Rene Depestres Rosena on the Mountain - Book Report/Review Example

How Can Something So Wrong Feel So Right All Along A Critical Analysis of Rene Depestre's "Rosena on the Mountain" Rene Depestre's short story "Rosena on the Mountain" is one of a kind. A lack of knowledge about the culture and background of the author and the Haitian people could affect one's interpretation of the story. For a moralist, it could be considered very sensual and unfit for general readership. However, a deeper understanding of the background of the people and the author could lead to a greater appreciation of this piece of work which makes it unique and worth reading. Personally, reading "Rosena on the Mountain" enhanced and enriched my experience ad understanding of the Haitian culture and human nature. Alain is a round character, a true-to-life figure that faces real life struggles. He is at the same time dynamic in the sense that the character has evolved into a more aggressive and mature individual. Rosena, on the other hand, can be considered a round character because of her convincing personality that is consistent throughout the story. Father James Mulligan may be considered a flat character because he is a stereotype of orthodox priests who assume an appearance of holiness and are prejudiced though they are also humans and are tempted to yield to what they consider evil - sex. If Alain is the protagonist, then the antagonists could either be the priest or Rosena, since he is torn between the two. One is pulling him to the religious/Roman Catholic priesthood, and the other towards sensual freedom and back to pagan practices. The use of the first person point of view is effective in showing the inner conflict of the main character. The reader can easily empathise with the struggles Alain went through and share with his struggles and triumphs. Symbolism is also present in the story. Mountain may be redundant because Haiti is actually an Indian term for mountains ("Haiti". Infoplease). Rosena is a Haitian and in the title she is on the mountain. The term could have several meanings, like a literal mountain, an obstacle, a challenge, something remote or insurmountable. The name Rosena from the word rose could stand for a flower, beautiful but thorny, desirable and challenging. Moreover, irony is evident in the whole story. Alain's pursuit for holiness is not achieved in the priestly vocation but in acknowledging his own self with all his physical and psychological longings. The priest, on the other hand, projects an image of holiness but in reality a weak person of sensual desires too. Even in the end, he philosophised about his wounded sex organ. Of all the elements of fiction, I find the theme, revealed in conflict, to be the most outstanding feature that makes this story attractive and a distinct piece of literature. Internal struggle is the prevailing theme of the story. Alain is torn between his culture and his religion; between his ancestral leanings and the colonial impulse; and between self gratification and living up to others' expectation. A great contributory factor to Alain's dilemma is his own roots. Could the mingling of the opposite/differing forces solve the dilemma However, Alain is forced to choose between the two. The question of what is moral and what is not is a predicament he has to face, struggle with and overcome. He has to discover later that what is good to one may be evil to others. In the end, he can never remain neutral. This paper discusses the internal conflict that the main character, Alain, encounters as he is initiated into adulthood and manhood. The focus of the analysis will cover: culture vs. religion; ancestral leanings vs. colonial impulse; self-gratification vs. others' expectations; and "good" vs. "evil". Culture vs. religion Haitians are said to be intimate with friends and kin that when they communicate, they have the tendency to touch the other person. "Personal space is often not as pronounced as among some other cultures, and interaction may be very close" (Rock. Haitian Voodoo History & Beliefs). Although about 80 % of the Haitians belong to the Roman Catholic religion, about half still practice Voodoo (Rock). At the onset, the main character was faced with this struggle: How could he uproot himself from the pagan practice he had grown up with He wanted to reach out to the Christian God and he thought that priesthood was the ultimate answer. Alain was convinced that he was meant to take priesthood as a vocation because "According to the priest, the fact that I had been wallowing in paganism for years without spoiling my innocence was proof that my calling had been sprouting in fertile terrain" (Brown 122). Father James Mulligan told him this after he told him about his lack of sexual intercourse with a woman because it was not uncommon for Haitians to be sexually active. After his consultation with the priest he was told that "From now on, however, it would be necessary to break with the pagan eccentricities of Vodun and to found my destiny on chastity" (122) which is quite a great deal of order for him. Could he really break away from his pagan self and culture He was shaped the pagan way, as his mother despite limited resources saw to it that he and his siblings would spend a few days to Dorelia Dantor's farm (121) to experience Voodoo and be protected from illnesses and all sorts of evil. His encounter with Rosena, who was considered by the priest as a scandal (123) shook his then growing confidence in his chosen vocation. When he told her that he chose to "scorn the fleeting sensations of the flesh" and that "chastity is a commitment that (he) make for life" (125), he was faced with a solid argument from Rosena. She asked him: "And why do our Iwa make love freely when they are Gods too Dambala Wedo is married, you know. He's not a black male for nothing. Agwe Taroyo's exploits on the sea are no more notorious than his oar strokes in the flesh of Ezili Freda!'" (125). He argued that it was all pagan custom. Rosena was swift to respond: "'Pagan! It feels so good to be pagan from head to foot! There's no evil in that" (125). The intellectual knowledge of the foreign religion stood in contrast to the physical experience of his cultural practice. After he had sexual intercourse with Rosena he