. Why do you think the maker of the video paired the images and poems in the way he did? 

     In the short video “Matsuo Bashō” created by Raul Santiago Sebazco (2010) several of Bashō’s poems are presented between beautiful images of Edo period art and set to Koto music. The presentation of the poems in combination with the art and music work to conceptually take the viewer on Bashō’s transformational travels across the Edo Five Routes. This epic journey transformed the prior introspective focus of Bashō’s poetry into poetry that was more external and observational which reflected the changing scenery and life that was presented before him. The images move across the screen as if to relay the feeling of Bashō moving onward. In the background beautiful Koto music is played creating a simultaneous sense of serenity and wonderment. This music was perhaps chosen to reflect the beauty and wonderment that Bashō was exposed to along the way. Bashō’s travels facilitated a sense of serenity despite that fact that his causes for travel were initially motivated by grief. Bashō’s vivid metaphorical use of nature to connect with themes concerning the human condition creates a powerful sense of universal connection despite the differences in context that influenced his work. For this reason Bashō’s work remains highly impactful to the modern reader.

Works Cited

Sebazco, R. S. “Matsuo Basho”. YouTube, 9 April 2010. Web. 31 May 2015.

 

Classic of Poetry

BLOG 2: Classic of Poetry

     The Classic of Poetry (also known as the Book of Odes) 1000-600B.C.E is the “oldest poetry collection of East Asia” (Puncher 756). It is a collection of 305 songs rooted in culture creating orality that were later transcribed during Confucius’s time. This collection marks the beginning of China’s “three millennia-long literary tradition” and holds a place of significant literary canonical status (756). The collection is an integral part of understanding early Chinese society. The poems contained within the collection vividly detail the history and value system of early Chinese society and allow the modern reader to get a deeper understanding and sense of life during the Zhou Dynasty.  

     The Classic of Poetry facilitates the discovery of the unique connection between cultural orality, literature (writing), history, and culture formation. The importance of this collection is that it was highly valued for more than aesthetic reasons. The impact and influence of Confucianism made this collection an integral educational model that outlined and emphasized value systems (moral virtues), and societal order. The poems embodied the core values of early Chinese civilization.

     The transcription of song into written work and the codification of core poetic components outlined in the “Great Preface” by Confucian scholars during the Han Dynasty was central to the development of Chinese poetry. Robert Oxnam (2002) writes that “poetry in the Chinese tradition was the preeminent literary form understood as central to the expression of human emotions.” Oxnam continues by stating that there were five tenants that influenced Chinese poetry for centuries 1. That the poem was a place where deepest emotions are expressed 2. The poet by expressing his deepest feelings was also commenting on the time in which he/she lived 3. The poet’s personality is inscribed in the poem 4. Poetry revealed the poets moral fiber 5. Through poetry the poet lives beyond his own time (Oxnam).

     The Classic of Poetry provides an important understanding of the form and value of Chinese Poetry.  Incorporating the Classic of Poetry into a literature curriculum provides students the important opportunity to explore differing historical contexts, cultural perspectives, values and belief systems.

 

Works Cited

The Norton Anthology World Literature. Ed. Martin Puchner, et al. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc., 2012. 1023-1024. Print.

 

Oxnam, R.  Asian Topics: An Online Resource for Asian History and Culture. Columbia University, 2015. Web. 21 May 2015.

Somadeva : "The Red Lotus of Chastity"

BLOG ASSIGNMENT: In a considerable amount of literature from many different cultures and from many different periods, the heroine disguises herself in order to perform some unusual task, often related to saving her husband or beloved. Discuss the role of disguise in “Somadeva.” Focus on women’s disguises, particularly how disguises move them toward their desired goals. What might this reveal about the nature of relationships between women and men as represented in this story?

     The Kathāsaritsāgara is a famous 11th-century collection of Indian legends and folk tales compiled and composed by the Brahmin, Somadeva. The selected story reviewed from the Kathāsaritsāgara is called “The Red Lotus of Chastity”. Thematically the ability to transform is related to the direct metaphysical connection between god(s) and man in the Hindu religion. In religious texts, legends, and folk lore the function of transformation is often presented as an expression of multifaceted anthropomorphism.  The ability to effectively disguise one’s identity directly corresponds with this thematic function of transformation.

      In “The Red Lotus of Chastity” the function of disguise plays an important role throughout the story and effective disguise is an ability reserved for the female characters within the story. The story is about the protagonist Devasmita maintaining her chastity in her husband’s absence despite the ill intentions of several young men and their co-conspiring ally (the nun). Devasmita uses her inventive intelligence to transform her situation. This is a clear message throughout the story that the ability for a person to maintain their moral standards is within one’s power despite the obstacles that may stand in their way.

     The use of female disguise throughout “The Red Lotus of Chastity” and also in the nested tales within the story of Siddhikari and Saktimati predominantly revolve around interactions with male merchants. The female characters within the stories use disguise to either get the upper hand on a merchant, to set right the deceiving actions of a merchant, or in the case of Devasmita it is her husband’s entry into the merchant class that sets up the turmoil of the story which is furthered by Devasmita’s forced interactions with a merchant’s conniving sons. In the essay “The Merchant in Ancient India”  Balkrishna Govind Gorkhale (1977) writes that the “figure of the merchant in the literature of ancient India flits about in somewhat of a twilight zone…the merchant is placed into the category of disreputable” untrustworthy “groups” but whose  “operations are considered essential to society at large” (125). The deceptive but necessary view of the merchant is represented in the stories and corresponding nested tales. The function of disguise highlights the intent to counter the untrustworthiness of the merchant group with the matched cunning/deception necessary in order to do so. The fact that the use of disguise is reserved for female characters within the stories maintains the essential role of the merchant group who are not threateningly challenged by males (which would devalue the essential societal role of the merchant) but rather brought to some kind of justified ownership for their actions through the perceived unthreatening actions of female characters.

     The use of disguise in “The Red Lotus of Chastity” defines the importance of the concept of transformation to Hindu beliefs and early Indian society. The function of disguise plays an important role in defining the merchant group as both disreputable but also essential to society. By reserving the use of disguise for strictly female characters the merchant class remain unchallenged in their essential role but are still defined as a disreputable group in society. Disguise also plays an important role in the idea that a person is capable of maintaining their moral standards despite the disruption of negative influences/forces.  

Works Cited

Gokhale, Balkrishna G. “The Merchant in Ancient India.” Journal of the American Oriental Society Vol. 97, No. 2 (Apr. - Jun., 1977), pp. 125-130

Somadeva. “The Red Lotus of Chastity.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature. Ed. Martin            Puchner. Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013.