was more at peace with himself and he felt no guilt and that he and Rosena shared something more than physical union. He would describe his situation as "When I changed the place of the Missal on the altar, I glanced at her and her smile told me that we were following the same religion" (133). The Roman Catholic religion that they had embraced could not separate them from their culture, their old being as "the gods of our childhood were slyly alert behind our Christian ritual" (134). He could not totally break away from his pagan self for it would mean tearing himself apart from his very being. Ancestral leanings vs. colonial impulse There was a touch of colonial mentality in the very reason why Alain wanted to join priesthood: "Since I was born Haitian, sainthood seemed to me to be the only way to attract Christ's attention to a planet without tenderness or consolation" (119). He seemed to have understood that Haiti was a god-forsaken place and the only way to reach God was through the colonial religion. He appeared to have no gratitude or pride for his real identity. The priest, belonging to the colonial world affirmed his conviction: "He shared my opinion that the worst of misfortunes in the Americas was to be born in Haiti. He could understand why I envisioned the extreme alternative of suffering and renouncement" (120). This was simply a form of discrimination and prejudice on the part of the Irish priest. This missionary did not only come to share Christianity but also to change the mindset of the people into the colonial thinking that the West was always superior and the only right path. So for Alain, the new religion promised a better world and a better escape from the land of his birth: "I was a young man in a state of revolt, called to the great adventure of the priesthood. God had planted me in this ungrateful and sterile terrain for his own purposes" (120). Priesthood seemed to be the best remedy for his discontent. However, deeply rooted in his system was his real identity and roots. He belonged to a people who were unique and distinct as they were especially in their sexuality: "I came from a background where people were generally not ashamed of their private parts nor of their ability to enjoy them to the fullest" (122). This was something that his new religion did not support. His pagan religion had gods who "make love freely" (125) and where sex was not considered evil, as Rosena exclaimed: "'Pagan! It feels so good to be pagan from head to foot! There's no evil in that'" (125). Moreover, what the colonial mind called evil did not feel evil for him as Alain reasoned: "'and yet, Father, I prayed for a long time yesterday evening. The more I asked God's forgiveness, the more it seemed to me that he was blessing me for having dipped my soul like a piece of toast in the honey of the mountain. Why should evil be more fascinating than good Why should I have experienced Rosena like a life-giving explosion'" (132). This experience intensified his struggle with the colonial religion. Inwardly he would seem to ask: How can something so wrong feel so right all along Self-gratification vs. others' expectations Alain was torn between the pleasure of sex and the advice of the priest. He grew up with the knowledge that sex was a normal part of life but the vocation he chose to follow strongly forbade it. For a young man oozing with sexual drive and with the presence of the challenge (Rosena), this was indeed no easy thing. The struggle continued in himself on how to live up to the priest's expectation and the requirements of his vocation with that of the longing of his body and heart. When Alain began with his new vocation he could not neglect the fact that he "came from a background where people were generally not ashamed of their private parts nor of their ability to enjoy them to the fullest" and where "boys and girls were proud of their penis or vagina when they discovered these organs as a source of pleasure that brought them a sense of well-being and health" (122). In his culture, sexual activities did not provoke guilt but "this discovery brought a joyful self-confidence to both sexes." (122). However, in priesthood he had to maintain chastity and consider sex as an enemy of the soul. Roman Catholicism gives emphasis on the soul, on the other hand, Voodoo exalts the body. This was evident in the use of the Bible passage at the beginning of the story: "How beautiful are the feet of the messenger on the mountain when he brings good tidings - Isaiah" (119), in which a similar line was expressed by Rosena when she was in argument with Alain at the road from the market. She said: "'Do you think that they bring bad tidings to the hills'" referring to her thighs (125). After his encounter with Rosena at the river, he reasoned with the priest that "'I don't feel the least remorse. The little bit I felt last night was swept away this morning. God placed the pristine form of woman's sweet flesh in my hands. These hands are entranced for the rest of my days!'"(133). What he experienced was the opposite of what the priest had been teaching him about sex as something to be avoided. He did not see anything wrong with the thing that was prohibited of him. He promised to follow the priest's advice but in the end he followed his heart's desire. Did he choose wisely or did he lose in the battle "Good" vs. "evil" How can one really say that a thing is good or evil Is there a black and white test that will prove that an action is really right or wrong Specifically, is sex good or evil When the priest heard Alain's confession about Rosena's attempt at seducing him, he said that "the soul of this kind of pagan is a skein that must be artfully unravelled." He advised Alain that as he was "confronted with the young woman's impious passion," he "should have pretended to be seriously caught up in it in order to guide her wisely to the lap of God" (127). However, Alain had observed some unusual behaviour of the priest. He sensed that "while I was awake that night, this holy man, who perhaps had a direct line to the Mother of Christ, had gotten up with feline stealth and trembling beard to drink in Rosena's defenceless nakedness" (127). The holy man who admonished him to refrain from the "evil" Rosena had his own secret attraction on her too. He did not practice what he preached. Actually, it was not only Alain who was struggling. The priest had had his share of the pressure and the attraction that Rosena summoned. In order to combat her, he had called her a scandal and someone to be avoided. He referred to her as evil incarnate, allowed by God to test Alain and him. Alain was confused because he "felt ridiculous and did not even feel like praying. My favourite 'Ave Maria' was stuck in my throat now, and I had a slight sensation of nausea" (128) when he came face to face with the naked Rosena at the river. According to him, "My vision was blurred with shame and desire" (129). At that moment the priest's teachings still had power on him. But it was eventually overcome with passion. After the incident at the river, the priest was enraged and told Rosena and Alain: "You must take me for a raving idiot. You are both dripping with sin and lies. You've just been fornicating! You're a miserable pair of fornicators!'"(130). What they experienced to be good was evil in the sight of the priest. Rosena's reaction after the angry priest's rebuke was: "'We did nothing wrong. We made love, Father. It was good, good, good!' She closed her eyes" (130). Then they said in unison: "'There's nothing dirty about love'" (130). Finally, Alain realized that "'what surprises me is that I don't feel as if I've sinned. I feel as pure as before. It's as if I just sampled the tip of ecstasy. Rosena made me experience the other four-fifths of an incredible state of grace'" (132). For Alain, what he experienced was good. It felt good and he had no guilt feelings. The priest insisted it was evil: "'You are completely caught up in your fascination with evil. It's blasphemous to associate grace with a mere adventure of the flesh'" (132). He even suggested that Rosena herself was "evil incarnate" sent by God to test Alain's character: He continued to admonish that "'I've already told you that God sometimes submits his chosen ones to the illusions of the flesh in order to test their mettle. It is all to the better if this trial has not exhausted your store of purity" (132). In the end, Alain had to discover later that what was good to one may be evil to others. He had to accept the fact that he could never remain neutral. Conclusion I find this story really interesting and worthwhile. Rene Depestre did a good job at revealing and articulating the conflict that one experiences regarding his culture and his foreign religion. The term pagan and Christian have always been a topic of discussion as to which is right and which should be followed and have dominance. This is a story with a familiar theme rendered in an exceptional and creative way. The story "Rosena on the Mountain" gives a vivid personal view of the struggle of a young man wanting to escape from his desperate home into the promised land of the foreign religion. He thinks that God favours the white man thus he wants to be like the white, even just in being a priest like the white man. He has to learn though that becoming someone else is never uncomplicated, it demands more sacrifice. It means tearing away a part of you that is there all along or even tearing yourself into two parts. The phrase "dying to self" may entail more than what is manifested. Alain's desire to be a priest was at first a glorious ambition. It means freedom and a better life. It entails a promise of goodness and real life. The internal conflict that the main character, Alain, encounters as he is initiated into adulthood and manhood are about his pagan culture against the Roman Catholic religion; his ancestral leanings against colonial impulse or influence; his own sexual self-gratification versus the vocation's expectation of chastity; and about which is "good" and which is "evil". The plot and the first person point of view are effective in rendering a personal struggle that can easily be understood and empathized by the readers. The diction and style may seem offensive to more conservative readers if they are not aware of the background of the writer and the people referred to in the story. In order to appreciate the story better, one has to study the Haitians and their way of living, as well as getting an ample knowledge of the author and his background. The characters are plausible; they appear like true-to-life individuals experiencing the struggles and triumphs of real life. Their troubles are not larger than life, they can be experienced by anybody and their choices do not really differ from the choices we each have to make. I find the ending of the story quite sad. I felt sad for the priest who continued to philosophise about his condition, unable to face the reality of life and the real struggles of masculinity and sex. I am not so happy about the two lovers because they have hurt the priest and have lost a friend. The clash between Christianity and paganism remains unsolved. I should have wanted a happy ending where there is a win-win solution to the problem. However, this is real life depicted in fiction form and the writer chose to end it the natural way, not like the "and they live happily ever after" ending of fairy tales. I salute the genius of the work who did just what he thinks he must do to render a very valuable piece of literature. Works Cited: Brown, Stewart and John Wickham (eds). The Oxford Book of Caribbean Short Stories. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Moffett, James, and Kenneth R. McElheny, eds. Points of View: An Anthology of Short Stories. 1995. Perrine, Laurence. Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Shapiro and Beum: A Prosody Handbook, 1978. Zelman, Lawrence John. The Art and Craft of Poetry; an Introduction. New York: Macmillan, 1986. "Leading the way for the decolonization of words"- Interview with Ren Depestre by Jasmina Sopova UNESCO.org 02 October 2007 "Haiti." Infoplease. 02 October 2007 . Reuben, Paul P. PAL: Appendix G: Elements of Fiction. "PAL: Perspectives in American Literature- A Research and Reference Guide." Oct 1, 2007 Rock, Mike. Haitian Voodoo History & Beliefs . Virtualit Interactive Fiction Tutorial. Fiction in Depth or Approaches and Contexts. "Elements of Fiction." 01 October 2007 < http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/lit-elements/overview/>. Read More